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News Nuggets, 05.31.04
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Pirates, K-Town snag coveted NCAA regional

East Carolina's cumulative 2004 credentials were solid enough to offset two losses in three games in the Conference USA Tournament and earn the Pirates a host spot for one of next weekend's 16 regionals in the opening round of the NCAA Baseball Championship.

ECU will be the host school for the NCAA Kinston Regional, which will be held Friday through Sunday, June 4-6, at the Pirates' recent home away from home, Grainger Stadium in Kinston, NC.

With construction underway on its long-planned new stadium at the site of its Harrington Field campus facility, ECU played its finals four games of the regular season at the home of the Kinston Indians Class A minor league team.

All-session tickets for the regional will go on sale to ECU students on Tuesday, according to a release from the school. Any remaining all-session tickets not claimed by students or by the other regional teams participating will go on sale Thursday morning at 9 a.m. at the ECU Athletic Ticket Office.

Previously ordered all-session tickets by Pirate Club members and season ticket holders will be assigned based upon the Pirate Club priority points system, noted the announcement. Additional ticket information will be released Wednesday.

Game times for the NCAA Kinston Regional are scheduled for 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Friday, followed by 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday. Sunday's championship game is slated for 1 p.m., with a second game to follow, if necessary, 45 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.

East Carolina, which is hosting a regional for the second time, is scheduled to play its first game on Friday at 7 p.m. The Pirates previously hosted a regional in Wilson, N.C. in 2001.

The winner of the NCAA Kinston Regional advances to one of eight NCAA Super Regionals, scheduled for June 11-14 on campus sites.

This is the  6th year in a row that ECU has has earned a berth in the NCAA postseason.

Along with East Carolina, NCAA Regionals will also be hosted by Arkansas, Cal State Fullerton, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Rice, South Carolina, Stanford, Texas, and Virginia.

The complete 64-team NCAA field, including the three other teams that will join ECU in the NCAA Kinston Regional, will be announced Monday at 12:00 p.m ET, live on ESPN2.

C-USA teams are expected to land at least four NCAA berths. ECU will be joined in the push towards the College World Series in Omaha by C-USA Tournament champion Texas Christian, which captured the league's automatic bid.

Southern Mississippi and Tulane are also expected to receive invitations. Houston, which played a daunting non-conference schedule, figures to have an outside shot at a bid. The Cougars finished the regular season 19-11 in the league but were only 30-29 overall after their elimination in the semifinal round of the C-USA tournament.

Title clinches rare NCAA appearance for TCU

Three runs in the first three innings of Sunday's Conference USA Baseball Tournament championship game in Houston turned out to be enough to lock Texas Christian into a spot in the NCAA postseason playoffs.

The Horned Frogs scored a run in the first and added two in the third and then held on for a 3-1 win over defending champion Southern Miss. It marks the first-ever conference tournament title for TCU.

The Frogs improved to 38-24 on the year, while USM fell to 44-17. TCU's 38 wins tie for the most ever by the program.

Along with the tourney title, C-USA's automatic bid to the 2004 NCAA Baseball Tournament goes to the Frogs. It will be only the third time TCU has earned an NCAA berth and the school's first postseason appearance since 1994.

“We were trying to win two or three games in the tournament and make it to regionals, but this is unbelievable," said TCU closer Robbie Findlay. “The pitching came through, the hitting came through, especially Austin Adams. It was just a great team effort.”

Frogs starter Clayton Jerome, who had a shut out until the eighth inning, earned the win, allowing seven hits and fanning five in 7⅓ innings of work. He improved to 9-5 on the season and boosted his career wins to 28, second place all-time at TCU.

"He’s the ace of our staff and has been for the last couple of years,” said Frogs coach Jim Schlossnagle. “He’s arguably the best pitcher in the league.

"He didn’t pitch well against Houston on Wednesday and when I took him out of that game I told him ‘go ice down big man, because we’re going to need you on Sunday.’ He knew he had to be ready to take the ball and that’s what great players do in great moments.”

Errant pitching contributed to the Horned Frogs' first inning run. Bo Cogbill drew a one-out walk and advanced to third on two wild pitches. Austin Adams singled Cogbill home with two outs.

J.J. Estrada led off the third with a single to third. Ramon Moses followed with a walk, and a sacrifice bunt by Cogbill moved both runners to second and third. Huffman followed with a single to right center to score TCU’s final two runs.

USM starter Cliff Russum suffered the loss for the Golden Eagles and falls to 6-4 on the year. He gave up all three runs on two hits and three walks in just two innings of action.

View the C-USA Tournament schedule & scoreboard page.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member schools, and from Associated Press and other reports. Copyright 2004 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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