Peay sent to Oregon for opener

Posted: Tuesday, May 29, 2012 7:00 pm

Austin Peay’s baseball team will continue its postseason trek with a trip to Eugene, Ore., for the regional round of the 2012 NCAA Baseball Championship.
The Govs will travel west to face Oregon, which received the No. 5 National Seed in the tournament. Joining them will be Indiana State and Cal State Fullerton.
Austin Peay (38-22) earned the Ohio Valley Conference’s automatic bid, becoming the first team to lose its first game in the tournament and come back to win the championship.
The Govs also won a share of the OVC regular-season title with a 19-7 league mark.
Austin Peay is making its fifth NCAA tourney appearance and its first-ever back-to-back showings.
The Govs played in the Atlanta Regional last season, defeating host Georgia Tech in the opening game before falling to eventual regional-champion Mississippi State and Georgia Tech.
Oregon (42-17, 19-11 Pac-12) finished third in the Pac-12 Conference regular-season race.
The Ducks, ranked 10th in Monday’s Collegiate Baseball poll, enter the tournament at the No. 5 seed, the program’s first-ever national seed. It is Oregon’s fourth NCAA Tournament appearance and second since the program’s revival in 20009.
Cal State Fullerton (35-19, 17-7 Big West) won the Big West Conference regular-season title. It will be Cal State Fullerton’s 34th NCAA Baseball Tournament appearance and their 21st consecutive showing.
Indiana State (41-17, 0-0 Missouri Valley) received an at-large bid to the tournament after winning the MVC’s regular season title.
Austin Peay has never faced Oregon or Cal State Fullerton. In fact, the Govs trip to Eugene will be its farthest trip west in program history. Austin Peay has only ventured as far west as Wichita, Kan. and that came during the 1991 season.
The Govs and Sycamores are old foes with 36 previous meetings. Indiana State holds a 22-14 lead in the all-time series, including a win in the last meeting between the two teams in 2010.
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2012 NCAA BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Eugene Regional
Friday
Game 1: Austin Peay vs. Oregon, 8 p.m.
Game 2: Indiana State vs. Cal State Fullerton, 4 p.m.
Saturday
Game 3: Losers of Games 1 and 2, 4 p.m.
Game 4: Winners of Game 1 and 2, 8 p.m.
Sunday
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 2 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 6 p.m.
Monday
Game 7: If necessary, same teams as in Game 6, 8 p.m. Published in The Messenger 5.29.12