WCC to Lose Exemption in Baseball

The West Coast Conference, which includes 1992 national champion Pepperdine, will lose its automatic berth in the NCAA Division I baseball tournament next season under a new playoff format.

The NCAA Executive Committee last weekend approved a plan that offers conferences not previously granted automatic berths a chance to play in qualifying series.

Thirty conferences compete in Division I. Last year, the NCAA awarded 24 automatic berths in its 48-team tournament to conference champions or conference tournament champions, including WCC champion Pepperdine. Twenty-four other teams received at-large berths based on their Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), which includes won-loss record against Division I opponents, strength of schedule and strength of opponents’ schedule.

Under the new format, 18 conferences--including the Pacific 10, Big West and Western Athletic--will receive automatic berths in the 1994 NCAA tournament based on their RPI last season. Twelve others, including the WCC, will send their champion into a best-of-three series against another conference champion to determine the six other automatic qualifiers. Twenty-four at-large teams will then be selected.

The WCC was ranked 19th in RPI last season. The NCAA will evaluate conferences yearly.

In 1994, the WCC champion will play host to the champion of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, which includes Alabama State, Alcorn State, Jackson State, Mississippi Valley State, Grambling State, Prairie View A&M;, Southern and Texas Southern.