With the help of College Baseball 360 editor Sean Stires, Omaha native Paul Fiarkoski has filed a review of the new TD Ameritrade Park in downtown Omaha. Paul has been on record in the past as an ardent supporter of Rosenblatt Stadium, which was the home of the College World Series since 1950 prior to this year.

A panoramic view of TD Ameritrade Park

Paul:  I am aware that dozens of writers have already made comparisons of Omaha’s new TD Ameritrade Park to the condemned Rosenblatt Stadium three miles to the south. I almost didn’t bother writing my own review, but I feel like I needed to on behalf of the people who really loved Rosenblatt Stadium.

Having grown up with the Rosenblatt Stadium lights visible from my bedroom window, I became very attached to Rosenblatt. It was the center of activity in our South Omaha neighborhood where we could go for events. Most people think of the College World Series when they think of Rosenblatt, but it was once the spot for way more than that. I saw my first concert (the Beach Boys) there. To this day, I have still never seen a more spectacular fireworks display than the ones at Rosenblatt.  I think you get the point – I really loved Rosenblatt. So much that I maintain a blog of memories at rememberrosenblatt.com and a Rosenblatt Stadium fan page on Facebook.

Dusk settles on the last CWS game played at Rosenblatt Stadium in 2010.

I moved to Colorado in 1996 and have made it back to numerous events Rosenblatts since. I felt a great loss when I left the last College World Series game in 2010. Had it not been for the opportunity to guest blog for Collegebaseball360.com in 2011, I doubt I would have ever bothered to visit the new TD Ameritrade Park. Now that I have been there, I think it’s important that I share my thoughts on behalf of the thousands of others who are clinging to the memories of Rosenblatt.

In order for me to offer an objective review, I had to try to set aside my opinions about the politics and finances of the new stadium. It’s hard to do. Let me just make this one point before I get to my review.

Many people talk about the stadium cost of $131 million. The reality is it took two new stadiums to replace what Rosenblatt already offered the community. The other new stadium (Werner Park), in the town of Papillion southwest of Omaha cost $26 million. Not included in either figure are the infrastructure costs to get people to the stadiums or keeping flood waters out of the area surrounding TD Ameritrade Park.

Need more background? Read What happened to Rosenblatt Stadium>>

Sean: Unlike Paul, I didn’t grow-up in Omaha. My first visit to the city was in 2002 to attend the College World Series. I have subsequently covered the CWS four more times since then.

As with many people, the connections to Rosenblatt for me was instant and indelible. The College World Series was Rosenblatt Stadim and vice versa. The colors, the neighborhood, the surroundings…the people make forgetting Rosenblatt hard to do.

I am proud to be able to say that I am part of the group of people who were there for the last game at Rosenblatt Stadium and the first game played at TD Ameritrade Park.

A shot of the Road To Omaha statue outside of TDA

Paul: My first visit to TD Ameritrade Park was the evening of day four of the 2011 College World Series. I arrived so late in the game that I didn’t bother going in. I parked my car at an open meter about three blocks south and wandered around the new baseball village that is reportedly owned in part by Omaha’s mayor at the time the decision for a new stadium was made.

I was rather impressed with the layout of the “village”, although it really lacked people on that night. I continued my stroll around the vicinity and the overwhelming feeling was “Where am I?” Twenty years earlier I served a summer internship for the Omaha World-Herald in the same general area and spent quite a bit in north downtown. On my first visit back to the area I did not recognize it. I remember thinking to myself as I jumped back in my car to go meet some people in the Old Market, “Why wasn’t this here when I lived in Omaha?”

Parking & Tailgating

Day five of the College World Series was my first day to go inside the new stadium. Before that though I had to park in Lot D featuring the bubbling spring on the north end. I arrived 90 minutes before the game parked at the far east edge of the lot to preserve up close spots for fans. The few tailgate parties I saw paled in comparison to Rosenblatt tailgates by a long shot. The most active was a tent near the spots closest the stadium which was hosted by the advertising agency of record for College World Series Omaha, Inc.

Press box

Paul: Once inside the business end of the stadium I got a taste of what others mean when they have said the new stadium is “sterile”. I felt like I was in a hospital. I am not alone in my assessment that the press box set up was much better at Rosenblatt. I overheard one reporter say he felt like he was covering the games in a library. My particular beef with the press box at TD Ameritrade is that the glass panes are narrower than at Rosenblatt, so you have more vertical lines disrupting your view. On Day one of the series, a number of media members complained about spotty wifi (internet) access in the press box. I’m sorry, but that should not happen at a brand new, state-of-the-art stadium. Even the press box at 62 year-old Rosenblatt Stadium had good wifi.

Sean: I know some fellow media members mentioned via Twitter and other outlets their displeasure with the lack of “ambiance” in the press box for the first day-plus of the series. I didn’t voice my own thoughts on this at the time, because I’ve always found that “fans” watching on T.V. or paying for tickets to watch the games could care less about what media people who are sitting inside the press box have to “endure” (I use that word with a touch of sarcasm).

That said, it was very unnerving to watch the games in essentially complete silence for those first couple of days. Thankfully, someone finally patched-in the crowd microphone “ambiant” sounds of the stadium for the rest of the CWS. We went from hearing nothing, and I do mean nothing for those first few games to hearing what umpires were saying to players in the batters box. We couldn’t even hear the sound of bat hitting ball prior to the change. If we happened to be looking down to write a note and something happened on the field, we were all but lost. I was sitting next to College Baseball Today’s Eric Sorenson throughout my time at the CWS. Let’s just say if he and I had a dollar for every time we had to ask each other “What just happened?” we could have afforded several adult beverages after every game.

The "skyline" at TDA

View

Paul: On day two of my visit, I vowed to get out into the stadium to get a taste of the fan experience. To say the least, I was impressed. Some have said TD Ameritrade Park has a big league feel to it. I would say it doesn’t. It’s better. Most big league parks are so big that you don’t feel like you’re close to the action. I tested out numerous vantage points from around the main level and all the views of the field were great. However, I did not make it to the upper deck.

On the topic of views, I much preferred the view of treetops and the valley beyond at Rosenblatt than the buildings poking up around downtown Omaha. Regarding the grass on the field I have mixed feelings. Since the most common question I heard about the turf was whether it was real (it is) I’ll have to give it a thumbs down.

