EIGHT REGIONS ASSIGNED TEAMS FOR NCAA BASEBALL TOURNAMENT

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- Defending champion LSU emerged from the powerful Southeastern Conference as a top seed Monday as play begins toward the College World Series.

The Tigers will be trying for their third straight college title, something that has not been done since Southern Cal won five in a row from 1970-74.

LSU (42-17), one of seven SEC teams in the tournament, opens Thursday against Nicholls State (28-32), the only team with a losing record in the tournament. Nicholls State is in the tournament by virtue of winning the Southland Conference title.

Stanford, which enters the tournament on a four-game losing streak that cost it the Pac-10 title, is the top seed in the West. The Cardinal (41-12-1) is at home against Loyola-Marymount (33-21-1).

Stanford lost its last two regular season games to USC before being swept in two games in the Pac-10 playoff with Washington (39-15), which got the conference's automatic bid.

LSU is backed by a power-hitting lineup that includes 24 home runs from Eddy Furniss and 21 homers from Brad Cresse.

Other top seeds were Miami (46-9), Atlantic I; Florida State (49-18), Atlantic II; Rice (45-15), Central; Southern Cal (40-15), East; Wichita State (55-5), Midwest; Florida (42-15), South I.

The winners of the eight regionals advance to College World Series in Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb. May. 29-June 6. The series has become a crowd-happy event as well as representing an achievement for the athletes.

The regionals, as well as the series, are double elimination.

Conference champions won 19 automatic berths. Ten leagues played in for five other spots. The NCAA Baseball Committee picked the other at-large teams.

A major consideration in the at-large selections was records in non-conference play, said Ron Wellman, athletic director at Wake Forest and chairman of the baseball committee.

"We have encouraged teams to play difficult non-conference schedules," Wellman said. "We have rewarded those teams who have gone out and done so, and done so successfully."

LSU, for example, was made a top seed despite a 12-9 road record because it played a top 10 non-conference schedule and was 17-4 in those games, Wellman said.

Wellman continued his push for the NCAA to expand the field from 48 teams to 64 teams.

"We could do some very attractive things with a 64-team bracket," Wellman said.

Monmouth, N.J. and Southeast Missouri State are making their first appearances in the postseason.

Miami is in the tournament for the 26th straight year, extending its own record.

Bowling Green, the Mid-American Conference champion, made the tournament for the first time since 1972.

The Atlantic Coast had six teams in the tournament and the Big 12 put five teams in.

No. 1 seeds

LSU (42-17)

Stanford (41-12-1)

Miami (46-9)

Florida State (49-18)

Rice (45-15)

Southern Cal (40-15)

Wichita State (55-5)

Florida (42-15)