Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Fullerton Gets No. 1 Seed

Compiled From Wire Services

Top-ranked Cal State Fullerton, with player-of-the-year candidate Mark Kotsay, was made a No. 1 seed in the NCAA baseball tournament, which includes six teams from the Southeastern Conference.

Also receiving No. 1 seeds were Auburn, Florida State, Miami, Clemson, Tennessee, Texas Tech and Southern Cal, which holds an NCAA-record 17 College World Series appearances.

Double-elimination competition will be held at eight regional sites beginning Thursday and Friday, with the eight regional champions going to Omaha, Neb., June 2 for the College World Series.

The Atlantic Coast Conference and the Southwest Conference each got four bids as the committee chose 24 at-large entries to go with 24 automatic bids to conference regular-season or tournament champions. The committee used a computer ranking system similar to the one used by the basketball tournament selection committee.

Texas will make its record 41st appearance, while Rice, Texas Tech, Troy State and Winthrop will make their first.

Cal State Fullerton (49-9), ranked No. 1 in the Baseball America poll, is seeded No. 1 in the South Regional and will meet No. 6 seed Northeast Louisiana (37-18). Oklahoma, the defending champion, drew the No. 2 seed in the Midwest II Regional at Oklahoma City.

The West Regional has No. 1 seed Southern Cal (41-18), an 11-time NCAA baseball champion, meeting No. 6 Middle Tennessee (35-24), No. 2 Long Beach State (35-23-1) vs. No. 5 Southwest Missouri (37-19) and No. 3 Fresno State (41-20) vs. No. 4 Pepperdine (34-17-1).

In addition to USC, Stanford and California will represent the Pac-10 Conference.