May 26, 2014
PHOTO GALLERY | 2014 NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET | CORVALLIS REGIONAL BRACKET | UNLV BASEBALL REGIONAL CENTRAL
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV baseball (34-23) was placed in the Corvallis (Ore.) Regional, and will play UC Irvine (35-22) on Friday at 2:00 p.m. (PT), on ESPN3, to open play in the NCAA Baseball Tournament, the NCAA announced Monday on ESPNU.
"I'm glad we are going to Corvallis," head coach Tim Chambers said. "It is going to be a tough bracket but I am happy that we are a No. 2 seed. This team has grinded it out all year long. I don't know if there is a team in the country that has been through as much as we have been through as far as injuries are concerned."
Host Oregon State and North Dakota State are the two other teams in the regional and they will play each other at 8:00 p.m. at Goss Stadium on the campus of OSU.
The Rebels earned their seventh at-large bid in school history, but first at-large bid since 1989 when UNLV was a member of the Big West Conference. This is also the Rebels first NCAA appearance since 2005 and its 11th in school history. UNLV is coming off of a Mountain West regular-season championship and finished runner-up in the MW tournament over the weekend. UC Irvine finished third in the Big West with a 15-9 conference record.
"When I got here freshman year, going to a regional was our goal," junior pitcher John Richy said. "Finally getting that goal accomplished is a great feeling, but now we need to take care of business and make a run for Omaha."
The Anteaters lead the overall series with UNLV 40-35-2, but the Rebels have won the last three meeting against the `Eaters, including their most recent in 2012 in Irvine, Calif. Junior Erick Fedde earned his first collegiate victory after not allowing a run in 6.0 innings of work as UNLV won 3-2.
Oregon State (42-12) earned the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament after winning the Pac-12 Conference for the third consecutive year, finishing with a 23-7 league record. The Beavers will open tournament play against North Dakota State (22-24). The Bison won the Summit League tournament to earn an automatic bid and will be making their first appearance in the NCAA tournament since moving to Division I in 2005.
The winner of the regional will advance to a Super Regional and will play the winner of the Stillwater Regional, which includes Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Cal State Fullerton and Binghamton.
"Getting the national recognition of playing in the NCAA tournament is going to help us, especially in recruiting," Chambers said. "Our goal is to go to a regional every year, instead of just once in a while, and I think we are on our way."
The Rebels' last tournament appearance was in 2005 when they went 1-2 in the Tempe (Ariz.) Regional. UNLV lost its opening game to No. 24 Coastal Carolina 12-8. The Rebels came back to in the next day against East Carolina, posting five runs in the ninth inning to win 5-3. However, UNLV was eliminated by No. 24 Coastal Carolina the following day 14-10.
UNLV's first NCAA Tournament game was played in Tempe against Arizona State in 1978, as the Rebels beat ASU 17-10. Overall, UNLV is 10-20 in NCAA Tournament play.
All-session tickets will be made available to the general public beginning at 7 a.m. on Wednesday (online only until 9 a.m.). Infield reserved tickets are $100 while outfield general admission seats are $75 and student outfield seats cost $56. All-session tickets guarantee the holder to all six games of the regional, and a seventh if necessary game.
Single-game tickets will be made available on each day - pending availability - and cost $20 for infield reserved seats, $15 for outfield general admission and $12 for student outfield seats. The ticket office at Goss Stadium will open at 10 a.m. on the first day of the regional and two hours prior to the first game's first pitch each subsequent day.
Fans can purchase tickets by calling 1-800-GOBEAVS, going online at BeaverTickets.com or in person at Gill Coliseum, which is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