Sean: There’s no doubt that TD Ameritrade has a pro park feel. All the defenders of the stadium have basically echoed that sentiment.I asked several players during the CWS what they think of the stadium and they all loved it. All of them said it’s like playing in a pro park. That should come as no shock. Most of the players at the CWS are used to playing in stadiums that seat fewer than 10-thousand. And guess what? They all dream of playing professionally so of course they are going to love playing in a pro style park.

Yes, there are no obstructed views. And yes, the seats are now wider to accommodate the trend of obesity in America that made them a necessity. I agree with Paul though. The view could be from any town USA. There is just concrete and steel to stare at. Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside!

Paul's Pick: The Rosenblatt scoreboard.

Scoreboard

Paul: The scoreboard and video reply monitor at TD Park does not stack up to the one at Rosenblatt. If it’s not smaller, it sure looks like it and it doesn’t display as much information. At Rosenblatt, you could see information not just about the current batter, but you could also see who else was in the lineup. Not so at TD. The other thing I liked seeing at Rosenblatt was the pitch speed display. I looked all over and couldn’t find the pitch speed anywhere at the new stadium. The other gripe I have about the scoreboard is that everytime I look at it, I am reminded how much money I have lost in my IRA at TD Ameritrade and how difficult their statements are to read (zing!).

Sean: I honestly had no real thoughts on the scoreboard and how it compares to Rosenblatt. I thought the new one was alright. It serves its purpose. As long as its modern (which it is) and shows replays and the score (which it does) it’s fine with me.

The new scoreboard at TDA

Concessions

Paul: One thing that is vastly improved at TD is the concessions. Truthfully, I only bought a pretzel and a souvenir cup of Dr. Pepper but there was virtually no wait and the ambiance was much more inviting than at Rosenblatt. The people I am happiest for in the whole move to the new stadium are the concessions workers. I always felt bad for the sweaty folks working in the hot, cramped confines of the Rosenblatt concession stands and I’m glad they can now work in greater comfort. The menu boards are attractive and easy to read too.

One myth about TD Ameritrade is that you can watch the game while you stand in line. I actually lost my place in line because I heard a crowd roar and ran to the railing to see what caused the ruckus. The railing around the lower reserved seats, by the way, is very nice. I like the fact that you can set a drink on the narrow counter top or take notes if you want to.

Sean: I agree with pretty much everything Paul had to say on this subject. It is much nicer to have the wider concourse area and open air concessions. I only walked around outside a few times to find my son and his friend in the stands. I do think the bigger concourse and the fact that you can see the field from there only invites people to get up out of their seats and walk around more…so are those bigger seats really necessary if people aren’t sitting in them as long.

The outfield general admission seating area is nicer though. Concession stands are out there and have a view of the field. Those railings Paul was talking about are available as well.

The Dimensions

Sean: A lot was made about the fact that just eight home runs were hit during this year’s CWS, and most of the blame was placed on the new BBCOR bats that were used this season in college baseball. However, that was only part of the reason for the drop in long balls.

The dimensions of TDA are exactly the same as Rosenblatt:  335 feet down the lines, 375′ to right and left centerfield and 408′ to dead center. That makes it the biggest park most college baseball players will ever play in. Florida’s McKethen Stadium is 329′ to left, 325′ to right and 400′ to center, while South Carolina’s Carolina Stadium is 325′ down both lines and 390′ to center.

Remember, Rosenblatt was home to a Triple-A baseball team with bigger and stronger players who needed the bigger dimensions.

The argument for the bigger dimensions seems to be that they are the “great equalizer” for teams once they reach Omaha. Whether it’s a team like Texas with its small ball style or Florida, which ended the season with 69 home runs, no team would have an advantage over others in Omaha.

However, what TDA lacks is the strong southern winds that were prominent at the top of the hill at Rosenblatt that helped push balls out of the yard. TDA sits in the bottom of a valley and with home plate situated roughly ninety degrees clockwise from home plate at Rosenblatt, the winds are more likely to blow in than out.

It’s an easy fix, move the plate five feet and let the game be played.

The Big Picture

A shot from outside the old Rosenblatt Stadium

Sean: There’s no doubt that as an overall facility, TD Ameritrade is an upgrade from Rosenblatt. However, newer and more modern doesn’t mean everything is better.

There is a big difference between a “stadium” and a “ballpark”. The name TD Ameritrade “Park” is a misnomer. It is a stadium. There is no “ballpark” feel. It is all concrete and steel and lacking in emotion and nostalgia…kind of like the NCAA.

Keep it corporate, there’s no time for feelings here!

Put it this way, remember when the Chicago White Sox built the new Comiskey Park (now U.S. Cellular Field) back in 1991? They trumpeted the place as the “Eighth wonder of the world”. It was shiny and new and had all of the most modern amenities (it also had a view of the train yards and projects on the South Side…anything but wonderful). The next year Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened with its “retro ballpark feel” in Baltimore. Guess which one has been the model teams around the country have tried to replicate since? (Hint-it’s not the one with the corporate name.)

That’s my biggest gripe with TDA. I can’t fault the city for wanting a new stadium, but they act like it was required to build one without a soul. Go to Oklahoma City, Lansing, MI, Bridgewater, NJ and all points in between. Ballparks there have the feeling of a “ball park” not an overblown corporate event attended by Sterling, Cooper & Price et al.

When the Yankees built the new Yankee Stadium they didn’t forsake their past. While they might have done a better job to project things like wind tunnels in right field, they did everything they could to make it as much like the House That Ruth Built when they erected the new yard.

The left field concession area...can you see it?

TDA is also sorely lacking in color. Those sandy, tan concessions in left field look like they’re trying to hide from a camel in the desert. Would it hurt to dress them up? How about painting all that gray steel dark green (like they do at most parks) to set some contrast from the Qwest Center and all the other cold steel and glass in the background?

Rosenblatt wasn’t just unique for its structure, it was painted bright blue and red. It screamed “something fun’s happening here”. TDA screams…well, does it scream anything? The only bright colors there are the red on the sign across the street at The Dugout and those red structures at the corner of 10th and Cumming..

Game 1: Vanderbilt 7-10-1 def. North Carolina 3-12-1
Final Stats | Vandy Recap | UNC Recap

Vanderbilt beat North Carolina 7-3 in the first ever College World Series game played at TD Ameritrade Park, on Saturday afternoon. The game’s first batter, Tony Kemp, had the first CWS hit on a bunt single to start the game. He scored the game’s first run two batters later on Aaron Westlake‘s sacrifice fly to center field.

Commodores ace Sonny Gray had a no-decision after allowing three earned runs on eight hits in only 4.2 innings. Gray threw 99 pitches with five walks and five strikeouts. Reliever Corey Williams (2-0) earned the win in his school’s first-ever CWS game, while Tar Heels starter Patrick Johnson (13-2) suffered the loss.

