Great Danes Seeded Fourth for 2007 NCAA Division I Baseball Fayetteville Regional

Albany, N.Y. – UAlbany will meet seventh-seeded Arkansas in the first round of the 2007 NCAA Division Baseball Tournament on Friday at 8:00 p.m. ET, as the national tournament bracket was unveiled on Monday, May 28. The Razorbacks, who will host the Fayetteville Regional on June 1-4, are ranked 15th nationally with a 41-19 record. Oklahoma State (38-19) and Creighton (44-14) are also in the regional which will be played at Baum Stadium at George Cole Field, a 10,737-seat facility.

UAlbany (29-27) is making its first-ever NCAA appearance after capturing the America East Conference championship with a 1-0 victory over top-seed Binghamton last Saturday. The Great Danes, who have won eight of their last 10 outings, including three straight in America East postseason play, own the second-highest win total in school history. Steve Wyland, a first-team all-conference third baseman, batted .379 with 23 extra-base hits and 44 RBI. He drove in the game’s lone run in the A-East championship game. Right-hander John Naples tied the program’s single-season record for pitching wins with an 8-2 mark and a 3.29 earned run average.

“We are excited to go to Fayetteville,” said UAlbany coach Jon Mueller, who has been the Great Danes mentor for all eight seasons at the Division I level. “I think the selection committee showed us some respect by placing us with seventh-seeded Arkansas. They must have felt that we have been playing some very good baseball after we won our conference tournament in three games.”

Arkansas is making its 20th NCAA appearance, plus has advanced the College World Series on five occasions. The Razorbacks are hosting the regional tournament for the fourth time, including three of the last four years. Arkansas came up just short of winning its first Southeastern Conference (SEC) title after falling to top-ranked Vanderbilt in the conference championship last weekend. Pitchers Nick Schmidt (10-3, 2.85 ERA) and Jess Todd (9-2, 2.49 ERA) each earned first-team All-SEC recognition. First baseman Danny Hamblin totaled 22 RBI and 60 RBI.

Oklahoma State is in the NCAA field for the 35th time. The Cowboys, who have reached the CWS 19 times, finished third in the Big 12 Conference regular-season standings. Second baseman Tyler Mach (15 HR, 79 RBI), outfielder Corey Brown (19 HR, 65 RBI) and second baseman Ty Wright (.417 BA) each made the all-conference first team.

Creighton captured its first-ever Missouri Valley Conference championship. The Blue Jays are making their eighth NCAA appearance and reached the CWS in 1991. MVC Player of the Year Darin Ruff is hitting .377 with eight home runs and 56 RBI. Ben Mancuso, the MVC Pitcher of the Year, has a 10-2 record with a 2.28 ERA.

Tickets are on sale to the general public at the Razorback Ticket Center or online at www.hogwired.com. As of last Wednesday, approximately 1,600 reserved tournament books remained. Tournament books are $70 for the regional. Individual game tickets will only be available on game day. All game day tickets, reserved and general admission/HogPen are $15 each. For more ticket information, call 1-800-982-HOGS (4647).

NCAA Fayetteville Regional Tournament Schedule (All Times Eastern)

Friday, June 1

Game 1 - #2 Creighton (44-14) vs. #3 Oklahoma State (38-19), 3:00 p.m.

Game 2 - #1 Arkansas (41-19) vs. #4 UAlbany (29-27), 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, June 2

Game 3 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 3:00 p.m.

Game 4 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, June 3

Game 5 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser, 3:00 p.m.

Game 6 – Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 8:00 pm.

Monday, June 4

Game 7 – Game 6 opponents (if necessary), 8:00 p.m.