Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Draws Defending Champion Texas in NCAA Baseball Regional Opener
5/26/2003 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 26, 2003
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2003 Bucknell Bison Baseball Regional Page
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell baseball team will have no easy task as it opens play at the NCAA Tournament on Friday. The Bison will face the defending national champion Texas Longhorns this Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern (7 p.m. local) at Disch-Falk Field in Austin. The 64-team NCAA field was announced Monday afternoon on ESPN2.
Bucknell (27-14, 15-5), which is making its third NCAA appearance after capturing the Patriot League's automatic bid by defeating Navy in a best-of-three championship series on May 10-11, will battle a Texas (43-17, 19-8) squad that is ranked eighth nationally by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
All of Bucknell's games in the double-elimination regional will be aired on the Bison Sports Network - WMLP 1380-AM in Lewisburg/Milton and on the internet at www.BucknellBison.com. The pre-game show begins 15 minutes prior to first pitch.
"This will be a great opportunity for our team to face the 2002 national champions," said head coach Gene Depew, in his 22nd year at the helm of the Bison. "Our upperclassmen have played against top-notch competition in Florida and California, and this will be a new and exciting experience for them. Texas has a rich baseball tradition, and we look forward to the challenge."
Joining Bucknell and Texas in the four-team Regional are Arkansas (34-20, 14-16) and Lamar (37-16, 20-6). The Razorbacks started 30-7 but won only four of their final 17 games, including two one-run losses in the Southeastern Conference Tournament. Lamar, ranked 22nd by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, also received an at-large bid after winning the Southland Conference regular season title. The Cardinals were upset twice in their league tournament, however.
The Lamar-Arkansas opening-round game will be at 2 p.m. (Eastern) on Friday, followed by the Bucknell-Texas game at 8 p.m. Friday's losers will meet at noon (Eastern) on Saturday, with the winners to meet at 4 p.m. (Eastern).
The Bison have never faced Texas, Arkansas or Lamar in baseball.
Bucknell also made NCAA appearances in 1996 and 2001. In 1996 in Gainesville, Fla., the Bison lost to Florida and Central Florida, and in 2001 in Coral Gables, Fla., Bucknell fell to top-ranked Miami and Stetson.
This year, the Bison will again face a difficult test in Texas, one the most storied programs in college baseball history. The Longhorns, who have won five national championship, are led by coach Augie Garrido, the second-winningest baseball coach in NCAA annals. Bouncing back from an early loss, Texas captured the Big 12 championship on Sunday when Curtis Thigpen hit a two-run, walk-off home run for a 10-8 win over Baylor.
Texas features a potent offense that carries a .309 team batting average. Senior outfielder Dustin Majewski, who has captured Big 12 Tournament MVP honors in each of the last two years, is batting .392 with 11 homers and 78 RBI. On the mound, the Longhorns boast a respectable 3.48 team earned-run average. Sophomore southpaw J.P. Howell has been the team's top starter, with a 7-2 record and a 2.23 ERA. Sophomore Huston Street is the closer, with an 8-0 record, 10 saves and a 1.46 ERA.
Despite a fine 2003 season, the defending champs were not selected as one of the eight "national top seeds," who will have home field advantage all the way to the College World Series in Omaha. Those No. 1 seeds are Florida State, LSU, Georgia Tech, Auburn, Rice, Stanford, Cal St. Fullerton and Miami (Fla.).
Bucknell also features an outstanding pitching staff, led by junior righthander Kevin Miller, the 2003 Patriot League Pitcher of the Year. League Rookie of the Year Phil Futrick has been outstanding as the team's closer, with 11 saves and a 2.51 ERA. The Bison led the Patriot League with a 4.23 team ERA.
Junior shortstop Ben Stoll has been the offensive catalyst at the top of the lineup. Stoll, a first-team all-conference pick, hit a team-high .376 with 15 stolen bases. Junior right fielder Brian Hirschberg led the team with five home runs and 26 RBIs.
This will be the eighth time the Patriot League has been represented in the NCAA Tournament. League teams are 2-14 all-time in NCAA play, with Fordham defeating Connecticut in 1993 and Navy defeating George Washington last season.
