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May 30, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – For the first time in school-history, the University of Virginia will serve as a host site for an NCAA regional baseball tournament. Virginia is one of the 16 NCAA Regional sites for the upcoming 2004 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship. The regional tournament in Charlottesville will be held June 4-6. The Cavaliers will be making just their fourth ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament and their first since the 1996 season.

UVa will find out on Monday (May 31st) at noon which three schools will be joining the Cavaliers in the Charlottesville Regional when the NCAA Tournament pairings are announced. The Charlottesville Regional will take place at Davenport Field at the UVa Baseball Stadium.

“The coaching staff and players are excited about hosting an NCAA Regional,” said head UVa baseball coach Brian O’Connor. “This is a credit to the way our players have performed all season long. This is an opportunity for the local community of Charlottesville and the entire state of Virginia to experience an NCAA college baseball tournament here at UVa. “

The NCAA Regional is a double-elimination tournament consisting of four teams playing a total of at least six games (seven if necessary). There will be two games on Friday, three contests on Saturday and one game (or two if necessary) on Sunday. The time slots for the contests are as follows:

Game	Date			TimeGame 1	Friday, June 4th		3:00 PMGame 2	Friday, June 4th		7:00 PMGame 3	Saturday, June 5th		11:00 AMGame 4	Saturday, June 5th		3:00 PMGame 5	Saturday, June 5th		7:00 PMGame 6	Sunday, June 6th		1:00 PMGame 7*	Sunday, June 6th		6:00 PM* If necessary

A limited number of tournament ticket booklets are available at a cost of $36 for a reserved seat and $24 for general admission. The tournament features six and possibly seven games. The booklets include tickets for every tournament game. Fans can order tournament ticket booklets on-line at www.virginiasports.com beginning Sunday evening (May 30).

Beginning Tuesday (June 1), tickets can be purchased through the Virginia athletics ticket office in Bryant Hall or by calling 1-800-542-8821 or 434/924-8821 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. as well as on the internet.

Only ticket booklets will be sold until the first day of the tournament on Friday (June 4). Single-game tickets, if available, will go on sale on Friday at the Virginia athletics ticket office. If available, ticket booklets and single-game tickets will also be on sale at the Davenport Field at the UVa Baseball Stadium ticket windows beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Single-game tickets are $12.00 for reserved seats and $8.00 for general admission.

Virginia will be making just its fourth ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. UVa has made three NCAA appearances prior to this season, competing in the NCAA Tournament in 1972, 1985 and 1996. The Cavaliers stand 6-6 all-time in NCAA Tournament contests.

Virginia made its first NCAA appearance in 1972 when UVa competed in the District III Playoffs in Gastonia, N.C. The Cavaliers went 2-2 in the event after defeating Mississippi (9-3) and Richmond (18-2) before falling to South Alabama (6-1) and Mississippi (9-0).

UVa’s next NCAA appearance came in 1985 in the Atlantic Regional in Coral Gables, Fla. at the University of Miami. The Cavaliers went 1-2 in the event after defeating Florida (14-1) before losing to Miami (11-6) and Florida (15-2).

Virginia’s most recent NCAA appearance came in 1996 when UVa competed in the South I Regional in Tuscaloosa, Ala. at the University of Alabama. The Cavaliers went 3-2 in the event by defeating Notre Dame (7-1), Stetson (5-4) and Princeton (12-2), and losing to Alabama (18-8) and Notre Dame (12-1).

Here is a look at Virginia’s all-time results in the NCAA Tournament:

1972 District III PlayoffsGastonia, N.C.Date	Opponent	ResultJune 1	Richmond	W, 18-2June 2	Mississippi	W, 9-3June 3	South Alabama	L, 1-6June 3	Mississippi	L, 0-9

1985 Atlantic RegionalCoral Gables, Fla.University of MiamiDate Opponent ResultMay 24 Florida W, 14-1May 26 Miami L, 6-11May 27 Florida L, 2-15

1996 South I RegionalTuscaloosa, Ala.University of AlabamaDate Opponent ResultMay 23 Notre Dame L, 1-12May 24 Princeton W, 12-2May 25 Notre Dame W, 7-1May 25 Stetson W, 5-4May 26 Alabama L, 8-18

The 16 Regional sites, with host institutions and records through Saturday, May 29th, are as follows: Fayetteville, Arkansas (Arkansas, 39-21); Fullerton, California (California State, Fullerton, 36-20); Kinston, North Carolina (East Carolina, 48-11); Tallahassee, Florida (Florida State, 41-20); Athens, Georgia (Georgia, 38-20); Atlanta, Georgia (Georgia Tech, 41-18); Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Louisiana State, 41-17); Coral Gables, Florida (Miami, Fla., 44-11); Oxford, Mississippi (Mississippi, 39-19); South Bend, Indiana (Notre Dame, 49-10); Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Oklahoma, 37-22); Houston, Texas (Rice, 42-12); Columbia, South Carolina (South Carolina, 44-15); Palo Alto, California (Stanford, 44-11); Austin, Texas (Texas, 50-13); Charlottesville, Virginia (Virginia, 42-13). All regionals are campus sites except East Carolina (Grainger Stadium in Kinston, North Carolina) and Oklahoma (SBC Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City).

By virtue of being awarded a Regional, 12 of the host institutions also have been selected as at-large teams to the 64-team field, but others could win automatic berths Sunday in their respective conference tournaments. Cal St. Fullerton, Notre Dame, Rice and Stanford already have clinched automatic berths.

Mississippi and Virginia will host a Regional for the first time, while eight sites (Cal State Fullerton, Florida State, Georgia Tech, LSU, Miami, Rice, Stanford and Texas) also hosted in 2003. This will be the 23rd time that Florida State has hosted a regional, while Miami and Texas are hosting for the 20th time since the NCAA went to the Regional format in 1975. LSU is hosting a Regional for the 16th time, while Stanford (13th), South Carolina (10th), Georgia Tech (sixth), Cal State Fullerton (fourth), Notre Dame (fourth), Rice (fourth), Arkansas (second), and Georgia (second) have also hosted in the past.

East Carolina has hosted a Regional before, but it was in Wilson, North Carolina. This will be the first Regional held in Kinston, North Carolina. This will be the fifth time that Oklahoma has served as a host institution, with three of those Regionals being held in Oklahoma City.

Thirty Division I conferences receive an automatic berth in the field of 64, along with 34 at-large selections. The 58th Men’s College World Series begins play Friday, June 18, at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska.

— UVa —

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