For the first time since 2017, the NCAA Championship returns to Aggieland.
On Sunday evening, the NCAA announced 16 host locations for the upcoming weekend, with Texas A&M among the schools that will host the regional tour.
Olsen Field in Blue Bell Park has not hosted an NCAA tournament since the 2017 College Station Super Regional between the Aggies and Davidson Wildcats. A&M has not hosted a regional since 2016 postseason when Minnesota, Wake Forest, and Binghamton ventured into the Brazos Valley.
“This is just another achievement that is well-deserved by our fans, players and staff,” Texas A&M coach Jim Schlossnagel said in a statement. “Now it’s time for the 12th man to buy all the tickets and get loud from the first field! Our team must do our part by playing proper baseball at all stages. Postseason is never about the best team, only about the team that plays the best… This will be our motto from this point on. Disturb them!”
With the road to Omaha officially winding through Aggieland, this coming weekend will be the 12th time Maroon & White has hosted a regional area since the Olsen field was established in 1978.
Three other Southeast Conference programs have also been named regional hosts as Auburn, Florida (Gainesville), and Tennessee (Knoxville) and will have the advantage of domestic courts in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The other 12 hosts include East Carolina (Greenville), South Georgia (Statesboro), Louisville, Maryland (College Park), Miami (Coral Gables), North Carolina (Chapel Hill), Oklahoma State (Stillwater), Oregon (Corvallis), Miss South (Hattriesburg), Stanford, Texas (Austin) and Virginia Tech (Blacksburg).
Lexi Hudson, TexAgs
A&M’s final post-season game in Olsen sent the Aggies to Omaha and the 2017 College World Series.
For Texas A&M to be among this group of 16 would have been unimaginable before opening day, but Aegis Jim Schlossnagle has put together an unlikely magical season, finishing the regular season 35-17 and 19-11 in the SEC to win the Western Division . Then I advanced A&M To the semi-finals of the SEC Championship before losing to Florida, and ending with a score of 2-1 at Hoover.
Many analysts believe the Aggies will be a lock on a top-eight national seed, which will give them the domestic stadium advantage through the super regional tour. The A&M rankings of the top 16 teams as well as the rest of the 64 teams will be announced on Memorial Day.
The NCAA selection show is set for Monday at 11 a.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN2.
“Alcohol enthusiast. Twitter ninja. Tv lover. Falls down a lot. Hipster-friendly coffee geek.”