Houston has advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals for the third time in four years. The Cougars will face No. 1-ranked Rice, a team that it faced five times during the regular season. All games in the best-of-three series will be nationally-televised by ESPN.


HOUSTON ADVANCES TO SUPER REGIONAL

Houston has advanced to the NCAA Super Regional for third time in four years after pulling out back-to-back, come-from-behind 7-6 victories over Texas A&M at the College Station Regional. The Cougars will face a very familiar opponent in the Super Regional, traveling across town to play Rice, a team that it faced five times during the regular season.

UH battled from behind in the second game, erasing a 6-2 deficit by scoring twice in the bottom of the eighth and twice in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra innings. Then, in the 10th, after making a pair of outs the Cougars drew back to back walks. Brian Martin would score the winning run on a two-base throwing error by A&M pitcher Matt Farnum.

UH forced a second championship game by defeating Texas A&M, 7-6, in the first game of the day. Hyung Cho's two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh proved to be the difference.

HOUSTON SUPER REGIONAL
(Sat, June 7-Mon., June 9)
Sat., June 7
Houston at (1) Rice (ESPN Grand Slam) 6:05p

Sun., June 8
Houston at (1) Rice (ESPN 2) 2:05p

Mon., June 9
Houston at (1) Rice (if necessary-ESPN) 12:05p




ALL-REGIONAL HONORS
The following Conference USA players wwere named to the All-Tournament teams at last week's NCAA Regionals.

ATLANTA REGIONAL
OF Ben Sanderson, East Carolina
P Glenn Tucker, East Carolina

BATON ROUGE REGIONAL
SS Tony Giarratano, Tulane

COLLEGE STATION REGIONAL
1B Cole Bruce, Houston
3B Hyung Cho, Houston
OF Michael Bourn, Houston
P Ryan Wagner, Houston
MVP: Cole Bruce, Houston

HATTIESBURG REGIONAL
C Brad Willcutt, Southern Miss
OF Jeff Cook, Southern Miss
OF Clint King, Southern Miss
DH Griff Israel, Southern Miss
P Cliff Russum, Southern Miss


C-USA's NCAA SUPER REGIONAL RESULTS
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

2001
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

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


ALL-AMERICAN HONORS
Several Conference USA players have earned All-American accolades. Below is a list of those honored (as of June 4, 2003).

USA TODAY/SPORTS WEEKLY
FIRST TEAM
RHP Ryan Wagner So. Houston
OF Jeff Cook Sr. Southern Miss
OF Clint King So. Southern Miss
SECOND TEAM
1B Michael Aubrey Jr. Tulane

COLLEGIATE BASEBALL
FIRST TEAM
RHP Ryan Wagner So. Houston
SECOND TEAM
1B Michael Aubrey Jr. Tulane
THIRD TEAM
RHP Clayton Jerome Jr. TCU
OF Jeff Cook Sr. Southern Miss
OF Clint King So. Southern Miss

C-USA DRAFTEES
A total of 27 players were selected in the 2003 major league baseball draft, which concluded on June 4. Included were three first round choices for the first time in league history. Conference USA and the Pac-10 were the only conferences that produced three first round picks. Tulane first baseman Michael Aubrey was selected by the Cleveland Indians with the 11th pick, Houston reliever Ryan Wagner was chosen by the Cincinnati Reds with the 14th selection and Houston righthander Brad Sullivan was taken by the Oakland A's with the 25th choice.

Rd. Player Pos. School MLB Team
1 Michael Aubrey 1B Tulane Cleveland Indians
1 Ryan Wagner RHP Houston Cincinnati Reds
1 Brad Sullivan RHP Houston Oakland A's
3 Tony Giarratano SS Tulane Detroit Tigers
3 Clint King OF Southern Miss Chicago White Sox
4 Bob McCrory RHP Southern Miss Baltimore Orioles
4 Michael Bourn OF Houston Philadelphia Phillies
5 Danny Zell LHP Houston Detroit Tigers
5 Jeff Cook OF Southern Miss Arizona Diamondbacks
7 Brian Henderson RHP Houston Tampa Bay Devil Rays
10 Jake Duncan OF TCU Baltimore Orioles
11 Myron Leslie 3B South Florida Philadelphia Phillies
11 Glenn Tucker RHP East Carolina Atlanta Braves
12 Jonny Kaplan OF Tulane Arizona Diamondbacks
13 Mark Jurich OF Louisville Atlanta Braves
15 David Austen RHP South Florida Anaheim Angels
17 Kevin House CF Memphis St. Louis Cardinals
19 Jon Uhl RHP South Florida Minnesota Twins
22 Terry Trofholz OF TCU Milwaukee Brewers
23 Brett Cooley OF Houston Montreal Expos
24 Cory Hahn RHP Tulane Oakland A's
25 Mitch Jones OF UAB Tampa Bay Devil Rays
25 Justin Hatcher C TCU Texas Rangers
28 Davey Penny RHP East Carolina Boston Red Sox
30 Chris Osentowski RHP TCU Baltimore Orioles
32 Will Lewis IF TCU Milwaukee Brewers
46 Josh Bolen OF Louisville Tampa Bay Devil Rays