Vanderbilt next faces Florida on Monday while North Carolina will plays Texas in the first 2011 CWS elimination game.

Some of the College World Series firsts on the first day of action at the new TD Ameritrade Park:

• Omaha’s Gene Klosner sang the stadium’s first CWS national anthem prior to the game

• Former President George W. Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch after his father, George H.W. Bush, who played for Yale at the CWS in 1947 and ’48, introduced him from a pre-recorded open on the massive video scoreboard in right field.

Attendance for the game: 22,745.

Vanderbilt players celebrate after Tony Kemp's 8th-inning RBI single.

• First CWS Pitch at TDAP: Thrown by UNC’s Johnson to Vanderbilt’s Kemp at 1:11 p.m Central

Hit: Kemp – Vanderbilt:

Run: Kemp – Vanderbilt

Error: Johnson – North Carolina pitcher

RBI: Aaron Westlake – Vanderbilt 3-hole

Strikeout (pitcher): Johnson – UNC

Strikeout (batter): Mike Yastrzemski – Vanderbilt

Triple: Chaz Frank – North Carolina

Walk (pitcher): Gray – Vanderbilt

Strikeout (batter):  Jacob Stallings – North Carolina

5-Pitch Walk: Kemp – Vanderbilt … he took first base after what should have been ball four (it was verified by instant replay), but after home plate umpire Mike Conlin made him Kemp go back the plate, the leadoff batter took another ball and then was awarded first.

Wild Pitch: Gray – Vanderbilt

Passed Ball: Curt Casali – Vanderbilt

Sac Bunt: Gomez – Vanderbilt

HBP: Westlake – Vanderbilt

Double Play: (5-4-3) Hit into by UNC’s Jesse Wierzbicki … turned by Vanderbilt’s Esposito, Riley Reynolds & Westlake

Double: Conrad Gregor – Vanderbilt

Home Run: Harrell – Vanderbilt … after after Gregor’s double in the 6th inning. The missle gave Vandy a 5-3 lead.

Balk: Williams – Vanderbilt (moved Levi Michael to second base)

Stolen Base: Kemp – Vanderbilt, in the top of the 7th inning

Beach ball on the field: Just prior to the top of the 8th inning

North Carolina catcher Jacob Stallings is the son of Vanderbilt men’s basketball coach Kevin Stallings.

Vanderbilt rightfielder Mike Yastrzemski is the grandson of Boston Red Sox great Carl Yastrzemski.

– Quotable –

“It’s not helping us, that’s for sure. I may have to get him out of the two-hole, drop him down a little bit. That’s really the only thing you can do this late, maybe switch things up a little bit. He’s trying as hard as he can, certainly, and he’s getting pitched pretty well also, But he can’t get anything going.”– North Carolina head coach Mike Fox on the current 4-for-24 slump by Tar Heels junior Levi Michael

“They can keep it. I didn’t even think about it until I guess after the game, someone brought it up. I guess it’s a pretty cool trivia fact.” – Vanderbilt centerfielder Connor Harrell, who hit the first CWS home run at TD Ameritrade, a missle of a two-run shot in the 6th inning, when asked if he would like to make a plea to get the historic ball as a keepsake.

CLICK HERE to see more photos from day one of the CWS on the CB360 Shutterfly page. All photos taken for College Baseball360.com by Kirk Markus.

Game 2:Florida 8-8-2 def. Texas 4-5-0
Final Stats | FL Recap | TX Recap

Florida overcame a pair of early errors to beat Texas 8-4 in the second game of the 2011 CWS on Saturday night. Texas ace (and 1st-round MLB Draft pick) Taylor Jungmann suffered his third straight bad outing and his third straight loss. Jungmann (13-3) gave up four runs on three hits in just 4.1 IP. He walked four with two wild pitches and hit another batter.

Jungmann lost in the NCAA Regional, Super Regional and CWS openers spanning the last three weeks. Texas managed to win six straight elimination games after the first two losses. The Longhorns now will have to win four straight such games (as South Carolina did in 2010) just to get into the CWS Championship Series. Centerfielder Bryson Smith led the Gators by going 2-for-2 with two RBIs. Brian Johnson, playing his first game since the SEC Tournament, had a two-run double.

Florida leftfielder Tyler Thompson is the son of former big-leaguer Robby Thompson. Gator third baseman Cody Dent is the son of former big-leaguer Bucky Dent.

Attendance for the game was 25,521 … guess what? It’s a TD Ameritrade Park record.

ESPN’s replay showed that what should have been called a home run for Brian Johnson was ruled a double by the umpires. Here’s the explanation from NCAA umpire coordinator Gene McArtor:

“The batted ball in the  bottom of the seventh inning was mistakenly ruled in play rather than a home run that did clear the yellow line of the outfield fence [the ball must completely clear the yellow line, not hit on the yellow line to be called a home run]. The umpires did and are allowed to conference to determine if any others of the crew had different information, which they did not. The umpires do not have the ability for video review.”

Florida's Bryson Smith races around third base.

Hudson Randall

Florida head coach Kevin O'Sullivan conducts his midgame interview with ESPN's Kyle Peterson.

The Lowdown On The Selection Process & Tourney Format…

Less than two hours remains until the field is announced for this year’s Division One NCAA Baseball Tournament. We have been receiving questions about how selections are made and the format of the tournament leading up to the College World Series.

With that in mind, here is a quick refresher course on just how the selection process works as well as the formats for the Regional, Super Regional and CWS rounds of the NCAA baseball tournament.

• 64 teams will qualify for the NCAA Baseball Championship.
• 30 of the 64 teams that qualify for the tournament will receive automatic bids based on winning conference championships. Most of those automatic bids go to teams that win their conference tournaments.
• The West Coast Conference, Big West and Pac-10 do not sponsor postseason tournaments, so their automatic bids go to the regular-season champion.
• Since there are only 30 automatic bids, 34 at-large spots in the tournament are selected by the NCAA baseball committee.

The following people comprise the NCAA Division One Baseball Committee:

Tim Weiser, Big 12 Conference, chair

John Anderson, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Dennis Farrell, Big West Conference

Larry Gallo, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

John Hardt, Bucknell University

Kyle Kallander, Big South Conference

Mark LaBarbera, Valparaiso University

Chris Monasch, St. John’s University (New York)

Gary Overton, East Carolina University

Bobby Staub, University of Louisiana at Monroe

CLICK HERE to see the updated list of the 30 automatic qualifiers for the 2011 NCAA Baseball Tournament.

