COLLEGE BASEBALL / GARY KLEIN : Getting a Regional Site Is Must-Win Situation

The 48-team NCAA playoffs begin May 25 at eight regional sites, to be announced May 15, and the NCAA will go where large crowds and a profit are guaranteed.

That probably means Wichita, Kan.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Miami and Tallahassee, Fla.; Baton Rouge, La.; Clemson, S.C.; Austin, Tex., and Stillwater, Okla., Fresno or Palo Alto. The College World Series begins June 2 at Omaha.

USC had a regional in 1991, but the school lost an estimated $50,000 and failed to advance to the World Series. Coach Mike Gillespie said the school will not bid on a regional this year.

Cal State Fullerton’s stadium still lacks the restroom and press box facilities that would enable one of the country’s perennial powers to conduct a regional, and Pepperdine does not have a lighted stadium.

Long Beach State submitted a bid last year, but the paperwork was mishandled by the NCAA and never was reviewed.

Long Beach’s record this season is not as impressive as last year’s, but the 49ers are still a playoff candidate and Athletic Director Dave O’Brien said the school will submit a bid again this year.

A look at the area teams and their playoff chances:

USC--The sixth-ranked Trojans are 36-17, lead the Pacific 10 Conference Southern Division at 18-9 and can win the division title by taking two of three games from last-place Arizona in the conference finale next weekend.

For the first time, the Southern Division champion will play host to the Northern Division champion in a best-of-three series for the automatic bid in the playoffs.

UCLA--The Bruins were a strong playoff contender until they were swept by USC two weeks ago. Now, at 25-22 and 12-15 in the conference, they still have an outside shot. They must sweep Cal this weekend, finish with a flourish in nonconference games and hope Arizona State stumbles.

Cal State Fullerton--The Titans (41-9) were replaced this week by Florida State as the nation’s top-ranked team, but they are likely to earn a No. 1 seeding, especially if they win the first Big West Conference tournament May 12-14 at Blair Field.

Long Beach State--The 49ers are 26-19 and two games behind Fullerton in the Big West at 13-5. If they don’t win the Big West tournament, they might be considered a bubble team for the playoffs.

Pepperdine--The 18th-ranked Waves are 28-16-1 and lead the West Coast Conference at 18-3-1. Pepperdine is one game ahead of Santa Clara with WCC series at St. Mary’s and Loyola Marymount remaining. Winning the conference title assures the Waves of a playoff bid. Finishing second makes them a bubble team.

Loyola Marymount--The Lions, at 20-29 and 11-13 in the WCC, will miss the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year.

UC Santa Barbara--The Gauchos failed to qualify for the four-team Big West tournament and will miss the NCAA playoffs for the fifth consecutive year.

Cal State Northridge--The Matadors began the week in second place in the Western Athletic Conference’s West Division and probably must win all of their eight remaining games to qualify for the playoffs.

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Notes

USC senior Jason Garner is 5-1 with a 2.28 earned-run average and 13 saves. Outfielder Geoff Jenkins is batting .396 with 18 homers and 55 runs batted in. Trojan shortstop Gabe Alvarez is batting .340 with 10 homers and 45 RBIs. . . . UCLA catcher Tim DeCinces, a draft-eligible sophomore, is batting .341 with 11 homers, 42 RBIs and 20 doubles. Bruin outfielder Eric Byrnes, a freshman, is batting .327 with eight homers and 18 steals. Freshman first baseman Pete Zamora has a 14-game hitting streak.

Fullerton outfielder Mark Kotsay remains on pace to win the Big West triple crown with a .422 average, 14 homers and 63 RBIs. Ted Silva leads the Big West conference with a 12-1 record and is second in ERA at 2.64. . . . Long Beach State’s Scott Rivette is fourth in the Big West with a 3.03 ERA in 101 innings.

Pepperdine pitcher Eric Brubaker is 9-2 with four saves and a 1.36 ERA in 25 appearances. . . . Northridge outfielder Adam Kennedy has a 10-game hitting streak.