Regular season and tournament champion Southern Miss headlines Conference USA's four NCAA teams that will begin regional play on Friday. USM will host the Hattiesburg Regional and open against Southern University. Tulane will play UNC Wilmington in Baton Rouge, La., Houston faces Alabama in College Station, Texas and East Carolina will battle South Carolina in Atlanta. Only the SEC (8), ACC (5) and Big 12 (5) had more bids than C-USA.


NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP

HATTIESBURG REGIONAL (Fri, May 30-Sun., June 1)
Fri., May 30
(3) Southern U. at (2) Southern Miss 3:00p
(Others in regional: (1) Baylor, (4) Murray State)

ATLANTA REGIONAL (Fri, May 30-Sun., June 1)
Fri., May 30
(3) East Carolina vs. (2) South Carolina 2:00p
(Others in regional: (1) Georgia Tech, (4) Stetson)

BATON ROUGE REGIONAL (Fri, May 30-Sun., June 1)
Fri., May 30
(3) UNC Wilmington vs. (2) Tulane 7:00p
(Others in regional: (1) LSU, (4) Northeastern)

COLLEGE STATION REGIONAL (Fri, May 30-Sun., June 1)
Fri., May 30
(3) Houston vs. (2) Alabama 2:00p
(Others in regional: (1) Texas A&M, (4) Oral Roberts)

All Times Central


CONFERENCE USA SENDS FOUR TEAMS TO THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
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. 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.


C-USA's NCAA RESULTS
(SINCE 1997)
2002
Austin Super Regional (Austin, Texas)
Sun., June 9
Texas 5, Houston 2
Sat., June 8
Texas 17, Houston 2
Fri., June 7
Houston 2, Texas 0
Atlanta Regional (Atlanta, Ga.)
Sat., June 1
(4) Coastal Carolina 9, Louisville 1
Fri., May 31
(2) Georgia 7, (3) Louisville 1
Baton Rouge, Regional (Baton Rouge, La.)
Fri., May 31
(2) Louisiana-Lafayette 6, (3) Tulane 3
Sat., June 1
Tulane 10, (4) Southern 2
(1) LSU 4, LSU 2
Clemson Regional (Clemson, S.C.)
Sun., June 2
Clemson 21, East Carolina 1
Sat., June 1
(1) Clemson 4, East Carolina 2
East Carolina 7, (4) Georgia Southern 3
Fri., May 31
(2) East Carolina 13, (3) Elon 7
Mesa Regional (Mesa, Ariz.)
Sun., June 2
Houston 7, Arizona State 3
Sat., June 1
Houston 8, (2) Arizona State 4
Fri., May 31
(1) Houston 9, (4) New Mexico State 0
Tallahassee Regional (Tallahassee, Fla.)
Sun., June 2
(1) Florida State 13, South Florida 6
Sat., June 1
South Florida 14, (4) Stetson 13
South Florida 7, Central Florida 2
Fri., May 31
(2) Central Florida 6, (3) South Florida 1

2001
College World Series (Omaha, Neb.)
Tuesday, June 12
(4) Cal St. Fullerton 11, (5) Tulane 2
Sunday, June 10
(5) Tulane 6, (3) Nebraska 5
Friday, June 8
(4) Stanford 13, (5) Tulane 11
New Orleans Super Regional (Metairie, Louisiana)
Friday, June 1
(9) Louisiana State 4, (5) Tulane 3 (13 innings)
Saturday, June 2
(5) Tulane 9, (9) Louisiana State 4
Sunday, June 3
(5) Tulane 7, (9) Louisiana State 1
New Orleans Regional (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Friday, May 25
(5) Tulane 22, Southern 9
Saturday, May 26
(5) Tulane 13, Oklahoma State 10
Sunday, May 27
(5) Tulane 9, Oklahoma State 8
Houston Regional (Houston, Texas)
Friday, May 26
(25) Baylor 7, Houston 1
Saturday, May 26
Texas-Arlington 7, Houston 6
Wilson Regional (Wilson, North Carolina)
Friday, May 25
South Florida 7, Winthrop 2
Saturday, May 26
(10) East Carolina 12, South Florida 8
Sunday, May 27
Winthrop 6, South Florida 1