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 made their fifth consecutive NCAA appearance and 19th overall when they participated in the Atlanta Regional. East Carolina eliminated No. 3 national seed Georgia Tech on their home field before falling to Stetson. Sophomore SS DARRYL LAWHORN, who hit a grand slam in the victory over Georgia Tech, led the team in home runs with 14. With 33 home runs in his first two seasons, Lawhorn in already ranked seventh on ECU's career home run list. Catcher JAKE SMITH led all C-USA freshmen with 10 home runs. He batted .284 with 10 doubles and 26 RBI in 46 games. The ECU pitching staff recorded 480 strikeouts this season to break the school record of 454 set by last year's team. Senior RHP GLENN TUCKER had a staff-high 86 strikeouts with just 16 walks over 89 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 34-27-1 record, ECU won at least 30 games for the sixth consecutive season.

HOUSTON
The Cougars won the College Station Regional in dramatic fashion, twice coming from behind to post 7-6 victories over Texas A&M. Houston, which is making its fifth straight NCAA appearance, has advanced to a Super Regional for the third time in four years. 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 .359 with 14 homers and 64 RBI. Sophomore RHP RYAN WAGNER has a school-record 14 saves this season and his 138 strikeouts (in just 74 1/3 innings) rank third on UH's all-time strikeout list . Junior RHP BRAD SULLIVAN, the school's all-time strikeout leader with 407, 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 22 stolen bases in 46 games, junior OF MICHAEL BOURN now has 89 career thefts, five 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 was the third C-USA school in the last four years to host an NCAA Regional, drawing four of the 11 largest crowds in Pete Taylor Park history. 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 each tied the school record with 23 home runs this season. King batted ateam-high .394 with 23 doubles and 77 runs batted in, while Cook hit .374 with 15 doubles and 76 RBI. Both players were named first team All-All-Americans by USA Today/Sports Weekly. 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 made their sixth consecutive NCAA appearance, participating in the Baton Rouge Regional for the second straight year. Tulane finished the season with a record of 44-19, marking 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, batted .420 with 20 doubles, 18 home runs and 79 RBI. His .420 average was the fourth-highest in league history. Senior CF JONNY KAPLAN stole 48 bases this season, fourth-best in C-USA annals. Freshman pitchers combined for 30 of the Wave's 44 wins. Southpaw J.R. CROWEL, the Conference USA Freshman of the Year, led the group of seven rookie hurlers with a 8-1 mark and a 3.40 ERA with a team-best 73 strikeouts. Tulane posted a 33-3 record at Turchin Stadium this season.

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 (June 2)
1. Florida State (54-10-1)
2. Rice (51-10)
3. Cal State Fullerton (46-13)
4. Stanford (44-15)
5. Arizona State (53-12)
6. Texas (46-18)
7. Long Beach State (41-18)
8. Louisiana State (43-19-1)
9. North Carolina State (45-16)
10. Miami (Fla.) (42-15-1)
11. Baylor (44-21)
12. Nebraska (47-18)
13. Texas A&M (45-19)
14. South Carolina (42-20)
15. SOUTHERN MISS (47-16)
16. Georgia Tech (44-18)
17. Auburn (42-21)
18. North Carolina (42-21)
19. UNLV (47-17)
20. Ohio State (44-19)
21. SW Missouri State (38-24)
22. HOUSTON (36-28)
23. Florida Atlantic (46-14)
24. Mississippi State (42-20-1)
25. Washington (42-18)