According to the NCAA’s 2011 Division One Baseball Championship Handbook (PDF), here is how at-large selections are made:

• The committee uses the Rating Percentage Index (RPI), a computer program that provides the committee with (1) the institution’s Division I winning percentage, (2) opponents’ success and (3) opponents’ strength of schedule. The RPI is an additional tool used in the evaluation of at-large teams. Please note that the adjusted RPI takes into account a bonus/penalty structure. Bonus and penalty values only will be used for non-conference games.
• Regular-season conference standings and/or conference postseason competition shall be considered by the committee when selecting at-large teams.
• The committee may consider comparing data of individual teams, including, but not limited to, overall record, Division I record, overall RPI rank, non-conference record and RPI rank, conference regular-season record and conference tournament results, road record and RPI, last 15 games’ record, its record against teams ranked 1-25, 26-50, 51-100, 101-150 and below 150 in the RPI, head-to-head record, common opponents’ record and input from regional advisory committees.
• Make no mistake … RPI is a huge factor in the selection and seeding process.
• Regional host sites will be announced on Sunday, May 29, while the field of 64 will be announced on Monday, May 30 (Memorial Day).

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The same criteria also is used in determining seeding for Regionals and the top-eight national seeds. The top-eight national seeds essentially are the eight teams that (at least in theory) should make it to the College World Series. Top-eight seeds are guaranteed they would not have to play each other until the CWS.

Here’s how the tournament is formatted:

Regionals

• 16 four-team Regional tournaments take place at different locations around the country.
• Ordinarily, all Regional and Super Regional tournaments are located on or near the campus of one of the competing institutions; however, a Regional or Super Regional tournament may be scheduled at a neutral site provided advance approval is obtained from the Division I Championships/Sports Management Cabinet.
• The committee shall attempt to place Regional tournaments so that maximum national balance can be obtained, preferably at least one Regional in each of the eight Division I baseball regions.
• Except for the 16 No. 1 Regional seeds, the pairings for the  Regionals, whenever possible, will be based on closest geographical location of the teams to the tournament sites. Teams may be moved outside their regions, if necessary, to balance the bracket, or if the proximity to an opponent outside the region would be comparable and a better competitive matchup would occur.
• Two teams from the same conference cannot be placed in the same Regional.
• Teams from the same conference that are seeded first in their respective  Regional will be placed on the bracket to avoid potentially meeting in the Super Regionals.
• Typically, #1 seeds host Regionals, but it is possible for a #2 seed to host.
• Teams are seeded 1-4 within each Regional, with the #1 seed playing the #4 seed and the #2 seed playing the #3 seed on the first day of the tournament.
• The tournament is played out in a double-elimination format, with the winner advancing to one of eight Super Regionals.
• As noted below, one change made a couple years back is that the potential game-7 of a Regional (i.e. both teams have one loss) is played on Monday, whereas it used to be played on Sunday night (barring weather rescheduling, there never will be more than two games played in one day at a Regional site).

Here’s the Regional format:

Day 1
Game 1 — No. 1 seed vs. No. 4
Game 2 — No. 2 vs. No. 3

Day 2
Game 3 — Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
Game 4 — Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2

Day 3
Game 5 — Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4
Game 6 — Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5

Day 4
Game 7 — If necessary, same teams as in Game 6

Super Regionals

• Two teams will play a best 2-of-3 format to determine the Super Regional winner.
• Super Regional competition takes place at on-campus sites or alternate sites that are approved by the baseball committee.
• Consideration for hosting shall be given to the higher seed, including the eight national seeds, if a suitable hosting proposal has been received (e.g., meets financial guarantee and quality of facility criteria). If the higher seed has not submitted a proposal, the lower-seeded team will host if its proposal is acceptable.
• If the Super Regional matchup is between equally-seeded teams, the committee shall review the hosting proposals according to the site selection criteria (e.g., quality and availability of the facility, revenue potential and other available accommodations) to determine the host. If only one of the teams has submitted a
  proposal, that team shall host if the proposal is acceptable.
• Winners of the eight Super Regional tournaments will qualify for the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

Note: While the tournament starts with 16 #1 seeds, for the purposes of Super Regional pairings only the top-eight national seeds are taken into consideration. According to the NCAA, the other eight #1 Regional seeds all “become a nine seed” when it comes to pairing which regionals will face off in the Super Regional round. Super Regional pairings are made based on geography rather than actual seed (hopefully we won’t see things like a third straight year of Texas and TCU beating matched up as potential Super Regional opponents, etc.).

Here’s the Super Regional format:

Day 1:  Game 1 — Team A vs. Team B
Day 2: Game 2 — Team A vs. Team B
Day 3: Game 3 — if necessary, Team A vs. Team B

College World Series

• The eight winners of the Super Regional competitions will advance to the College World Series.
• Two four-team brackets will play a double-elimination tournaments to determine the bracket champions (similar to the regional format).
• The CWS Finals best 2-of-3 format consists of single games Mon., Tues. and Wed. (if necessary), June 28-30.
• The College World Series begins on Sat., June 18. The road still leads to Omaha, but this year it ends downtown at the new TD Ameritrade Park.

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From t-shirts and caps to limited edition prints commemorating the final CWS ever played at historic Rosenblatt Stadium, Dugouthats.com also always has the caps of your favorite college teams such as LSU, Texas, Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State, UCLA, South Carolina, Miami and more.

We recently posted three different polls here on Collegebaseball360.com to get your feedback on a handful of questions. Here’s a look at how they came out with some thoughts on each:

One format recently discussed by the NCAA would flip-flop those formats, starting with a two-team best-two-of-three Regional followed by a four-team double-elimination Super Regional. That format is favored by 21% of those who voted.

The greatest benefit to this format would be the fact that 32 different schools would get the chance to host Regionals rather than the current 16. Eight teams would then host Super Regionals, with the winners qualifying for Omaha. That means there is a potential for 40 different host sites in the first two rounds.

The other format calls for three best-two-of-three series, which is favored by 39% of those who cast their votes. This format would allow 32 teams to host a first-round Regional, 16 teams would host in the second round and eight teams would host third round series, with the winners advancing to the College World Series. There are potentially 56 host sites under this format.

Like those who voted, we favor the third option. It would add an extra week to the postseason, but it does a couple other things that would be good for college baseball.

