Here Are Seeds of Thought for This Tournament Field

UCLA, despite a 30-29 record, earned the respect of the NCAA baseball selection committee, and a berth in the tournament, because of its strength of schedule. The Bruins are the third-seeded team in a regional at Wichita State.

Loyola Marymount, despite a 33-26 record, a West Coast Conference championship and victories over Pepperdine in five of their six games, failed to earn the respect of the committee and was shipped north to Stanford as a fourth-seeded team.

Meanwhile, Pepperdine (43-14) was installed as the top-seeded team in a regional at USC in which the Trojans, 33-23 and the defending national champions, are seeded No. 2.

Those were some of the biggest surprises when the 64-team tournament field was announced Monday.

Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State are also in the tournament, which begins Friday with 16 four-team, double-elimination regionals. Winners advance to best-of-three super-regionals June 4-6 that will determine the eight teams in the College World Series June 11-20 at Omaha.

“Our coaches and players were watching the announcement [on television] in the clubhouse,” UCLA Coach Gary Adams said. “When we found out we were in, it was like we had won the national championship.

“We said, even before the announcement, that we didn’t care if we had to play one of the top-four seeded teams in the nation. We’re thrilled to death to be going.”

UCLA, which made its only World Series appearance in 1997, got in because of a record that included two nonconference victories over Southeastern Conference champion Arkansas, one over Rice and two over Georgia Tech, which was also on the bubble for inclusion in the tournament. Those victories, coupled with a schedule that included its Pacific 10 Conference opponents and nonconference games against ranked teams such as Pepperdine, Fullerton and Long Beach, convinced the selection committee.

“When we broke down all the criteria with all the schools we were comparing [UCLA] with, it just jumped out at you,” said Dick Rockwell, chairman of the committee.

UCLA opens against Oklahoma State (40-17). No. 1-seeded Wichita State (57-12) plays Oral Roberts (46-13).

For the second consecutive year, two-time WCC champion Loyola meets Pacific 10 Conference champion Stanford (43-13) in its opener. The Cardinal is seeded sixth nationally, those seedings distinct from the regional seedings. Last year, the Lions beat Stanford, 6-2, on a three-hitter by freshman right-hander Michael Shultz.

Rockwell said Loyola’s being sent to Stanford again was “probably more of a geographic move than anything else.”

But as a fourth-seeded team? Against the same first-round opponent as the year before?

“In no way, shape or form do we have time to snivel about the seedings,” Loyola Coach Frank Cruz said. “We have a big test ahead.”

So does Pepperdine.

No one would have questioned that the Waves deserved to be a No. 1-seeded team if they had finished strong and won the WCC title. But after losing to Loyola in the conference playoffs, even Pepperdine Coach Frank Sanchez was mildly surprised when the bracket was announced.

“I thought if we went to USC, they [the Trojans] were going to be No. 1,” Sanchez said. “But it really doesn’t matter where you are seeded, because only one team is going to come out of each of these regionals and the best team is going to earn it.”

Pepperdine, which won its only national title in 1992, opens against Harvard (28-18). USC plays Virginia Commonwealth (40-18) at Dedeaux Field.

Long Beach State (33-23) is seeded second at College Station, Texas. The 49ers play Mississippi (33-26) and coached by former Pepperdine coach Pat Harrison.

“Once the games get going, it’s not about rankings and seedings and overall records,” Long Beach Coach Dave Snow said. “It’s about teams that will step up and players that will do clutch things and teams that will really come together.”

Cal State Fullerton, 44-11, seeded third nationally and No. 1 at South Bend, Ind., opens against Michigan (32-28). The Wolverines are coached by Geoff Zahn, the former Angel and Dodger pitcher who was as a coach under Harrison at Pepperdine.

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The regional matchups set up some interesting possibilities for the super-regionals.

The selection committee wanted to give the eight nationally seeded teams the best chances to reach Omaha. Consequently, the bracket was set up so that none of those teams would meet in a super-regional.

As a result, only four of the six Southland teams in the tournament can possibly reach Omaha.

The winner of the USC regional plays the winner of the Stanford regional, meaning USC, Pepperdine or Loyola could advance--or have a hand in knocking each other out.

If Fullerton wins the regional at Notre Dame, the Titans will have to beat the Ohio State regional winner to advance to Omaha.

UCLA must win the regional at Wichita State, then beat the winner of the Baylor regional.

If Long Beach State wins the regional at Texas A&M;, the 49ers will have to defeat the winner of the Arkansas regional.

Fullerton, USC and Long Beach made bids to host super-regionals. The sites will announced Monday.