LITTLE ROCK — BASEBALL NCAA to announce regional hosts today
Host sites will be announced today for the NCAA Division I tournament, but don’t expect Arkansas to be one.
The NCAA will reveal the 16 regional sites for the tournament at 2:30 p.m. online at NCAA.com.
Arkansas (39-19) appeared in good shape to host a regional after starting the season 22-3, but those hopes faded with a poor second half that included an 0-2 showing in the SEC Tournament this past week.
Arkansas hosted regional tournaments at Baum Stadium in 1999, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2010.
Arkansas is expected to make the NCAA field, and it will learn its destination Monday when the 64 team are announced at 11 a.m. Central on ESPNU.
Regional tournament games will be held Friday through Monday.
Arkansas went 2-2 last season at the Tempe (Ariz.) Regional.
The SEC is hopeful of landing at least four host sites after Florida, South Carolina and Vanderbilt were awarded bids last season. The Atlantic Coast Conference received five bids last year, while the SEC and Pacific-12 received three each.
The 16 regional winners in the double-elimination tournament will play in super regionals June 8-10. The eight winners of those best-of-3 series will advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., on June 15-26.
South Carolina is the two-time defending champion.
- Rick FiresBook promotion at Thursday’s Travs game
Fans who attend Thursday night’s Arkansas Travelers game against the Corpus Christi Hooks at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock can donate a new children’s book (birth to age 5) and receive $3 off admission to benefit the Reach Out and Read Arkansas organization.
The first 100 fans who donate a new children’s book will receive a free red backpack. Used children’s books can be turned in at the organization’s read and recycle area.
The organization was developed by pediatricians and early childhood educators to make literacy a part of routine pediatric care so that children enter school ready to learn.
TRACK AND FIELD Nelvis qualifies for NCAA Championships
Arkansas State sophomore Sharika Nelvis qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday by running 12.99 seconds in the 100-memter hurdles at the NCAA West Region preliminary in Austin, Texas.
The NCAA Championships will be held June 6-9 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Sports, Pages 30 on 05/27/2012