First, it gives more teams the chance to host postseason games.  One seeds would host four seeds and two seeds would host three seeds.  It would be pretty exciting to have college baseball in 32 locations around the country to open the postseason.

Second, it’s a format that better duplicates the way the game is played during the regular season when teams play weekend three-game series (as pointed out by the NCAA in its proposal). With the exception of the final “if necessary” games, the format is also more television friendly, because game times are all predetermined. In a double-elimination format the time a team plays on day two and day three is determined by a win or a loss on day one.

Multiple games every day would be eliminated, which makes dealing with weather a lot easier too. As we saw last year in the Coral Gables Regional, weather is a TV nightmare. (Click here to see more details on this subject).

Regular Season Poll

The second poll question is an idea floated by Oklahoma head coach Sunny Golloway. The Sooner skipper would like to see the college baseball season shift so that it is played more in the summer than late winter and spring.

“I think in the fall…should be like our summer. That’s where our athletes should take three or six (credit) hours, be able to relax more and have some down time. And then let’s start in the spring, getting going,” Golloway recently told us.

Golloway argues that college baseball currently gets lost in the large shadow of the popularity of college basketball and “March Madness“. He also thinks that college baseball stadiums around the country would have a better chance to be filled by starting later in the spring when temperatures are warmer.

Sunny Golloway

Golloway says the shift in the season would also allow for a better opportunity at a national television contract that would give fans the chance to “fall in love” with college baseball the way they have with college hoops and college football.

All the points Golloway makes are valid. However, it would be a pretty radical shift for college presidents around the country to shift their academic calenders to accommodate college baseball (even if student-athletes in other sports were still in school during the traditional academic calender). There would likely have to be a large  TV revenue guarantee to give it a chance to happen.

golloway-tv

Press “Play” above to listen to Golloway’s comments.

A shift to a summer slate would do a few other things as well:

1. It would shift the way college coaches recruit and actually see recruits. A good chunk of this is currently done in the summer months when the college season is over. If the start of the college season was pushed to even April (when high school seasons are starting) instead of late February it would make it tougher for many college coaches to ever see a recruit play in a real game setting.

2. It would virtually eliminate the college summer leagues. Cape Cod, Alaska and other points around the country might no longer be destinations of college players once their college regular seasons end. There might be a way to make it happen in August and September, but it would be tougher. The summer leagues are important not only to the highly touted college prospects, but probably even more to players lower on college depth charts who need summer leagues for the chance to get real playing experience.

3. It would tax support staffs. Even at bigger schools like Oklahoma, people who work in media relations/sports information departments and on athletic training staffs work more than just one sport. At smaller schools these behind the scenes, but very important, staffers are working two, three and even four sports. Unlike the baseball players themselves, most of these staffers would not have the luxury of time off in the fall, because they would be busy working another sport.

One thing is for sure though, there’s a new flexible landing spot in Omaha if the college schedule were to go to a summer schedule. Unlike Rosenblatt Stadium, the new TD Ameritrade Park doesn’t have to share its field with a minor league baseball team, so the CWS could take place there anytime from virtually May through October. Which takes us to…

The Stadium Poll

The sun has set on Rosenblatt Stadium

College Baseball 360 blogger (and Omaha native) Paul Fiarkoski recently answered the question “What happened to Rosenblatt Stadium?”. He also asked the question “Do you agree with the decision to replace Rosenblatt?”.  The answer is a resounding “No”.

A whopping 83% of those who voted say they do not agree with the decision to replace the historic facility. Only 15% say they do agree, while 2% say they are not sure.

It is an understandable response, especially for those like Paul who grew-up in the shadow of Rosenblatt. Nostalgia is a big part of the American psyche and change can be hard to accept. While I agree with Paul and the 83%, the question is now moot.

TD Ameritrade Park is just three months away from hosting its first game when Creighton and Nebraska break-in the new facility on April 19. The Blue Jays will play their remaining 11 home contests at TDAP after that first game and then the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament gets the final tune-up from May 24-29 before the first College World Series first pitch in downtown Omaha on June 18.

Time marches on.

By College Baseball 360 Editor Sean Stires

We are just days away from a new year and that means we’re less than two months away from the start of the 2011 college baseball season. There was good and there was bad, and with that in mind here are 10 significant things we’ll take from college baseball in 2010…

1.  Goodbye to Rosenblatt Stadium

What can be said about Rosenblatt that hasn’t already been said? After 60 years at the top of the hill in Omaha, Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium hosted its final College World Series in 2010. The move to the new TD Ameritrade Park in 2011 is seen by progress to some, but heartbreak to many. The new park will have all the amenities that Rosenblatt lacked, and maybe the future will be even brighter at the CWS and Omaha down the road. However, wouldn’t it have been nice if the new stadium had even a hint of nostalgia? The new Yankee Stadium has oversized high-priced seats and is swelling with luxury suites, but they still managed to keep the look from the House that Ruth Built. Too bad they couldn’t do the same at TDA.  CLICK HERE to read a letter of thanks from Omaha native Paul Fiarkoski to Johnny Rosenblatt.

2. Cal Cuts Baseball

Septbember 28, 2010 could be remembered as “Black Tuesday” at Cal. That’s the day Cal-Berkley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau and Athletic Director Sandy Barbour announced the school would eliminate baseball and four other sports (rugby, gymnastics and lacrosse) at their school at the conclusion of the 2010-2011 season. The given reason was to “generate an estimated $4 million annual savings in direct and indirect costs for Cal Athletics, while limiting further growth in expenses.” The outcry was instant, and the “Save Cal Baseball” movement began.  More than $10 in pledges have poured in to save the 118 year-old baseball program and the four other sports. The future is still uncertain, but head coach Dave Esquer’s Golden Bears are ranked 33rd in Collegiate Baseball’s 2011 preseason poll.

3. Arizona State Gets Probation

Our top story from 2009 was Pat Murphy leaving ASU, but Tim Esmay still led the Sun Devils to Omaha after the departure of the controversial head coach. That won’t be possible in 2011 after the NCAA slapped the program with postseason probation due to “lack of institutional control”.  Click here for the full rundown. While Arizona State plans to appeal the postseason ban, the school has been sanctioned nine times since 1953 (in sports other than baseball). Murphy is currently working in the San Diego Padres organization, but the NCAA also ruled that if he were to return to college baseball he would not be able to make recruiting calls until December 14, 2011.

