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.”
— KSU Sports Information —