Collegiate Baseball (June 2)
1. Rice (51-10)
2. Florida State (54-10-1)
3. Stanford (44-15)
4. Arizona State (53-12)
5. Cal State Fullerton (46-13)
6. Long Beach State (41-18)
7. Louisiana State (43-19-1)
8. Texas (46-18)
9. North Carolina State (45-16)
10. Miami (Fla.) (42-15-1)
11. South Carolina (42-20)
12. Baylor (44-21)
13. Georgia Tech (44-18)
14. SW Missouri State (38-24)
15. Nebraska (47-18)
16. Ohio State (44-19)
17. HOUSTON (36-28)
18. Texas A&M (45-19)
19. North Carolina (42-21)
20. Auburn (42-21)
21. Richmond (48-15)
22. Lamar (40-18)
23. Florida Atlantic (46-14)
24. Mississippi State (42-20-1)
25. SOUTHERN MISS (47-16)
26. UNLV (47-17)
27. Washington (42-18)
28. Notre Dame (45-18)
29. South Alabama (42-19)
30. Cal Riverside (41-17)


NCBWA (June 2)
1. Rice (51-10)
2. Arizona State (53-12)
3. Florida State (54-10-1)
4. Stanford (44-15)
5. Cal State Fullerton (46-13)
6. Texas (46-18)
7. Long Beach State (41-18)
8. Louisiana State (43-19-1)
9. North Carolina State (45-16)
10. Baylor (44-21)
11. Georgia Tech (44-18)
12. Nebraska (47-18)
13. Texas A&M (45-19)
14. Miami (Fla.) (42-15-1)
15. Auburn (42-21)
16. SOUTHERN MISS (47-16)
17. SW Missouri State (38-24)
18. Richmond (48-15)
19. HOUSTON (36-28)
20. South Carolina (42-20)
21. Ohio State (44-19)
22. Florida Atlantic (46-14)
23. Lamar (40-18)
24. Mississippi State (42-20-1)
25. TULANE (44-19)
26. UNLV (47-17)
27. Southern (46-7)
28. Washington (42-18)
29. Notre Dame (45-18)
30. South Alabama (42-19)
31. Cal Riverside (41-17)
32. TCU (35-22)
33. Wichita State (39-27)
34. Virginia Commonwealth (46-13)
35. Alabama (38-24)


RINGING 'EM UP
Houston's Brad Sullivan has posted the top two single-season strikeout totals in league history. With 152 strikeouts this season, he needs just five more to match his own record which he set last season. With 407 career strikeouts in three seasons, he is just the second player in league history to record 400 career K's. Sullivan needs three more strikeouts to become the league's all-time leader.

SINGLE-SEASON STRIKEOUT TOTALS157 Brad Sullivan, Houston 2002
152 Brad Sullivan, Houston 2003
144 John Maine, Charlotte 2001
138 John McKay, Charlotte 1998
136 Chad Harville, Memphis 1997
135 Jason Navarro, Tulane 1997

CAREER STRIKEOUT TOTALSK's Player, School Years G
409 John McKay, Charlotte 96-00 84
407 Brad Sullivan, Houston 01-03 52
388 Shane Nance, Houston 97-00 69
322 Ryan Baker, Charlotte 97-00 72
309 Craig House, Memphis 96-99 70
303 Jared Berkowitz, Tulane 97-00 70

WINNING BIG
With a Conference USA-best record of 46-17 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.

TULANE'S AUBREY NAMED A FINALIST FOR GOLDEN SPIKES AWARD
Tulane junior 1B Michael Aubrey has been named as one of five finalists for the 2003 Golden Spikes Award, given to college baseball's top player by USA Baseball. The other four finalists are Stanford junior OF Carlos Quentin, Wake Forest junior RHP Kyle Sleeth, Richmond junior RHP Tim Stauffer and Southern University junior IF/OF Rickie Weeks. The 2003 Golden Spikes Award winner will be announced on Tuesday, July 15, during the broadcast of the 26th Annual Golden Spikes Award show.

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

C-USA VS. RANKED FOES
This season, seven different schools have combined for 14 wins over ranked teams. Here's a look at those wins:

Feb. 22 Houston 7, (12) LSU 2
Feb. 22 TCU 2, (22) Texas Tech 1
Feb. 22 TCU 3, (22) Texas Tech 2
Mar. 5 Louisville 6, (22) Tennessee 1
Mar. 11 Tulane 5, (16) LSU 4
Mar. 19 Memphis 8, (9) Mississippi State 7 (10 innings)
Apr. 16 Houston 5, (1) Rice 1
Apr. 23 Southern Miss 5, (12) Mississippi State 2
Apr. 29 Tulane 9, (6) LSU 5
May 13 Houston 8, (9) Texas A&M 6
May 31 East Carolina 10, (7) Georgia Tech 3
May 31 Houston 16, (15) Alabama 8
June 1 Houston 7, (10) Texas A&M 6
June 1 Houston 7, (10) Texas A&M 6