4. Garrett Wittels Chases History, And Then…

Garrett Wittels

Heading into the 2010 season nobody was talking about Florida International, and they sure weren’t talking about Garrett Wittels. However, by season’s end the sophomore infielder who hit just .246 as a freshman was the toast of college baseball. Wittels batted .413 by hitting safely in all 56 games he started in 2010 (he didn’t play in five games) while helping his team to a Sun Belt Conference title and an NCAA Regional berth. He enters 2010 on the heels of Robin Ventura’s 1987 Division I record 58-game hitting streak. Things took a turn for the surreal earlier this month though when Wittels and a group of friends were charged with raping two 17-year-old girls on Dec. 20 in the Bahamas. Wittels is free on bond as the 2011 season approaches. ESPN is scheduled to televise FIU’s season-opening series against Southeastern Louisiana, but for now the question is will Wittels be in the line-up or behind bars?

5.  South Carolina Wins The CWS

Ray Tanner

Ray Tanner’s Gamecocks became regulars at Omaha over the last decade, but they never won it all. In the 61st and final CWS at Rosenblatt, South Carolina changed that in a big way. South Carolina lost its first game, but stormed back to win six straight to claim the school’s first major championship in any sport. They also beat their biggest rival, Clemson, twice in the process. No player more embodied the Gamecocks’ team effort than soph. Michael Roth, who made his first two starts of the season on the Omaha dirt. Roth held opponents to a .167 average in 16 1/3 total innings at the CWS. It was only fitting that South Carolina won in dramatic fashion on Whit Merrifield’s walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th inning against UCLA.

6. Matt Curry’s CWS Grand Slam

Matt Curry

With two out, a full count and his team down by two runs to Florida State, TCU’s Matt Curry jacked a grand slam to centerfield to stave-off elimination. The big hit made TCU an instant CWS legend in the the most electric moment of the 61st and final series at Rosenblatt. Not bad for a senior who played his first two seasons of college ball at Howard Junior College. Of that moment, TCU head coach Jim Schlossnagle would later tell us “That’s a game and that’s a moment I think that if they were to do a history of the College World Series…it’s gonna be a very small part, but I think it would be a part.” Said Curry afterward “When I hit it, I knew it was gone, because I’ve hit home runs and I usually know when I get them. I look and I’m all fired up” CLICK HERE for more postgame reaction from Curry, Schlossnagle and FSU head coach Mike Martin.

7. TCU Beats Texas In Super Regionals

Before Curry had his shot at Omaha immortality, TCU had to beat Texas in Super Regional play. Many thought the Horned Frogs were deserving of a national seed and the chance to host a Super Regional that would come with that distinction, but that didn’t happen. Instead, for a second straight year TCU was matched with the perennial power in Austin with a trip to Omaha on the line.  TCU won games one and three by giving-up just a run in each game against the #2 national seed Longhorns to send the Horned Frogs to the program’s first CWS. CLICK HERE for more from TCU’s historic win.

8. New Mexico And Oregon Make It To NCAA Regionals

Ray Birmingham

For the game of college baseball to grow it has to prosper in places where it has not traditionally prospered. New Mexico made it to an NCAA Regional for the first time in 48 years in 2010, while Oregon made it in just its second season since resurrecting the program after a nearly 30 year extinction. The Lobos and Ducks reached the postseason with the distinctive styles of their head coaches. For UNM it was Ray Birmingham’s “Kick down the door” offensive approach, while UO did it with George Horton’s pitching laden formula. It should come as no surprise that both programs prospered under their skippers. Birmingham led New Mexico Junior College to a 2005 national championship, while Horton more famously won the 2003 CWS at Cal State Fullerton.

9. Kyle Parker’s Record-Setting Double Duty

Kyle Parker

Parker took being a two-sport college athlete to another level during the 2009-2010 season. The Clemson quarterback/outfielder became the first Division One athlete to ever throw 20 touchdown passes and hit 20 home runs in the same academic year. In fact, he was the first to even go 15/15. Parker helped the football team to a Music City Bowl win in the fall and then helped Jack Leggett’s baseball team reach the College World Series in the spring. Parker was taken by the Colorado Rockies with the 26th overall pick in the June, 2010 draft. He has signed a professional contract and will report to spring training in 2011. CLICK HERE for an exclusive podcast interview with Parker.

10. UCLA And Arizona State Get Off To Fast Starts

The Bruins and Sun Devils both ended their seasons in Omaha, and they both got their seasons off to blazing hot starts. UCLA road its pitching out of the gates to a 22-0 record that didn’t end until an April 2 loss to Stanford. Arizona State used its balance of pitching and offense to start 24-0 under new head coach Tim Esmay. Their first setback came a day after UCLA’s first defeat when they dropped a 12-inning game at Oregon. John Savage’s Bruins ended their season with a 51-17 mark and a second place finish at the CWS, while ASU finished with a 52-10 mark despite going 0-2 in Omaha.

Time is running out to own a piece of history. How about a 2010 Limited Edition Commemorative Print Collection from The Dugout in Omaha!

The package includes: 6 limited edition framable “8×10″ prints: Catching the Action, Hitting the Sweet Spot,Bringing the Heat, Turning Two, Gameday at Rosenblatt, Nightcap at Rosenblatt.

Don’t wait, get yours today from Dugouthats.com!

By Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires

Gobble, Gobble…

To kick-off this week’s Notebook, we first want to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving! No matter where you are or what you are doing this week and throughout the holidays, do it safely! Also, with the end of the year fast approaching and football winding down, be sure to look for more pre-season college baseball information coming soon. The start of the 2011 college baseball season is now less than three months away!

TD Ameritrade Park will be the new home of the CWS in 2011.

New Stadium, Higher Prices…

With the hoopla of the last College World Series played at Rosenblatt Stadium, the emphasis is now on the CWS’ move to downtown Omaha and TD Ameritrade Park. While ticket prices won’t have the same kind of hike in price that Yankee Stadium had when the new palace in the Bronx went up last year, CWS season ticket holders will pay more to watch the first series in the new building. Multiple Omaha media outlets have reported that College World Series of Omaha, Inc. has informed season ticket holders that ticket prices will be higher next year.

The price of a 2011 season ticket package at TDA will reportedly go for $374-up from $293 this year. A general admission book of 10 tickets will also go from the $70 price over the last three years to $80. Individual reserved seats will see a slight bump in price as well from $22 to $28. The new stadium also will not have box seats like Rosenblatt did. Some 2,800 season ticket holders who have the rights to buy roughly 14,600 tickets will receive renewal notices the first week of December. They have until February 1 to return their orders.

