The Bulldogs are making their 31st appearance in the NCAA tournament and own a record of 54-62 in the tournament. They will be the No. 4 seed in Long Beach.
Under Mike Batesole, the Bulldogs are 4-4 in the NCAA tournament. Last season, the Bulldogs opened the tournament by upsetting No. 4 San Diego 6-2 in the opening game at the San Diego Regional.
Fresno State opens the NCAA tournament against Big West Conference Champion Long Beach State at Blair Field at 6 p.m. on Friday.
All four teams in the Long Beach Regional have been ranked in the Top 25 at some point this season. The winner of the Long Beach Regional will play the Tempe Regional winner in a Super Regional best of three series June 6-8 or June 7-9. The College World Series is scheduled for June 14-24/25 in Omaha, Nebraska.
Long Beach (37-19) is hosting an NCAA regional for the fourth time and the second straight season. The Dirtbags, ranked No. 18 in the nation, won their first Big West Conference title since 2003 with a 2-1 series win over No. 8 Cal State-Fullerton. The Dogs and Dirtbags split their two mid-week games this season. The Bullogs won 7-6 in Fresno and Long Beach State won 2-1 at Blair Field. Fresno State leads the all-time series 57-50. This will be the first meeting between the two schools in the NCAA tournament.
California (33-19-2), ranked No. 15 in the latest polls, finished the Pac-10 with a 12-12 record. The Bears are making their ninth NCAA tournament appearance and first since 2001. Cal has won two NCAA baseball national championships, 1947 and 1957, and reached the 1992 College World Series. The Bears won both games against the Bulldogs this season, winning 14-4 at the San Diego State tournament and 5-4 at Berkeley on April 4. Cal leads the all-time series 61-59. The Bulldogs beat the Bear 7-6 in 10 innings in the first game of the 1985 NCAA tournament played at Beiden Field, the only time the two teams ever met in the postseason.
San Diego (41-15), ranked No. 7 in the nation, is coming off a series sweep of No. 13 Pepperdine to win its second straight West Coast Conference title. Kevin Muno, older brother of Bulldog shortstop Danny Muno, was named the MVP of the WCC. The Bulldogs and Toreros met earlier this season, with San Diego taking a 2-1 win at the San Diego State tournament. Fresno State leads the series 15-5, including 3-0 in NCAA tournament play. This is the third straight year Fresno State and San Diego have been in the same regional.
2008 Long Beach Regional Schedule
Friday, May 30
California vs. San Diego, 2 p.m.
Fresno State vs. Long Beach State, 6 p.m.
Saturday, May 31
Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 2 p.m.
Winning Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 6 p.m.
Sunday, June 1
Game 5, 1 p.m.
Game 6, 5 p.m.
Monday, June 2
Game 7 (if necessary), 6 p.m.
Tickets will go on sale online at www.longbeachstate.com at 10 a.m. on Monday, while the Walter Pyramid Box Office will open on Tuesday at 10 a.m. Fans may also call (562) 985-4949 for ticket information.
All-session tickets are $80 for box seats and $60 for general admission for the three-day, six-game, possible four-day (and seven game) regional. Single game tickets will go on sale Friday.