2000
Houston Super Regional (Houston, Texas)
Fri., June 2
San Jose State 5, Houston 3
Sat., June 3
Houston 5, San Jose State 2 (14 innings)
Sun., June 4
San Jose State 3, Houston 2
Houston Regional (Houston, Texas)
Friday, May 26
(1) Houston 7, (4) Princeton 6
Saturday, May 27
(1) Houston 5, (2) Rice 2
Sunday, May 28
(2) Rice 5, (1) Houston 4
(1) Houston 9, (2) Rice 5
Starkville Regional (Starkville, Mississippi)
Friday, May 26
(3) Notre Dame 8, (2) Tulane 4
Saturday May 27
(2) Tulane 4, (4) South Alabama 3
(3) Notre Dame 10, (2) Tulane 6

1999
Houston Regional (Houston, Texas)
Friday, May 28
(1) Houston 6, Southwest Texas State 4
Saturday, May 29
(2) Southwestern Louisiana 5, Houston 3
Houston 8, Texas 5
Sunday, May 30
Southwestern Louisiana 19, Houston 8
Auburn Regional (Auburn, Ala.)
Friday, May 28
(4) Winthrop 8, (1) Tulane 7 (11 inn.)
Saturday, May 29
Tulane 11, (3) North Carolina State 5
Tulane 15, (4) Winthrop 8
Sunday, May 30
Tulane 7, (1) Auburn 5
Auburn 13, Tulane 9
Tuscaloosa Regional (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Friday, May 28
(3) Southern Miss 20, (2) South Alabama 13
Saturday, May 29
(1) Alabama 10, Southern Miss 4
Southern Miss 10, South Alabama 9
Sunday, May 30
(1) Alabama 7, Southern Miss 6

1998
South II Regional (Baton Rouge, La.)
Thursday, May 21
(3) Tulane 11, (4) Southwestern Louisiana 5
Friday, May 22
Cal. State Fullerton 10, Tulane 6
Saturday, May 23
Harvard 14, Tulane 11
Central Regional (College Station, Texas)
Thursday, May 21
(2) Texas A&M 17, (5) Charlotte 0
Friday, May 22
(6) Oral Roberts 20, Charlotte 13

1997
East Region (Tallahassee, Fla.)
Thursday, May 22
(4) South Florida 5, (3) Central Florida 4
Friday, May 23
(2) Auburn 9, South Florida 0
Saturday, May 24
South Florida 9, (5) Western Carolina 4
(1) Florida State 6, South Florida 5
South I Region (Baton Rouge, La.)
Thursday, May 22
(2) South Alabama 12, (5) Houston 6
Friday, May 23
(6) UNC Greensboro 9, Houston 5


SOUTHERN MISS WINS C-USA TOURNAMENT
Marc Maddox's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth inning proved to be the winning run as Southern Miss defeated Tulane, 7-5, to win its first-ever Conference USA Tournament championship. With the win, the Golden Eagles become the fourth team in C-USA's eight years to win both the regular season and the tournament titles in the same year.

The victory earned head Coach Corky Palmer's team its first-ever Conference USA tournament title, and while the game was in progress, the Golden Eagles learned that they would host an NCAA Regional Tournament for the first time ever.

Southern Miss (45-14) jumped ahead 2-0 in the bottom of the second inning, only to see Tulane (43-17) come back to take the lead with three runs in the top of the third frame. The Eagles tied the score in the fifth, Tulane got a single run in the sixth to move back into the lead, 4-3. The lead continued to seesaw as Southern Miss went back in front with two runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Tulane tied it again with a single run in the seventh, and the Golden Eagles then proceeded to score what may have been their two biggest runs of the season, in the bottom of the eighth. Jarrett Hoffpauir opened the inning by reaching base when he was hit by a pitch. Jason Lowery singled through the left side, and Matt Shepherd was walked to load the bases. Mark Maddox flew out to center, plating Hoffpauir and Cook singled up the middle to score Lowery for the second run of the inning, giving the Golden Eagles a two-run advantage.