Tar Heel Gone…

Brian Goodwin

North Carolina has suspended Brian Goodwin for the 2011 spring semester for a violation of university policy . Goodwin earned Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American honors last season by batting .291 with seven home runs and team-highs of eight triples and 63 RBIs. UNC has not disclosed what rule Goodwin broke, but does say that his suspension is not related to the NCAA investigation into the Tar Heel football program.

Gone Batty…

Most of the emphasis on the new bat regulations for the upcoming 2011 season has been on college baseball, but high school baseball players will face some changes as well. Composite bats will still be allowed in 2011 for high schoolers, but the list of allowable composites is short. CLICK HERE for the list of composite bats that meet the ball exit speed ratio (BESR) for high schools (excluding California) for the upcoming season. The National Federation of State High School Associations will follow college baseball’s lead and completely ban composite bats in 2012.

Speaking Of Bats…

Black Friday will be upon us soon, but if you are looking for baseball, softball or football gear for your athlete there’s no need to fight the crowds during the Holiday Season. Baseball Express is one of College Baseball 360’s top sponsors, and they have special Baseball Internet Specials for you right now. Just click the link and enter the coupon code AFSSPD2 to receive 15% off baseball orders of $99 or more from Nov. 23-28. The softball code is AFSSPD3 and the football code is AFSSPD3.

The Conference Shuffle…

The biggest announcements regarding conference realignments this came out of the Big 12, Big Ten and Pac 10, but the situation remains very fluid. Texas State, UT-San Antonio and Denver are set to join the WAC for the 2012-2013 academic year. Denver is the only one of the three that plays neither Division One baseball nor football, while TSU and UTSA will both move from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS or DI) next year. Meanwhile, Hawaii could be ready to follow Boise State and Fresno State to the Mountain West Conference, but that move may not include baseball. There’s a good chance Hawaii will be a football only member of the MWC, with the rest of its sports possibly joining the Big West. At least one recent report says 16 of Hawaii’s 18 teams would prefer the Big West, which would mean much shorter travel times and costs for the lower-revenue generating sports.

New Name, Same Stage…

One of college baseball’s premiere early season events has a new name. What used to be the Whataburger Classic in Corpus Christi, TX is now the Kleberg Bank College Classic. Kleberg recently signed a five-year naming rights contract for the event, which will still be played at Whataburger Field-the home of the minor league Corpus Christi Hooks. Last year’s event saw Oklahoma and UCLA both go to the College World Series. This year’s field includes Oregon State, Indiana, UConn, and Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

Auf Deutsch Bitte…

Greg Frady (10) led Germany to a third place finish at the European Championships.

Georgia State baseball coach Greg Frady has been named the European Baseball Coach of the Year. Frady was honored for leading the German National Team to a third-place finish at this year’s European Baseball Championship. It’s the highest finish for the Germans and their first medal in the history of the event. Frady has led his Georgia State Panthers to 73 wins over the last two seasons, including a 2009 NCAA Regional bid.

Three For The SEC…

National letter of intent signings continue to be announced by college baseball teams across the country. It’s a big enough feather in the cap of any high school to send just one player to the Division One ranks, but Lake Wales High School in Lake Wales, FL has a full plume this Thanksgiving. The Highlanders had three players recently sign baseball NLIs with SEC schools. Colton Davis and Jarred Smith will continue to be teammates next year after signing with Auburn, while Justin Shafer signed to play at Florida. Davis and Shafer both turned down DI football offers to play baseball. Lake Wales has a population of roughly 12,000.

Players are timed in the 60-yard dash at Arizona's scout day.

And At The Next Level…

All 30 MLB teams were represented by more than 70 scouts at the University of Arizona’s scout day over the weekend. Scouts put draft eligible Wildcats through their paces in things like the 60-yard dash, a half dozen rounds of batting practice and positional throwing (including pitchers). Senior outfielder Bobby Rinard turned-in the top 60 time at 6.5 seconds. The workout was the last such event for the scouts before the holidays.

Wearing It Out…

We received a question in our mail bag this week about the record for home runs in consecutive at-bats by a DI baseball player. The email cited former Sam Houston State player Tommy Cliffe, who homered in five straight at-bats in 1999. The e-mailer wanted to know if that might be the NCAA record. Turns out, Florida State’s Marshall McDougall did Cliffe one better in that same season. After singling in his first at-bat, McDougall went on to go yard in his next six trips to the plate in his historic 16 RBI day in the Seminole’s 26-2 win over Maryland on May 9, 1999. Have a question for us? Make sure  to drop us a line by clicking here.

V Is For Verlander…

Old Dominion recently retired the jersey of  Justin Verlander. The current Detroit Tiger set the ODU and Colonial Athletic Association record with 427 strikeouts in 335 2/3 innings in his three-year career from 2002-2004. Verlander was the second overall pick in the 2004 MLB Draft by Detroit after winning 21 games for his alma mater. He also helped Team USA to a silver medal finish at the 2003 Pan Am Games.

Keep Growing College Baseball…

Three more schools have made recent additions and/or renovations to their college baseball facilities. Lamar just finished the H.D. “Tex” and Emma Strait Baseball Training Facility. It’s a 9,600 square foot indoor practice center. Butler has made several tweaks to Bulldog Park, with a new turf halo around home plate, new laser-graded infield sod, new netting, and a still to be completed fan patio area down the left field line. Columbia also just dedicated its new Robertson Field at Satow Stadium. The digs include new chairback seating, a new home dugout and a state-of-the-art scoreboard.

Give a unique gift this Christmas from Dugouthats.com.  The Dugout in Omaha has officially licensed 2010 College World Series memorabilia that would make the perfect gift this holiday season (click on the image to left to enlarge).

From t-shirts and caps to limited edition prints commemorating the last CWS ever played at historic Rosenblatt Stadium. Dugouthats.com also always  hats of your favorite college teams like LSU, Texas, Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State, UCLA, South Carolina, Miami and more.

TEMPE, AZ Arizona State Baseball will begin its quest for its sixth National Championship and 22nd trip to Omaha and the College World Series on February 19th when the Sun Devils host the Northern Illinois Huskies at Winkles Field- Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark in the 2010 Season Opener. Announced today by head coach Tim Esmay, the 2010 schedule features 35 games at Packard Stadium, including two non-conference match-ups with in-state rival Arizona on April 20 and May 4.

ASU Interim Head Coach Tim Esmay (ASU Photo)

regular season on March 16 and 17 at Goodwin Field in Fullerton.

Complete 2010 ASU Schedule

Arizona State will play an exhibition game at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark on March 2, when they host Meiji University from Japan.

