May 25, 2008
STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford University was selected Sunday afternoon as one of the 16 Regional host sites for the 2008 NCAA Baseball Tournament, the NCAA announced. The selection marks the 14th time overall that Klein Field at Sunken Diamond has hosted an NCAA Regional, and the first time since the 2004 season. Earning the right to host a regional also signals the Cardinal's 28th postseason appearance, as its 33-21-2 overall record and runner-up finish in the Pac-10 with a 14-10 mark earned it an at-large berth into the tournament.
The Cardinal will learn on Monday morning, May 26, which three teams will be making the trip to Stanford to complete the four-team regional field. ESPN will air the selection of the 64-team NCAA Tournament field at 9:30 a.m. Monday morning.
Regional play will begin Friday, May 30, with games at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. PT, and will continue in the four-team, double-elimination format until a Regional Champion is crowned on either June 1 or 2.
Games will be played at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. PT Friday through Sunday, May 30-June 1. If a second championship game is required, it will be played Monday, June 2 at 1 p.m. PT. All contests will be played at Klein Field at Sunken Diamond.
Stanford owns a 68-25 (.731) record in 24 previous regional appearances, as well as 14 regional titles. The Cardinal captured its most recent regional title in 2006, winning three straight games at the Austin Regional, culminating in a 17-7 title game victory over North Carolina State.
The Cardinal will be looking to play its way towards a 16th College World Series appearance, and third national title, in Omaha, Neb. The 2008 College World Series will begin play on June 14 at Rosenblatt Stadium.
The other 15 regional sites are as follows, in alphabetical order by host school: Arizona State (Tempe, Ariz.), CS Fullerton (Fullerton, Calif.), Coastal Carolina (Conway, S.C.), Florida State (Tallahassee, Calif.), Georgia (Athens, Ga.), Long Beach State (Long Beach, Calif.), LSU (Baton Rouge, La.), Miami (Fla.) (Coral Gables, Fla.), Michigan (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Nebraska (Lincoln, Neb.), North Carolina (Chapel Hill, N.C.), North Carolina State (Raleigh, N.C.), Oklahoma State (Stillwater, Okla.), Rice (Houston, Texas), and Texas A&M (College Station, Texas).