FROM CBB NEWS SOURCES
GREENSBORO, N.C. – A pair of league schools from the Sunshine State highlight the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Championship field, as No. 1 seed Miami and No. 2 seed Florida State prepare to battle with six other schools for the coveted championship crown at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville in Jacksonville, Fla., this week.
The complete pairings and game times for the eight teams competing in the round-robin format tournament are as follows:
The Division `A’ bracket will consist of No. 1 seed Miami, No. 4 seed NC State, No. 5 seed Georgia Tech and No. 8 seed Clemson.
The Division `B’ bracket will include No. 2 seed Florida State, No. 3 seed North Carolina, No. 6 seed Virginia and No. 7 seed Wake Forest.
Miami will headline the Division `A’ bracket, as the Hurricanes compiled a 23-5 ledger in the Coastal Division to clinch both the overall and divisional titles. Both marked the first for the `Canes since becoming a member of the ACC in 2005. Miami, which has been ranked No. 1 in the nation the past six weeks, competes in the ACC Tournament for the fourth year in a row and seeks its first league crown.
Florida State and defending ACC champion North Carolina head up the Division `B’ bracket this year. The Seminoles, who claimed their second-straight Atlantic Division crown on May 5, tied a league-best 24-6 mark in the Atlantic Division for the second year in a row and secured the No. 2 seed.
The pressure to defend their league title will be on the Tar Heels. UNC picked up the No. 3 seed after taking two of three games from top-ranked Miami last weekend and finishing 22-7 in the Coastal Division. In 2007, North Carolina battled its way to the College World Series championship series for the second-straight year falling to back-to-back champion Oregon State.
Opening tournament action will be No. 4 seed NC State and No. 5 seed Georgia Tech. The two teams did not meet during the regular season this year; however, NC State holds an 11-10 edge over the Yellow Jackets in the ACC Tournament. Both hit the field at 10 a.m. on Wednesday.
In addition, five of the eight teams will continue their ACC Tournament streak as Clemson, UNC, NC State, Virginia and Wake Forest make their 35th consecutive appearances. Virginia dropped two games against Georgia Tech over the weekend and notched the No. 6 seed, while Wake Forest needed just one win at Boston College to keep its postseason hopes alive. The Demon Deacons ended up winning two games and the series against the Eagles to collect the No. 7 seed in this week’s tournament.
Clemson played the waiting game last weekend, as the Tigers’ postseason fate rested in the series outcome between Duke and Virginia Tech. The Blue Devils needed to sweep Virginia Tech to advance to the league tournament, but the Hokies just needed one to play the spoiler. Duke defeated Virginia Tech on Thursday and Saturday, but it would not be enough. Friday’s loss to the Hokies gave Clemson the No. 8 seed in the ACC Tournament, while Duke’s postseason hopes were dashed.
The two teams with the best record within their respective division brackets will advance to the Championship title game on Sunday, with the winner earning the ACC’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
All 13 games in this year’s ACC Baseball Tournament will be televised for the second-straight year with Fox Sports Net South and Sports South providing live coverage. The league tournament will also be broadcast on four other networks, which includes FSN Florida, SUN Sports, Comcast Sports Mid-Atlantic and the New England Sports Network (NESN). Check your local listing for more details.
In addition, ISP Sports will be the national radio carrier of this year’s league tournament. All 13 contests will air on XM Radio and ISP’s national network of affiliates. Live stats will also be available on the ACC Baseball Championship Site.
The 2008 ACC Baseball Championship takes place Wednesday-Sunday, May 21-25, at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville in Jacksonville, Fla.
Tickets can be purchased online at the baseball championship page of theACC.com.
35th Annual ACC Baseball Championship
Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville – Jacksonville, Fla.
May 21-25, 2008
Wednesday, May 21
G1: #4 NC State vs. #5 Georgia Tech 10 a.m. (FSNS, SUN, CSMA)
G2: #1 Miami vs. #8 Clemson 1 p.m. (FSNS, SUN, CSMA)
G3: #2 Florida State vs. #7 Wake Forest 5 p.m. (SPSO, SUN)
G4: #3 North Carolina vs. #6 Virginia 8 p.m. (SPSO, SUN)
Thursday, May 22
G5: #1 Miami vs. #5 Georgia Tech 5 p.m. (FSNS, SUN)
G6: #4 NC State vs. #8 Clemson 8 p.m. (FSNS, SUN, CSMA)
Friday, May 23
G7: #2 Florida State vs. #6 Virginia 5 p.m. (SPSO, NESN)
G8: #3 North Carolina vs. #7 Wake Forest 8 p.m. (SPSO, CSMA)
Saturday, May 24
G9: #5 Georgia Tech vs. #8 Clemson 10 a.m. (SPSO, FSNFL, CSMA)
G10: #1 Miami vs. #4 NC State 1 p.m. (SPSO, FSNFL, CSMA)
G11: #2 Florida State vs. #3 North Carolina 5 p.m. (SPSO, SUN, NESN)
G12: #6 Virginia vs. #7 Wake Forest 8 p.m. (SPSO, SUN)
Sunday, May 25
Championship Game 1:00 p.m. (FSNS, SUN, CSMA)
TV Legends:
FSNS – FOX Sports Network South
FSN-FL – FOX Sports Network – Florida
SUN – SunSports
CSMA – Comcast Sports Mid-Atlantic
SPSO – Sports South
NESN – New England Sports Network
