MWC Baseball Release No. 17 - NCAA Tournament Edition

No. 16 TCU claims second seed in Houston Regional and takes on Baylor Friday, June 1 at 2 p.m. CT.

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May 30, 2007

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TCU TO REPRESENT MWC IN 2007 NCAA BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
TCU earned its fourth straight and fifth overall trip to the NCAA Tournament after capturing its second consecutive MWC Tournament title last week in Las Vegas, Nev. The Horned Frogs earned one of 30 automatic bids as the NCAA announced the 64-team bracket today Monday for the 2007 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship.

A No. 2 seed in the Houston, Texas, Regional, the Horned Frogs (46-12) will play No. 3 seed and Big 12 Tournament runner-up Baylor (34-25) at 2 p.m. CT on Friday, June 1, at Reckling Park. The Bears are making their 17th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Houston Regional host and the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament Rice (49-12) takes on No. 4 seed and SWAC Tournament champion Prairie View (34-23) at 6 p.m. CT Friday to round out the regional.

The Horned Frogs captured the Mountain West Conference championship last week with a 9-8 win over BYU to earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Here's a look at the top eight national seeds: 1. Vanderbilt (51-11), 2. Rice (49-12), 3. North Carolina (48-12), 4. Texas (44-15), 5. Arizona State (43-13), 6. Florida State (47-11), 7. Arkansas (41-19), 8. San Diego (43-16).

The 16 regional sites, with host institutions are as follows: Tempe, Ariz. (Arizona State); Fayetteville, Ark. (Arkansas); Conway, S.C. (Coastal Carolina); Tallahassee, Fla. (Florida State); Long Beach, Calif. (Long Beach, Calif.); Columbia, Mo. (Missouri); Chapel Hill, N.C. (North Carolina); Oxford, Miss. (Ole Miss); Houston, Texas (Rice); San Diego, Calif. (San Diego); Columbia, S.C. (South Carolina); Austin, Texas (Texas); College Station, Texas (Texas A&M); Nashville, Tenn. (Vanderbilt); Charlottesville, Va. (Virginia); Wichita, Kan. (Wichita State).

Each of the 16 NCAA regionals features four teams, playing a double-elimination format. The regionals will be conducted from Friday, June 1, to Monday, June 4. Selection of the eight super regional hosts will be announced on www.ncaasports.com, Monday, June 4 at approximately 11 p.m. (ET). The 61st College World Series begins play Friday, June 15, at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb.

MWC TOURNAMENT RECAP
The MWC Baseball Championship made its fourth appearance at Earl E. Wilson Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., with TCU posting a 3-0 record en route to its second consecutive MWC Tournament title. The Horned Frogs are the fifth No. 1 seed to win the championship (BYU, 2001; UNLV, 2003 and 2005; and TCU, 2006).

HORNED FROGS WIN MWC REGULAR SEASON CROWN
The MWC has produced five different regular season champions in its eight years and TCU claimed the title for the second time in two seasons as a part of the league. No. 16 TCU (46-12, 20-3 MWC) captured its second consecutive regular season title and No. 1 seed to the tournament, winning 10 of its last 12 conference games.

NEW MEXICO'S JORDAN PACHECO NAMED ALL-AMERICAN
The Louisville Slugger NCAA Division I All-American baseball teams and National Players of The Year were announced May 30 by Collegiate Baseball newspaper with New Mexico junior second baseman Jordan Pacheco being recognized on the third team for the second time in his three-year career.

Pacheco, the 2007 Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, produced a team-high .397 batting average with 63 runs, 87 hits, 21 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 50 RBI, 43 walks and seven stolen bases. The lone member of the MWC to make one of the three teams, Pacheco led the conference in on-base percentage (.511), runs, doubles and walks. As of May 20, he ranked 12th in the nation in batting average, 17th in runs, 23rd in walks and 40th in doubles.

BYU'S JESSE CRAIG NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN
BYU senior right-hander Jesse Craig was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America third team announced Tuesday, May 29, by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Craig, a Las Vegas, Nev., native, maintained a 3.82 GPA in Exercise Science. On the field, the 2007 MWC Pitcher of the Year finished the season with a 10-2 record and 2.94 ERA. Craig had four complete games, including two shutouts in 125.1 innings, striking out 86 with an on-base percentage of .276. The righthander did not walk a batter in six of his 20 appearances this season. He helped the Cougars tally a 3.88 team ERA, the best in 24 years at BYU.

NATIONAL HONORS
UNLV left-handed pitcher Kevin Skogley was named one of three Louisville Slugger National Players of the Week for the week of May 7 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.

Skogley tied the UNLV school record for strikeouts in a single game with 15 vs. San Diego State on Masy 6. His 15 K's also tied for the second-most in MWC history. Skogley collected his second straight complete game victory vs. the Aztecs, giving up one earned run and two walks in his nine innings of work.

ACADEMMIC ALL-DISTRICT
Four MWC baseball student-athletes were named ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). TCU's Austin Adams was a first-team District 6 selection, while teammate Keith Conlon was second-team District 6 selection. BYU's Jesse Craig and Utah's Jay Brossman were District 8 honorees.

Adams has a 3.71 grade-point average in Entrepreneurial management, while Conlon, a Masters of liberal arts major, is maintaining a 3.37 GPA. Craig, an Exercise science major, has a 3.80 overall grade-point average and Brossman has a 3.38 grade-point average in Exercise and Sport science.