Alabama Selected To Host NCAA Baseball Regional
5/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The University of Alabama has been chosen as one of the 16 host sites for the 2006 NCAA Baseball Regionals, the NCAA announced Sunday afternoon.
Alabama will be hosting an NCAA Regional for the fifth time in school history, all of which have come during the tenure of head coach Jim Wells. The Crimson Tide also hosted NCAA Regionals in 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2002. Bama hosted an NCAA Super Regional in 1999.
"We are very excited to be playing the NCAA Tournament at home," Alabama head coach Jim Wells said. "We have had a very good year and I am happy that our team will have the chance to play at home next weekend in the Regionals."
The 16 host sites are Alabama, Arkansas, Cal State Fullerton, Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon State, Pepperdine, Rice, Texas and Virginia.
Junior center fielder Emeel Salem is excited to have the opportunity to play the NCAA Tournament at home.
"It means the world to play at home, especially in the post-season," Salem said. "We are able to relax more at home and to go through our normal routine helps out a lot too."
Salem said there was not really one game or one series that made the Crimson Tide start thinking about hosting the NCAA Tournament, but said he felt if the Tide kept winning things would fall into place this season.
"There was not one specific time," he added. "We knew if we kept winning conference series things would fall into place. We kept winning and they did. We are excited."
Alabama was one of five SEC teams to host and NCAA Regional, which Wells said shows how strong the SEC is from top to bottom.
"The SEC is very good," Wells added. "If anyone is going to get five host sites it has to be the SEC. The strength of the league one through 12 is very good. This is a very good league and the five host sites prove that."
The 2006 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional will begin Friday, June 2 and will end either Sunday, June 4 or Monday, June 5. There will be two games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. An "if necessary" game would be played Monday, June 5 at 2 p.m.
Tickets for the event will go on sale on Monday, May 30 beginning at 9 a.m. at The University of Alabama Athletic Ticket Office. Fans may purchase tickets in person, by phone (205.348.2262) or on-line (www.rolltide.com). Tickets will be available for pickup on Thursday, June 1 beginning at 9 a.m. at Coleman Coliseum.
The cost for the 2006 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional books are $50 for reserved lower chairback seats, $40 for reserved upper chairback seats and $25 for reserved bleachers. This will include one ticket for six or seven NCAA Tournament
games next week at the Joe.
The 64-team NCAA Tournament field will be announced tomorrow (Monday, May 29) at 11:30 a.m. and will be aired live by ESPN.
2006 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional Schedule
Friday, June 2, 2006
Game 2 2:30 PM No. 2 Seed vs. No. 3 Seed
Game 1 6:30 PM No. 1 Seed vs. No. 4 Seed
(Alabama will play the 6:30 game on Friday regardless of seed)
Saturday, June 3, 2006
Game 3 2:30 PM Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser
Game 4 6:30 PM Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner
Sunday, June 4, 2006
Game 5 2:30 PM Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Loser
Game 6 6:30 PM Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner
Monday, June 5, 2006
Game 7 2 PM If Necessary
