UT Earns 12th Straight NCAA Baseball Appearance

INDIANAPOLIS - The NCAA announced the field for its 2011 baseball tournament, with the defending South Region champions, The University of Tampa, earning its 12th consecutive bid to the postseason dance.

The Spartans will travel to Pensacola, Fla., as No. 1 seed West Florida has been tabbed as the host of the eight-team tournament. Tampa enters postseason play with an overall record of 35-15.

UT, the No. 6 seed, will face off against No. 3 Harding University on Thursday. The Spartans are one of three Sunshine State Conference schools in the field as Barry and Nova Southeastern were also selected.

UT is currently riding a five-game winning streak and has also won eight of its last nine games dating back to April 23. The Spartans also finished third in the SSC with a league showing of 16-8.

Three automatic bids were earned, with the champions of the Sunshine State Conference (Barry), Gulf South Conference (Southern Arkansas) and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (Stillman) each receiving invites. The five other teams were all at-large selections.

UT has earned the program's 26th invitation to the NCAA tournament, including its 12th straight. Head coach Joe Urso, in his 11th season at the helm of the Spartans, continues to build on his school record for consecutive bids as he has earned a selection each year of his tenure.

Tampa has won four of the last five NCAA South Regionals, bumping the school's total to 14 as it has also captured five national championships.

The NCAA South Regional is scheduled to begin on Thursday and will last through Monday, May 23. The winner will advance to the eight-team NCAA Championship field in Cary, N.C. The championships are scheduled to begin on May 28 and will last through June 4.

Please visit www.tampaspartans.com for updated game times as they are announced by the host institution.

Click here for official NCAA South Regional web page

Click here for complete NCAA bracket

NCAA South Regional
Pensacola, Fla. (hosted by West Florida) - ALL TIMES CENTRAL

THURSDAY, MAY 19
Game 1: #2 Southern Arkansas vs. #7 North Alabama, 10 a.m.
Game 2: #3 Harding vs. #6 Tampa, 1:15 p.m.
Game 3: #1 West Florida vs. #8 Stillman, 4:30 p.m.
Game 4: #4 Barry vs. #5 Nova Southeastern, 7:45 p.m.

FRIDAY, MAY 20
Game 5: Loser of Game #1 vs. Loser of Game #2, 10 a.m.
Game 6: Loser of Game #3 vs. Loser of Game #4, 1:15 p.m.
Game 7: Winner of Game #1 vs. Winner of Game #2, 4:30 p.m.
Game 8: Winner of Game #3 vs. Winner of Game #4, 7:45 p.m.

SATURDAY, MAY 21
Game 9: Winner of Game #6 vs. Loser of Game #7, 1 p.m.
Game 10: Winner of Game #5 vs. Loser of Game #8, 4:30 p.m.
Game 11: Winner of Game #7 vs. Winner of Game #8, 7:45 p.m.

SUNDAY, MAY 22
Game 12: Winner of Game #9 vs. Winner of Game #10, 1 p.m.
Game 13: Winner of Game #12 vs. Loser of Game #11, 4:30 p.m.

MONDAY, MAY 23
Game 14: Winner of Game #11 vs. Winner of Game #13, 12 p.m.
Game 15: Same as Game #14 (if necessary), 3:30 p.m.