Austin Tubb, in his second inning of relief, gave up a single to Brian Bormaster to lead off the ninth inning. He then struck out Jon Kaplan, before forcing Tony Giarratano to fly out to left for the second out. Michael Aubrey, Conference USA Player of the Year, flew out to deep center field to end the game and give Southern Miss the Coneference USA Championship.

Southern Miss finished with two hits, including two each by Maddox, King and Lowery, one of King's was his 22nd home run of the season. Five Southern Miss pitchers limited Tulane to 10 hits, including two extra base hits, both home runs.

Tubb (3-1) earned his third win of the season, pitching the final 1.2 innings, giving up only one hit. The fourth and final Tulane pitcher of the game, Joey Charron, who threw one inning, took the loss, dropping to 3-7.

This marks the first outright tournament championship for Southern Miss, as the Eagles tied Florida State for the Metro Conference Championship in 1991.

2003 C-USA TOURNAMENT NOTEBOOK
Southern Miss becomes the fourth different school to win the Conference USA Tournament, joining Tulane (4), Houston (2) and East Carolina.

This is the fourth time that the regular season C-USA Champion has also won the conference tournament. Tulane won both titles in 1998 and 2001 and Houston won both in 2000.

When Southern Miss scored two runs in the bottom of the second inning and eventually won, it meant that in 12 of the 13 games of this tournament the team that scored first went on to win the game. The only exception was when Houston scored first on Southern Miss, only to lose, 7-2.

Tournament Most Valuable Player Clint King hit a solo home run in the fifth inning of the championship game, giving him a league-high 22 for the season. King hit .400 (6-for-15) in the tournament with two doubles, two home runs and six RBI.

Southern Miss led all tournament teams in hitting (.361, 34 points ahead of South Florida at .327) and pitching (2.12 ERA).

All four schools that reached the semifinal round of the tournament finished with team ERA's of 2.75 or lower. In addition to USM's top 2.12 mark, East Carolina had a 2.27, Tulane recorded a 2.57 and Louisville posted a 2.75.

Sunday's championship game was played in front of 3,569 fans, the third-largest crowd in Turchin Stadium history. He tournament drew 13,511 fans over five days.

2003 ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
C Brian Bormaster, Tulane
IF Darryl Lawhorn, East Carolina
IF J.T. LaFountain, Louisville
IF Beau Griffin, Southern Miss
IF Tommy Manzella, Tulane
OF Jeff Cook, Southern Miss
OF Clint King, Southern Miss
OF Jason Lowery, Southern Miss
DH Allen Shirley, South Florida
P Jason Tourangeau, East Carolina
P Billy Mohl, Tulane

Tournament MVP: Clint King, Southern Miss


C-USA NOTEBOOK

CHARLOTTE
Junior RHP ZACHARY TREADWAY posted a team-high eight wins and also led the staff in innings pitched (100 2/3) and strikeouts (89). He tossed four complete games and tied for the league lead with seven wins in Conference USA play. Senior 2B GEORGE SANDEL was named second team All-Conference USA for the third straight season. He batted .423 in league play, second among all C-USA players, and his .350 overall mark topped all 49ers players. Sandel tied for the team lead in stolen bases (19) and added 11 doubles. Charlotte lost a total of four Conference USA games due to inclement weather, matching the 1996 Cincinnati team for the most league games lost in a season.

CINCINNATI
Senior RHP B.J. BORSA, who set a new Conference USA career record for complete games with 13, closes out his career tied for the all-time UC record for victories with 19. He also holds the school's all-time marks for starts (59) and innings pitched (363). Borsa is among seven seniors that will depart UC. Freshman 2B DREW SAYLOR closed the year on a nine-game hitting streak. He was one of three freshman infield starters this season, joining SS MARK MUSCENTI and 1B JON DeLUCA. Due to the renovation of its on-campus facility, the Bearcats only hosted conference games in Cincinnati this season, playing 39 road games.

