Javelinas are playoff bound ‘Send-off’ party planned today Staff Reports |
 Photo courtesy of Sports Information Second sacker James Brown celebrates win. |
It’s playoff time for the Texas A&M University-Kingsville baseball team and Javelina fans can join in the fun with a big “send-off” party today (Tuesday) at 7 p.m. at Nolan Ryan Field.
Admission is free.
Javelina baseball fans and supporters can meet and greet the players and coaches as they prepare to enter the NCAA Division II playoffs. First stop is the 2008 South Central Regional Tournament in Cleveland, Miss.
The Javelinas (31-29 for the year) enter the regional tournament as the No. 6 seed and will face the top seed and No. 2 nationally-ranked Delta State Statesmen (45-9) at Dave “Boo” Ferriss Field this Thursday, at 7 p.m.
The Hogs, easily the most surprising collegiate team in the nation this Spring, are on familiar ground.
Seeded sixth in the Lone Star Conference Tournament in Abilene last week, TAMUK captured the league title in convincing fashion, coming from behind in the championship game to upset No. 4 nationally ranked and highly-favored Abilene Christian University, 7-6.
It was the Javelinas fourth Lone Star Conference title. The Javelinas also won the LSC titles in 2004, 1998 and 1995.
The other matchups feature the No. 2 seed Southern Arkansas (44-9) against No. 5 seed Ouachita Baptist (43-14) and No. 3 West Alabama (45-11) against No. 4 Abilene Christian (43-15).
Texas A&M-Kingsville is making its second appearance in the NCAA Division II baseball tournament in the 16-year history of the program.
The only other appearance came in 1998 when the Hogs lost to Alabama-Huntsville and Tarleton State in regional play.
The Gulf South Conference makes up four of the six teams in the South Central Regional Tournament with the Lone Star Conference taking two spots.
The winner of the NCAA South Central Region Tournament will advance to the NCAA Division II College World Series, May 24-31 at GCS Park in Sauget, Ill.
The Hogs have won five of the last six games and are in their hottest streak of the year.
It all started on April 27 when the Javelinas rallied from a 10-6 ninth inning deficit to beat regionally ranked Angelo State on their home field 11-10.
That began a turnaround for the team that eventually resulted in an LSC title and a trip to the NCAA’s.
TAMUK finished sixth in the Lone Star Conference with a record of 23-22. The team has a batting average of .313 and a team ERA of 5.50. A&M-Kingsville earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after going 4-1 and beating No. 4 Abilene Christian 7-6 in the LSC Tournament Championship game, scoring four in the bottom of the eighth to rally from a 6-3 deficit for the win.
Delta State is hosting an NCAA Regional Tournament for the fifth time since 1997 and has won three regional titles and one national championship (2004) during that span.
The Statesmen have won 27 of their last 28 games and won the Gulf South Conference Tournament by defeating the University of Montevallo, 7-5, in the title game..