BASEBALL / NCAA REGIONALS : Kansas, Oklahoma State Advance to the World Series

Kansas defeated Fresno State, 3-2, in 10 innings Monday night to win the Mideast Regional at Knoxville, Tenn., and earn its first appearance in the College World Series.

Oklahoma State advanced to the World Series for the 17th time with an 11-10 victory over Arizona in the Midwest Regional at Stillwater, Okla.

Kansas (45-16) and Oklahoma State (43-15) will join Cal State Long Beach (43-17), Arizona State (46-18), Texas A&M; (52-9), Wichita State (55-16), Louisiana State (49-16-1) and Texas (50-14) in the double-elimination tournament that begins Friday at Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium.

Texas defeated USC, 3-2, Monday to earn a record 27th World Series appearance.

Kansas’ victory over Fresno State avenged a 7-4 first-round loss to the Bulldogs.

Kansas’ Brent Wilhelm started the Jayhawks’ game-winning rally when he was hit by a pitch. Wilhelm was sacrificed to second, moved to third on a single by Dan Rude and scored on Darryl Monroe’s slow ground ball to the shortstop.

Jimmy Walker (9-2), usually the Jayhawks’ closer, gave up 10 hits and struck out 15 in pitching Kansas’ third consecutive complete game.

Arizona had defeated Oklahoma State, 4-0, Monday afternoon to force the evening championship game.

Oklahoma State took a 5-0 lead, but Arizona came back with 10 unanswered runs and led 10-6 entering the bottom of the eighth.

Oklahoma State, however, rallied for five runs before its home crowd.

Sean Hugo hit a two-run homer with no outs to make the score 10-8. After an Arizona error and a single, Jason Heath hit his second homer of the game, a three-run shot against Todd Singelyn that gave the Cowboys an 11-10 lead.

George Arias, who had hit two homers for Arizona, grounded out to pitcher Jay Hogue (7-0) to end the game.