ST. GEORGE — For the fifth-straight season, the No. 10-ranked Dixie State University baseball team has earned an NCAA Division II Baseball Tournament berth as the 2016 tournament field was announced Sunday night. The Trailblazers (38-12) were awarded the West Region’s No. 2 seed in the six-team regional and will face No. 5 seed Cal State Monterey Bay (33-19) Thursday (time TBA) in Riverside, Calif. All games will be played at James W. Totman Stadium on the campus of the host school and top-seeded California Baptist University.
Dixie State and CBU (39-11) are the lone Pacific West Conference representatives in this year’s West Regional field, while the other four schools hail from the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). CBU will play No. 6 seed Cal State East Bay (33-20) Thursday (time TBA), while No. 3 seed and defending West Region champion Cal Poly Pomona (35-17) will play No. 4 seed Chico State (32-20) Thursday (time TBA).
The tourney will continue through Sunday, May 22, with the winner advancing on to the 2016 NCAA Division II College World Series, which will be played May 28 through June 4, in Cary, NC.
Dixie State’s streak of five-straight regional appearances is currently the longest active streak in the region, while the No. 2-seed designation is tied for the highest seed in program history. DSU was awarded the No. 2 seed in its first regional appearance in 2012, while it was the No. 3 seed in 2013, the No. 5 seed in 2014, and the No. 4 seed last season. Overall, Dixie State is 5-8 in 13 postseason games, including a 3-2 mark in its debut season in 2012 when the program came within one win of advancing to the NCAA D-II World Series.
DSU broke a school record for wins in 2016 as the Trailblazers finished the regular season with a 38-12 overall record, which included a 26-10 mark and a runner-up finish in PacWest play behind CBU. For more Dixie State baseball and NCAA West Regional information, please visit www.dixieathletics.com.
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