Miami Selected To Host Its 22nd NCAA Baseball Regional
May 25, 2008
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – For the 22nd time in school history, the University of Miami has been selected to host to one of 16 regional sites for the NCAA Division I Baseball Championships. Miami (47-8), fresh off its first Atlantic Coast Conference Championship title, will be making its NCAA record 36th consecutive regional appearance this week when play at the Coral Gables Regional begins Friday, May 30 at UM’s Mark Light Field.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
Four ACC schools were selected to host a regional, with Florida State, North Carolina and NC State joining Miami to give the league the most regionals of any conference in the nation. Georgia, Michigan, LSU, Texas A&M, Coastal Carolina, Cal State Fullerton, Rice, Nebraska, Long Beach State, Stanford, Oklahoma State and Arizona State will play host to the other 12 regional sites.
The Hurricanes – winners of 14 of their last 17 – defeated Virginia, 8-4, Sunday afternoon at the 2008 ACC Championship game at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. Five Hurricanes were selected to the 2008 ACC Baseball All-Tournament Team with outfielder Dave DiNatale tabbed the Most Valuable Player.
The last season Miami hosted a regional was 2005. In 2006, UM won the Lincoln Regional in Lincoln, Neb. before eventually taking out Mississippi in the Oxford Super Regional to advance to its 22nd College World Series. Last season, the Hurricanes were sent to the Columbia (Mo.) Regional.
Ticket packages for the entire Coral Gables Regional are $90 for field box, $70 for chairback, $45 for adult general admission and $35 for youth, seniors and students. Single day tickets for each of the first three days of the regional are priced at $25 for field box, $20 for chairback, $15 for adult general admission and $10 for youth, seniors and students. If necessary, tickets for the fourth day of the regional are $20 for field box, $16 for chairback, $10 for adult general admission and $8 for youth, seniors and students.
The University of Miami and the ticket office are closed for Memorial Day on Monday but normal hours will resume on Tuesday, May 27. To order tickets, click here or call 305-284-CANE or 1-800-GO-CANES. The UM ticket office will be open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The entire 64-team field will be announced on Monday, May 26 at 12:30 (EST) on ESPN2. Each regional field features four teams, playing a double-elimination format.
UM has advanced to the College World Series 17 of the 21 years it has hosted a regional. The Hurricanes hold an all-time record of 73-11 (.869) in NCAA Regional play at Mark Light Field. It also marks the 11th time in head coach Jim Morris’ 15 years at the helm that UM has played host to a regional.
