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News Nuggets, 06.01.04
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Stony Brook stands in road to Omaha

Kinston Regional top seed East Carolina will be the official NCAA playoffs host of Tennessee, UNC Wilmington and Stony Brook, Friday through Sunday, June 4-6, at Grainger Stadium.

ECU (48-11), the Conference USA regular season champion, opens against America East Conference champion and No. 4 seed Stony Brook (29-25), which is making its first NCAA Regional appearance. The two teams will play Friday at 7 p.m.

The first game of the regional, scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m., has second-seeded Tennessee (37-22) of the Southeastern Conference against third-seeded UNC Wilmington (38-21), champion of the Colonial Athletic Association.

The regional continues Saturday with games slated for 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday's championship game is scheduled for 1 p.m., with a second game to follow, if necessary, 45 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.

The winner of the Kinston Regional will be matched up in an June 11-14 NCAA Super Regional at a site to be determined, with the champion of this weekend's Columbia Regional, hosted by South Carolina. Other teams in that regional are North Carolina, Coastal Carolina, and The Citadel.

East Carolina is making its sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and its 20th overall appearance. The Pirates, who were ousted by South Carolina in last year's Atlanta Regional, are hosting a regional for the second time.

Grainger Stadium, home of Kinston's Class A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, is hosting an NCAA event for the second time. It was also home of a Super Regional in 2001 between ECU and Tennessee. Grainger Stadium also served as the site of the 2002 Conference USA Baseball Tournament and the CAA Baseball Tournament from 1995-99.

"When they flashed the Pirate head on the screen it gave everybody goose bumps," said Pirate head coach Randy Mazey of Monday's ESPN-televised regional pairings show. "The player are the ones who have put themselves into a position to do this. They're the ones who have given their heart and soul to this university and this program, and now they're being rewarded."

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

Following is the schedule for the Kinston Regional:

Tournament Schedule (All times EST)
Friday, June 4
Game 2: No. 2 Tennessee (37-22) vs. No. 3 UNC Wilmington (38-21), 3:00 p.m.
Game 1: No. 1 East Carolina (48-11) vs. No. 4 Stony Brook (29-25), 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, June 5
Game 3, Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 11:00 a.m.
Game 4, Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 3:00 p.m.
Game 5, Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, June 6
Game 6, Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 1:00 p.m.
Game 7 Same teams, 45 minutes after Game 6, if necessary.

View a detailed schedule of all 16 NCAA regionals.

USM, Memphis players named to Athlon team

Southern Mississippi linebacker Michael Boley was named a preseason first team All-American by Athlon Sports, one of America’s premier sports annuals. It was the second year in a row a USM linebacker has gained the honor. Former Golden Eagle Rod Davis, now a member of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings, was a first-team selection on the 2003 Athlon All-America team.

Boley, a senior from Athens, AL, led Conference USA and finished seventh in the nation in tackles for loss last season with 22.5, while registering 151 total tackles (13th in the country). It was his second straight year with more than 100 tackles. He is a two-time first team All-Conference USA selection that has produced 18 sacks and 37.5 tackles for loss over the past two seasons.

Memphis running back DeAngelo Williams, a secon-team pick, was the only other Conference USA player named to Athlon's preseason All-America lists.

College Baseball Polls

Following are the top 25 teams in the Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball polls, with records through May 30 and previous rankings. The Baseball America poll is voted on by the publication's staff. The Collegiate Baseball poll, which includes each team's point total, is voted on by coaches, sports writers and sports information directors:

[Conference USA teams — present and future — and Carolinas teams in bold.]

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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