EAST CAROLINA
The Pirates will be making their fifth consecutive NCAA appearance and 19th overall when they participate in the Atlanta Regional. East Carolina will face South Carolina in the first game on Friday. Senior RHP JASON TOURANGEAU was named to the C-USA All-Tournament following his brilliant performance in a shutout win over Houston. After having pitched just 14 innings all season, he threw a complete-game, one-hitter to eliminate the Cougars. Sophomore 1B RYAN NORWOOD and sophomore SS DARRYL LAWHORN are tied for the team lead in home runs with 13. With 32 home runs in his first two seasons, Lawhorn in already ranked seventh on ECU's career home run list. Catcher JAKE SMITH leads all C-USA freshmen with 10 home runs. He is batting .301 with 10 doubles and 26 RBI in 43 games. The ECU pitching staff has recorded 460 strikeouts this season to break the school record of 454 set by last year's team. Senior RHP GLENN TUCKER has a staff-high 80 strikeouts with just 15 walks over 81 innings pitched. With 16 saves in his first two seasons (nine this year), sophomore RHP GREG BUNN trails only Chad Scott (23 from 1999-00) on the school's career saves list. With a 33-25-1 record, ECU has won at least 30 games for the sixth consecutive season.

HOUSTON
The Cougars will be making an NCAA appearance for the fifth straight season and 16th time overall. Houston will participate in the College Station Regional and open play against Alabama, a team that it defeated back on Feb. 15 at the Astros College Classic in Houston. Junior 3B HYUNG CHO is trying to become the ninth player in UH history to lead the team in the three triple-crown categories. The first team all-C-USA selection is batting .362 with 13 homers and 58 RBI. Sophomore RHP RYAN WAGNER has a school-record 13 saves this season and his 130 strikeouts (in just 69 2/3 innings) rank third on UH's all-time strikeout list . Junior RHP BRAD SULLIVAN, the school's all-time strikeout leader with 404, registered 11 or more strikeouts in eight of his 10 conference starts and has 14 career games with at least 10 K's. With a team-high 20 stolen bases in 41 games, junior OF MICHAEL BOURN now has 87 career thefts, seven shy of the school record of 94, held by Brandon Caraway (1997-00).

LOUISVILLE
Louisville reached the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament for the first time since 1998. Junior SS J.T. LaFOUNTAIN earned All-Tournament honors after hitting two home runs, a double and driving in five runs. Senior RHP CARLOS FERNANDEZ set new single-season U of L records for appearances with 32 and saves with 12. Freshman 2B ADAM HALEY hit .545 (6-for-11) last week with four walks and three runs scored. Junior RF MARK JURICH missed 25 games due to a broken wrist, but came back to hit .285 with 11 doubles, five home runs and 33 RBI. In Conference USA games only, junior C RON BRAUN led the league in batting (.444) and on-base percentage (.522). With 17 victories in his first two seasons at U of L, sophomore LHP ZACH JACKSON is already tied for third on the school's all-time win list.

MEMPHIS
Sophomore DH RYAN MARTIN was named second team All-Conference USA after leading the Tigers with a .338 slugging percentage, a 390 on-base percentage and a .564 slugging percentage. He tied for the team lead in home runs with seven and had 19 RBI. Righthander STEPHEN GOSTKOWSKI was named to the all-Freshman team after posting a 3.99 ERA with four wins in 17 appearances. Junior RHP JARRETT GRUBE won his last four C-USA starts, including a 2-1 win at USF on May 15. Grube allowed just one run in his last 27 2/3 innings of work. Centerfielder KEVIN HOUSE closed out the season with a 17-game hitting streak, including 13 in C-USA play. The Tigers played their best baseball down the stretch, winning 7 of 10 games in May, including their only C-USA sweep (vs. Saint Louis) and their first-ever series win vs. Houston.

