Utah Valley is headed back to the NCAA baseball tournament for the second time in school history, after the Wolverines rallied to win the WAC tournament championship last weekend.
On Monday, UVU found out where it will play in NCAA Regionals action during the Monday selection show — the Wolverines are headed to the Pacific Northwest.
Utah Valley will play in the Eugene Regional in Oregon, with the University of Oregon as hosts.
When will Utah Valley baseball play in the NCAA Tournament?
The Wolverines’ first game during the double-elimination regional will come against the Ducks, who are the No. 12 overall seed in the NCAAs this season.
UVU and Oregon will face each other Friday at 7 p.m. MDT at PK Park in the second of two first-round contests that day.
Arizona and Cal Poly, who are also in the Eugene Regional, will play at 2 p.m. MDT in the regional’s opening game.
Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.
Here’s the full schedule for the Eugene Regional, per ESPN:
Friday
- Game 1: Cal Poly vs. Arizona, 2 p.m. MDT
- Game 2: No. 12 Oregon vs. Utah Valley, 7 p.m. MDT
Saturday
- Game 3: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
- Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
Sunday
- Game 5: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3
- Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5
Monday:
- Game 7 (if necessary): Rematch Game 6
What to know about the other Eugene Regional teams
Oregon (42-14) is one of two Big Ten teams to host an NCAA Regional and one of four teams from the conference to make this year’s 64-team field.
The Ducks were Big Ten regular season co-champions, along with fellow NCAA Regional host UCLA, after finishing with a 22-8 mark in league play.
Arizona (39-18) is one of eight Big 12 teams to make it to the NCAAs.
The Wildcats went 18-12 in conference action and finished in a tie with Arizona State for fourth in the league, though Arizona earned the Big 12’s automatic NCAA bid by winning the league tournament last week.
Cal Poly (41-17), meanwhile, is making its fourth NCAA Regional appearance and its first since 2014.
The Mustangs beat UC Irvine for the Big West tournament championship. The Anteaters are also representing the conference in the NCAAs.
How did Utah Valley qualify for the NCAA Tournament?
The Wolverines (32-27) went 4-0 last week at the WAC tournament to earn the league’s automatic bid into the NCAAs.
Utah Valley, as the No. 3 seed, beat UT Arlington 17-7 to open the tournament, then got past Abilene Christian 3-1 in the quarterfinals and top seed Sacramento State 9-1 in the semifinals to advance to the championship.
In the title-game matchup, the Wolverines rallied past No. 2 seed Abilene Christian to win 11-9 after scoring two runs in the top of the ninth on a Mason Strong home run.
“This group is special. From the moment we got together last August to now, it has been an absolute pleasure to be with them,” UVU head coach Nate Rasmussen said in a school release. “I’m thrilled that I get to spend at least one more week with them.”
Utah Valley baseball history with the NCAA Tournament
The Wolverines made their only other appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2016.
UVU won the WAC tournament that year and headed to the Baton Rouge (Louisiana) Regional.
The Wolverines went 0-2 in the regional, losing 7-1 to host LSU and 3-2 against Southeastern Louisiana.