K-State Selected to Host First-Ever NCAA Baseball Regional

MANHATTAN, Kan. - For the first time in program history, K-State and Manhattan will serve as one of 16 national sites for the 2013 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship as the Big 12 Champion Wildcats were selected Sunday to host the 2013 Manhattan Regional beginning Friday at Tointon Family Stadium.

K-State will be joined by three other teams in the Manhattan Regional as two games will be played on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with the championship game scheduled for Sunday. If necessary, a second championship game would be played Monday.

The complete 64-team bracket, top-eight national seeds and game times for each regional will be announced at 11 a.m., Monday during the 2013 NCAA Division I Baseball Selection Show on ESPNU.

"I am very proud of this team and what they have accomplished this year," said head coach Brad Hill. "I am extremely happy that we are able to bring a NCAA Regional to the K-State and Manhattan communities. We have worked extremely hard to have the opportunity to reward our great fan base, alumni and university by hosting a regional. There are so many former players and coaches that have laid the foundation for this day to become a reality, especially Mike Clark. We are very appreciative of John Currie and his staff for their support and efforts in assisting us host our first NCAA Regional. Our team is looking forward to using the momentum we have produced leading into the NCAA tournament and representing Kansas State well by playing with the resiliency and competitive spirit we've shown all season long."

K-State enters regional play with a 41-17 overall record after finishing with a 16-8 mark in conference action. The Wildcats are ranked in every major college baseball poll, including a No. 15 spot in Baseball America. The regular-season conference championship in 2013 was the first for the Wildcats in 80 years, while they made the biggest jump in the preseason poll by a conference champion in league history.

"We are proud of Coach Hill and our baseball team for the success they have had this season, winning the program's first conference championship in 80 years," said Athletics Director John Currie. "Hosting a regional at Tointon Family Stadium is not only another tremendous opportunity to showcase Manhattan and Kansas State University to the entire country but also the next step in the building process for our program envisioned when Bob and Betty Tointon, Coach Mike Clark and many others made possible our beautiful stadium over a decade ago. We are looking forward to welcoming three other programs to campus this week."

Tickets for the NCAA Manhattan Regional are now available online at www.k-statesports.com to current baseball season ticket holders, as they are given first opportunity to purchase seating they held during the regular season. To reserve tickets, which also provides the ability to add extra tickets, season ticket holders should log into their online account and select "season renewals."

Also, all Ahearn Fund members will receive an exclusive email offer to pre-order tickets through Tuesday as all tickets will be opened to the general public on Wednesday. A promo code will be sent to each Ahearn Fund member's email account with ordering information.

Baseball season ticket holders and Ahearn Fund members may also order by phone on Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. by calling 800-221-CATS.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public at 8:30 a.m., Wednesday, with All-Session, reserved and general admission seating packages offered for the first-time event in Wildcat history. Fans may reserve their tickets in person at the K-State Athletics Ticket Office, by phone at 800-221-CATS or online at www.k-statesports.com.

If tickets remain, individual session tickets will be available beginning at 8:30 a.m., Friday and can be purchased online, by phone or in person.

All seating in the grandstand of Tointon Family Stadium will be reserved. General admission will be available only in the bleachers in the patio area along the right-field side and in the new temporary bleachers on the berm down the left-field line.

K-State athletics officials announced the following ticket purchase options:

All-Session Tickets (good for all games of the tournament)

• Reserved Chairback $70

• Reserved Bench $50

• Adult General Admission $40

• Student/Youth General Admission $25. K-State students and children ages 18 and under are eligible to purchase Student/Youth tickets

Individual-Session Tickets

• Reserved Chairback $15

• Reserved Bench $12

• Adult General Admission $10

• Student/Youth General Admission $8

The tournament is conducted in a double-elimination format. By NCAA policy, each game is considered its own session requiring a separate ticket. The stadium is required to be cleared between each game (session).

Fans can get all regional information at www.k-statesports.com/manhattanregional.

2013 MANHATTAN REGIONAL GAMES

Game One: Friday (5/31) - No. 2 seed vs. No. 3 seed

Game Two: Friday (5/31) - No. 1 seed vs. No. 4 seed

Game Three: Saturday (6/1) - Game One loser vs. Game Two loser

Game Four: Saturday (6/1) - Game One winner vs. Game Two winner

Game Five: Sunday (6/2) - Game Three winner vs. Game Four loser

Game Six: Sunday (6/2) - Game Four winner vs. Game Five winner

Game Seven (if necessary): Monday (6/3) - Game Four winner vs. Game Six winner

2013 NCAA DIVISION I BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP HOSTS

Manhattan, Kan. - K-State

Baton Rouge, La. - LSU

Blacksburg, Va. - Virginia Tech

Bloomington, Ind. - Indiana

Chapel Hill, N.C. - North Carolina

Charlottesville, Va. - Virginia

Corvallis, Ore. - Oregon State

Columbia, S.C. - South Carolina

Eugene, Ore. - Oregon

Fullerton, Calif. - Cal State Fullerton

Los Angeles, Calif. - UCLA

Louisville, Ky. - Louisville

Nashville, Tenn. - Vanderbilt

Raleigh, N.C. - North Carolina State

Starkville, Miss. - Mississippi State

Tallahassee, Fla. - Florida State