SAINT LOUIS
In just two seasons as a Billiken, senior RHP COREY LAWSON finished his career ranked ninth at SLU in wins (11) and fourth in complete games (14). This season, he also showed his batting prowess, leading the Billikens in batting (.317), doubles (14), RBI (39) and tying for the team lead in home runs (8). Junior 3B DON ROGERS closed out his first season at SLU with a .316 average, 10 doubles, eight home runs and 27 RBI. Outfielder JOHNNY SWEENEY was the only freshman to start for SLU in 2003, opening up in 38 games and batting .276 with 16 RBI.

SOUTH FLORIDA
USF played 20 of its 58 games (34 percent) against teams that advanced to the NCAA Championship. The Bulls were 6-14 against the field but five of the losses were in extra innings including losses on the road at Miami and Florida. Sophomore C DEVIN IVANY led USF in hitting with a career-high .362 average and tied for the team RBI lead with 46 while he was second with a .402 on-base percentage and second with 81 hits. Three Bulls rank among USF's career Top 11 career batting leaders including sophomore 3B JEFF BAISLEY No. 3 at .357, Ivany No. 10 at .341 and junior SS MYRON LESLIE No. 11 at .339. Senior RHP DAVID AUSTEN became the fourth USF hurler to win 11 games in a season. He ended the year No. 5 on the USF single-season strikeout list with 106 and tied at No. 10 on the innings pitched list with 114 2/3. Junior RHP JOEY LIVINGSTON will take a school-record 111 career appearances - all in relief - into his senior season. He is fourth on the career saves list with 21 and is eight from setting the record.

SOUTHERN MISS
The Golden Eagles became the fourth Conference USA team to win both the regular season and tournament championships in the same season. Southern Miss is the third C-USA school in the last four years to be awarded an NCAA Regional. The Golden Eagles were in first place from wire-to-wire in capturing their first Conference USA regular season championship. The 23 league wins are the most in C-USA history and the 45 overall wins are a new USM regular season record (42 was the school record). The Eagles also became the first C-USA team to win nine league series' in a season. USM's outfield duo of sophomore OF CLINT KING and senior OF JEFF COOK are being referred to as "Smash and Bash." King (Smash) is batting .397 with 21 doubles, a league-high 22 home runs and 71 RBI. Cook (Bash) is htting at a .378 clip with 14 doubles, 21 homers and 70 RBI. Both players were named first team All-Conference USA and they are the first league teammates to each hit 20 home runs in a season since 1999. Junior RHP AUSTIN TUBB, who picked up a win and two saves in the conference tournament, is 3-1 with a 0.92 ERA and 10 saves for the season. Southern Miss has hit 81 home runs in 2003, the third-highest total in school history. USM is 33-1 when leading after the sixth inning.

TCU
The Horned Frogs finished the 2003 season with a record of 35-22, their highest win total since the 1994 team posted a 38-22 mark. TCU finished in second place in Conference USA with a 22-8 league record. The 22 wins are the most ever by a TCU team in conference play and the second place finish is its highest since 1999. The Frogs set nine school and conference records in a 30-2 win over Louisville on May 16. Included were school records for runs, hits (35) and margin of victory (28). TCU scored 27 runs of the 30 runs between the fourth and sixth innings, sending 42 batters to the plate over that span, scoring seven in the fourth and 10 runs in both the fifth and sixth innings. Junior RHP CLAYTON JEROME became the first TCU player to earn conference Pitcher of the Year honors. Jerome was 9-4 with a 2.34 ERA and 106 strikeouts with just 25 walks. The Frogs have won 15 of their first 20 series as members of Conference USA.

