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Wednesday, May 20, 1998

Four Texas teams advance to NCAA baseball playoffs

DALLAS (AP) -- Four Texas schools are among the 48 college baseball teams that have advanced to post-season play. The winners of each of eight regions with six teams playing will advance to the College World Series in Omaha.

The College World Series begins a week from Friday and continues for eight days. Play in all eight of the regionals starts Thursday.

Rice won the Western Athletic Conference tournament and is the top seed in the Central Regional, which will be played at College Station. Tournament host Texas A&M is one of the five other teams there.

Rice will open against Oral Roberts, and the Aggies will play North Carolina-Charlotte.

Big 12 Conference champion Texas Tech is in the Atlantic-I regional at Coral Gables, Fla., and will play North Carolina.

Baylor is at the South-I regional at Gainesville, Fla. The Bears will play Richmond.

Texas Tech beat both Oklahoma and Texas A&M on Sunday to wrap up the Big 12 tournament title; Texas A&M won the regular season championship.

Two other Big 12 teams, also from the South Division, also made it to the playoffs. Oklahoma will play Delaware on Thursday at Tallahassee, Fla., and Oklahoma State will play Georgia Tech at Wichita, Kan.

"Going to a regional is what you work for all season," said Oklahoma State coach Tom Holliday.

"We deserve it. We played a tough schedule all season long to set the table for postseason play. All we wanted to do was be in a regional and get the chance to go to the College World Series."

Oklahoma State was knocked out by Oklahoma in the Big 12 tournament, but Holliday said he had a feeling his team wouldn't be left out of the post-season tournament.