Conference USA has received four bids to the 2003 NCAA Baseball Championship, as announced by the Division I baseball committee on Monday. Southern Miss will host the Hattiesburg Regional as the No. 2 seed, while Tulane will be the No. 2 seed at the Baton Rouge Regional, Houston will play up the road in College Station as the No. 3 seed and East Carolina will travel to Atlanta as the No. 3 seed. Game times will be released on Tuesday. Only the SEC (8), ACC (5) and Big 12 (5) had more selections than C-USA.

Southern Miss (45-14) followed up its first-ever Conference USA regular season championship by winning the conference tournament this past weekend in New Orleans. The Golden Eagles will be hosting a regional for the first time in school history and will face Southwestern Athletic Conference Champion Southern (46-5) in its first game on Friday. Southern Miss will then play either No. 1 seed Baylor (41-21), an at-large selection from the Big 12 Conference, or No. 4 seed Murray State (25-29), which won the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament to earn its first bid since 1979, in the next round.

Tulane (43-17) will making its sixth consecutive NCAA appearance and will participate in the Baton Rouge regional for the second straight year. The second-seed Green Wave will face UNC-Wilmington (38-21), a first-time selection out of the Colonial Athletic Association. UNCW is the alma mater of Tulane head coach Rick Jones. No. 1 seed LSU (40-19-1) will be hosting a regional for the 14th consecutive year and will open play against America East Conference champion Northeastern (27-23).

Houston (32-27) is in the NCAA Championship for the fifth consecutive season and will face SEC Tournament champion Alabama (37-22), the No. 2 seed, in opening round play on Friday. The Cougars defeated the Crimson Tide earlier this season, 7-2, at the Astros College Classic on Feb. 15. Top-seeded Texas A&M (43-17), out of the Big 12 Conference, will face Mid-Continent Conference champion Oral Roberts (41-18) in the other matchup on Friday.

East Carolina (35-22-1) received an NCAA bid for the fifth straight year and will open play on Friday against South Carolina (39-20) of the SEC in Atlanta. Georgia Tech (44-16), the host school and No. 3 national seed, will square off against Stetson (39-22), an at-large selection from the Atlantic Sun Conference.

All three regionals will be held between Friday, May 30 and Sunday, June 1. Winners will advance to two-team super-regionals, which will be played June 6-8 at sites to be determined. The 54th College World Series will take place June 13-23 at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb.

The four bids to the 2003 NCAA Championship gives Conference USA 23 NCAA appearances in its first eight seasons. Three times a C-USA team has advanced to a Super Regional and once a team has reached the College World Series.

Conference USA in the 2003 NCAA Championship

Hattiesburg Regional
Friday, May 30
No. 1 Baylor (41-21) vs. No. 4 Murray State (25-29)
No. 2 Southern Miss (45-14) vs. No. 3 Southern (46-5)

Baton Rouge Regional
Friday, May 30
No. 1 LSU (40-19-1) vs. No. 4 Northeastern (27-23)
No. 2 Tulane (43-17) vs. No. 3 UNC-Wilmington (38-21)

College Station Regional
Friday, May 30
No. 1 Texas A&M (43-17) vs. No. 4 Oral Roberts (41-18)
No. 2 Alabama (37-22) vs. No. 3 Houston (32-27)

Atlanta Regional
Friday, May 30
No. 1 Georgia Tech (44-16) vs. No. 4 Stetson (39-22)
No. 2 South Carolina (39-20) vs. No. 3 East Carolina (33-25-1)