TULANE
The Green Wave won two-of-three from East Carolina to finish the regular season 40-16. The 40 wins marked the seventh time in 10 seasons under head coach RICK JONES that Tulane has won at least 40 games. Junior 1B MICHAEL AUBREY, a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award and a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and the Smith Award, enters the Conference USA Tournament batting .433 (eight points off the league record) with 16 home runs and 76 RBI. He set a Tulane record on Saturday by walking four times, including three intentional passes. Senior CF JONNY KAPLAN has stolen 45 bases this season, fourth-best in C-USA history. Freshman pitchers have combined for 27 of the Wave's 39 wins. Southpaw J.R. CROWEL leads the group of seven rookie hurlers with a 7-0 mark and a 3.24 ERA with a team-best 65 strikeouts. Tulane brings a 30-2 record at Turchin Stadium this season into the C-USA Tournament.

UAB
Senior LF MITCH JONES finished his career third on UAB's all-time career list and ninth in C-USA history in stolen bases with 72. He ranks third in UAB history in at bats (784), fifth in hits (220), sixth in total bases (334) and runs scored (138) and is tied for sixth in home runs (24). Senior RHP LUCAS TROTTER became the UAB single season strikeout leader by recording 98 K's in his only season with the Blazers. Senior RF KYLE LEON's 14 home runs this season placed him eighth on UAB's single season list and senior pitcher CODY CILLO'S 87 strikeouts this season put him at fifth. Five of the Blazers every-day players finished the season with a .304 or better batting average this season. The Blazers 27-26 final record gave UAB its first winning season since 1998.


THE POLLS
Baseball America (May 26)
1. Florida State (50-10-1)
2. Rice (48-10)
3. Cal State Fullerton (43-13)
4. Stanford (41-15)
5. Arizona State (50-12)
6. Texas (43-17)
7. Georgia Tech (44-16)
8. Long Beach State (38-18)
9. Louisiana State (40-19-1)
10. Nebraska (44-16)
11. Texas A&M (43-17)
12. SOUTHERN MISS (45-14)
13. Auburn (40-19)
14. North Carolina State (42-16)
15. UNLV (45-15)
16. Miami (Fla.) (39-14-1)
17. Florida Atlantic (46-14)
18. Baylor (41-21)
19. Virginia Commonwealth (45-11)
20. Mississippi State (40-18-1)
21. South Carolina (39-20)
22. Cal Riverside (40-15)
23. Washington (40-16)
24. Alabama (37-22)
25. Arizona (35-21)


Collegiate Baseball (May 26)
1. Rice (48-10)
2. Florida State (50-10-1)
3. Stanford (41-15)
4. Arizona State (50-12)
5. Cal State Fullerton (43-13)
6. Long Beach State (38-18)
7. Louisiana State (40-19-1)
8. Texas (43-17)
9. Nebraska (44-16)
10. Georgia Tech (44-16)
11. Texas A&M (43-17)
12. North Carolina State (42-16)
13. Miami (Fla.) (39-14-1)
14. Florida Atlantic (46-14)
15. South Carolina (39-20)
16. Auburn (40-19)
17. Richmond (46-13)
18. Mississippi State (40-18-1)
19. SOUTHERN MISS (45-14)
20. UNLV (45-15)
21. Baylor (41-21)
22. Lamar (37-16)
23. TULANE (43-17)
24. Washington (40-16)
25. Arizona (35-21)
26. Notre Dame (43-16)
27. Clemson (38-20)
28. South Alabama (40-17)
29. Southern (46-5)
30. Cal Riverside (40-15)


Sports Weekly/ESPN (May 26)
1. Florida State (50-10-1)
2. Rice (48-10)
3. Cal State Fullerton (43-13)
4. Arizona State (50-12)
5. Stanford (41-15)
6. Texas (43-17)
7. Georgia Tech (44-16)
8. Long Beach State (38-18)
9. Nebraska (44-16)
10. Texas A&M (43-17)
11. Louisiana State (40-19-1)
12. North Carolina State (42-16)
13. Auburn (40-19)
14. Miami (Fla.) (39-14-1)
15. Baylor (41-21)
16. Mississippi State (40-18-1)
17. SOUTHERN MISS (45-14)
18. Richmond (46-13)
19. Florida Atlantic (46-14)
20. UNLV (45-15)
21. Clemson (38-20)
22. TULANE (43-17)
23. Alabama (37-22)
24. South Carolina (39-20)
25. Notre Dame (43-16)