The rest of the non-conference slate features two straight four-game series to open the 2010 season. Northern Illinois opens the year in Tempe from Feb. 19-21, followed by Towson from Feb. 26-28. The SEC’s Auburn Tigers will visit Tempe for a three-game set beginning March 12, and the Houston Cougars will play at Packard Stadium for three games starting March 19. Grand Canyon (March 9), San Diego (April 5-6), San Francisco (April 27-28) and BYU (May 10-11) will also visit Tempe.

The leader in West Coast attendance for the past five years, Arizona State will once again enjoy one of the nation’s best home field advantages. Over 125,000 fans came through the turnstiles to watch the Devils play in 2009, as ASU averaged 3,207 fans per home game. Thanks to tremendous fan support that creates an unmatched atmosphere at home, the Sun Devils went 36-4 at home, winning their third consecutive Pac-10 championship and advancing to the College World Series for the third time in five years.

For the eighth straight year, Arizona State will travel to Surprise, Ariz., for the Coca-Cola Classic at Surprise Stadium, Spring Training home of the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals. The Devils will face 2009 NCAA Tournament participant Cal Poly, who played in the Tempe Regional, on March 4, Pac-10 rival Oregon State in a non-conference match-up on March 5, UC Riverside on March 6, then wrap up the weekend in Surprise against former ASU assistant coach and current Florida International head coach Turtle Thomas and the Golden Panthers on March 7.

In addition to an always difficult non-conference schedule, the three-time defending Pac-10 Champion Sun Devils will once again compete in one of the toughest conferences in all of college baseball. Conference adversaries visiting Tempe include Cal (March 26-28), USC (April 16-18), Washington (April 23-25) and 2009 NCAA Tournament participant Oregon State (May 21-23). The Sun Devils will travel to Eugene, Oregon for the first time in school history when they take on the Ducks for a three-game series beginning April 1. ASU will also travel to 2009 NCAA Tournament team Washington State (April 9-11), UCLA (April 30-May 2), in-state rival Arizona (May 15-17) and close out the regular season at Sunken Diamond in Palo Alto, Calif. for three games with Stanford (May 27-29).

Arizona State will be seeking its 11th straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, which will begin on June 4. Super Regionals will follow from June 11-14 with the college baseball season culminating in the College World Series, beginning June 19 at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska. 2010 marks the final season the College World Series will be played at Rosenblatt Stadium, as the annual championship tournament will move to TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha beginning in 2011.

(Release)

OMAHA, Neb. – Eleven games in Rosenblatt Stadium’s final season, games against five NCAA Tournament participants and three meetings with local rival Nebraska highlight this year’s 2010 Creighton Baseball schedule, which was released late Monday.

The Jays kick-off its 54 game schedule on Feb. 20 with a doubleheader in Conway, Ark. against Central Arkansas and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. The Bluejays will start the season with a 21-game road trip before playing its home opener against Indiana State on April 2 at Rosenblatt Stadium.

Creighton Head Coach Ed Servais

The Jays will also close its home slate with a Rosenblatt matinee against New Orleans on May 22 at 12:00 p.m. It will be the last regular season game the Jays play at the park, as they will play a handful of games at TD AMERITRADE Park Omaha in 2011 before moving in as full-time tenants in 2012.

Complete 2010 Creighton Schedule

The Jays non-conference season is highlighted by six games against four NCAA Regional participants from last season. The first of which will be Southland Conference champions Sam Houston State, who the Jays will play on March 5 and 7^th.

Minnesota is next on Creighton’s list of tourney teams, as the Jays will face the Golden Gophers at the Metrodome on March 13 in the Metrodome Tournament.

Kansas State and Kansas round out the Jays’ non-conference, ’09 tourney-team lineup, as they will face KSU in Manhattan on March 16. Creighton and Kansas will play a home-and-home set, as the Jays will visit Lawrence on March 23 and the Jayhawks will play at Rosenblatt on April 7.

After the season opener in Arkansas, the Jays will play in three tournaments, two of which will be in Texas. ULM, Northwestern State (La.) and Stephen F. Austin will be the opponents at the Stephen F. Austin Tournament while Northern Colorado and Sam Houston State will tangle with the Jays at SHSU’s tournament.

After a single non-conference game at Texas-Arlington, Creighton will play in the Metrodome Tournament in Minneapolis. The Jays will play South Dakota State on March 12, host Minnesota on the 13^th and Harvard on the 14^th.

The Jays will play a three-game set in Chicago against 2009 Horizon League regular season champ Illinois-Chicago before jumping into its 21-game, Missouri Valley Conference schedule.

The Jays be on the road at Southern Illinois on March 26-28, and will also have road conference series at Bradley and Missouri State.

Along with Indiana State, the Jays will host Valley opponents Illinois State, Evansville and 2009 regional participant Wichita State.

Creighton hosts two of the three games against Nebraska at Rosenblatt Stadium. An April 6 trip to Lincoln precedes games on April 20 and May 18 in Omaha.

Creighton will also play host to Big Ten foe Iowa, along with Air Force, Seattle University and New Orleans in its other non-conference home games.

The State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament will be played from May 25-29 at Eck Stadium in Wichita, Kan. It will be the second straight year Wichita has played host to the tournament.

The Jays finished last season 31-25, falling in the MVC title game to Wichita State. Creighton will look for its first NCAA regional appearance since 2007, and third under head coach Ed Servais.

(Release)

Here’s A Refresher In Case You Missed Something New On The Site This Week:

1. A new Podcast interview with East Carolina slugger Kyle Roller-who was the 2009 Cape Cod League MVP.
2. A new Schedule Page where you can find all of the 2010 college baseball schedules that have been released to date. We will continue to post schedules as they are released leading-up to the 2010 season.
3. Several schedule releases as they were issued by schools this week.
4. A story on Minnesota baseball/football player Eric Decker-who will miss the rest of the Gopher’s football season with a foot injury.  (He is also included in our “Two-Sport Reports”.)
5. A release on the announcement that, beginning in 2011,  the Creighton baseball team will play home games in the new TD Ameritrade Park in downtown Omaha, NE.  The park will also be the new home of the College World Series.
6. A story on former college stars Cliff Lee, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard propelling the Phillies to a game one win in the World Series.
7. A release on ACC baseball games that will be televised in 2010 on the Regional Sports Network (RSN).
8. A release on tickets going on sale for the 2010 Big Ten/Big East Challenge.
9. A new Big Ten/Big East Challenge page on the site where you can find coverage before, during and after the event.