May 25, 2008

NC State to Host USC, Charlotte, JMU in NCAA Regional

From GoPack.com

RALEIGH, N.C. - For the first time in its 42-year history, Doak Field at Dail Park will host an NCAA Baseball Regional. Beginning Friday, top-seeded NC State will host second-seeded South Carolina, third-seeded Charlotte and fourth-seeded James Madison in the NCAA Raleigh Regional.

The NCAA announced the 16 host sites for the opening weekend of post-season play Sunday evening and the pairings for each site Monday afternoon during the NCAA Baseball Championship Selection Show.

For the Wolfpack (38-20), this will be the 22nd trip to the NCAA Championship appearance in school history, its sixth in a row and its 18th trip in the last 23 years. NC State's all-time record in the NCAA Baseball Championship is 31-43.

Three of the four teams appearing in the Raleigh Regional met last year in the NCAA Columbia (S.C.) Regional, hosted by the Gamecocks. The second-seeded Wolfpack was eliminated after two losses to Charlotte at Sarge Frye Field.

NC State has hosted an NCAA Regional once before, in 2003, but it was at Fleming Stadium in Wilson, N.C. Doak Field was in the middle of extensive renovations at the time. Head coach Elliott Avent and his team won that event and advanced to the only Super Regional in school history, where it lost a pair of games to Miami in Coral Gables, Fla.

Tickets for the Raleigh Regional are on sale now through 4:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon for Wolfpack Club members and current season-ticket holders. Tickets go on sale to the general public at 5 p.m. Tuesday. All orders after 5 p.m. Tuesday evening are subject to availability and will be treated as general public sales.

All information about the regional is available on this special section of GoPack.com. Ticket information is available here.