NCBWA (May 26)
1. Rice (48-10)
2. Florida State (50-10-1)
3. Arizona State (50-12)
4. Stanford (41-15)
5. Cal State Fullerton (43-13)
6. Texas (43-17)
7. Long Beach State (38-18)
8. Nebraska (44-16)
9. Louisiana State (40-19-1)
10. Georgia Tech (44-16)
11. Texas A&M (43-17)
12. North Carolina State (42-16)
13. Florida Atlantic (46-14)
14. Baylor (41-21)
15. Auburn (40-19)
16. SOUTHERN MISS (45-14)
17. Richmond (46-13)
18. Miami (Fla.) (39-14-1)
19. Notre Dame (43-16)
20. South Carolina (39-20)
21. Mississippi State (40-18-1)
22. TULANE (43-17)
23. UNLV (45-15)
24. Lamar (37-16)
25. Washington (40-16)
26. South Alabama (40-17)
27. Cal Riverside (40-15)
28. Southern (46-5)
29. TCU (35-22)
30. Virginia Commonwealth (41-11)
31. Ohio State (41-19)
32. Alabama (37-22)
33. Clemson (38-20)
34. Arizona (35-21)
35. New Mexico State (42-16)

WINNING BIG
With a Conference USA-best record of 45-14 this season, Southern Miss has posted its fourth 40-win season in school history (42 in 1990 and 1991 and 40 in 1999). USM became the sixth C-USA school to reach the 40-win plateau since the league's first season in 1996. Charlotte (1998), East Carolina (2002), Houston (2002, 2000, 1999, 1997), South Florida (1996) and Tulane (2001, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996) are the others that reach 40 or more wins. Tulane holds the league record with 56 wins during its 2001 College World Series season.

USF'S IVANY NAMED AS A FINALIST FOR THE JOHNNY BENCH AWARD
South Florida's Devin Ivany has been named as one of 10 finalists for the 2003 Johnny Bench Award, given to the nation's top catcher. Ivany led USF in batting this season at .362, while hitting 18 doubles, four home runs and 46 RBI. For more information on the award and the entire list of candidates, go to www.wichitasports.com.


2003 C-USA AWARDS
Below are the 2003 All-Conference USA awards, as voted on by a panel that includes each head coach, the Baseball SID at each school and one media representative in each league city.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Michael Aubrey, Tulane

PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Clayton Jerome, TCU

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
J.R. Crowel, Tulane

KEITH LECLAIR COACH OF THE YEAR
Corky Palmer, Southern Miss

FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
IF Michael Aubrey Tulane
IF Hyung Cho Houston
IF Tony Giarratano Tulane
IF Mike Settle TCU
OF Jeff Cook Southern Miss
OF Jonny Kaplan Tulane
OF Clint King Southern Miss
C Devin Ivany South Florida
DH Chris Neuman TCU
P Clayton Jerome TCU
P Brad Sullivan Houston

SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
IF Jeff Baisley South Florida
IF Darryl Lawhorn East Carolina
IF Myron Leslie South Florida
IF George Sandel Charlotte
OF Josh Bolen Louisville
OF Jake Duncan TCU
OF Kyle Leon UAB
C Brad Willcutt Southern Miss
DH Ryan Martin Memphis
P David Austen South Florida
P Bob McCrory Southern Miss
P Ryan Wagner Houston


ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Brian Bogusevic, OF/P, Tulane
J.R. Crowel, LHP, Tulane
Matt Farrington, OF, Houston
Stephen Gostkowski, RHP, Memphis
Nick Haley, 2B, Louisville
Marc Maddox, 1B, Southern Miss
Mark Minicozzi, 3B, East Carolina
Billy Mohl, RHP, Tulane
Jake Smith, C, East Carolina
Travis Tully, OF, Houston
Boomer Whiting, IF, Louisville