In the wake of this week’s devastating storm in the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, the Big 12 Conference is postponing the start of the 2013 Big 12 Baseball Championship.

The championship, originally set to begin on Wed. at the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in a double-elimination tournament format will now begin on Thurs. and will utilize a pool play format.

"We debated canceling the tournament in deference to the devastating tragedy in Moore, but were encouraged by Oklahoma City leaders and the Oklahoma City All-Sports Association to go forward," said Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby. " We believe the tournament can serve as a testament to the strong Oklahoma spirit and to the resiliency of the Oklahoma people."

The Conference was encouraged to proceed with the championship by Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett.

"We are very appreciative of the consideration by the participating teams and the Big 12 Conference," Cornett said. "We encouraged and supported the decision to play the championship in a format comfortable to the Big 12."

The pool play format, which has previously been used by the Big 12, will feature two pools. K-State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Baylor will play in one pool with Oklahoma State, West Virginia, TCU and Kansas in the second pool. Each team will be guaranteed three games and the team with the best record in each pool will advance to the championship game on Sunday.

The format will feature games at 9 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 4 p.m., and 7 p.m., CT on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The championship game will be at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday, May 26.

Fans who made advanced purchase of tickets are encouraged to use the ticket with the correct session number based on the schedule above. For those fans that have a Weekend Pass, your tickets will be valid beginning with Session 3. Upon arrival to the facility, please visit the RedHawks ticket office on Mickey Mantle Drive to be re-issued tickets for your games.

Thursday through Saturday contests will be telecast on Fox College Sports while Sunday’s championship game will be on FSN.

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TROY, Ala. -- Coming off its Sun Belt Conference championship victory, Troy has been voted back into the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll at No. 30.

The Sun Belt title is Troy's second in the past three years and came after the Trojans finished 12-3 in its final five Sun Belt series of the season.

Troy won 15 of 20 games to close out the regular season and was one of just two Sun Belt schools to not be swept in a league series (Florida Atlantic).

Also joining the poll this week was No. 28 New Mexico.

At the top of the poll, Vanderbilt, LSU and Oregon State held firm at Nos. 1, 2 and 3, respectively.

Cal State Fullerton improved one spot to No. 4 and Virginia cracked the top five from No. 7 a week ago.

In other big moves, Oklahoma State and Mississippi State each climbed four spots to Nos. 12 and 13, respectively.

Meanwhile, UC Irvine and Georgia Tech fell out of the top 30.

Click here to see the full rankings.

ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia head coach David Perno has resigned his position effective immediately according to an announcement Monday by UGA Director of Athletics Greg McGarity.

Perno served 17 years on the Bulldog staff including the past 12 as the head coach. He led the program to three College World Series appearances including the 2008 CWS Finals and six total NCAA Regional appearances. He tallied a record of 390-335-1, winning Southeastern Conference titles in 2004 and 2008.

"I have accepted David's resignation and would like to express our appreciation to him for his numerous contributions to our baseball program over the last two decades as a player, assistant and head coach," said McGarity. "David was a part of our baseball program when it won a national title and helped Georgia advance to the College World Series five times during his playing and coaching career. We wish him the very best in his future endeavors. He has been a great representative for UGA. We have begun the process of finding the next head coach to lead our program and will do so as quickly as possible."

"It's been a privilege to wear the Bulldog uniform and represent the University of Georgia as a player, assistant and head coach," said Perno. "I love the University and, I'm very appreciative of the many players, coaches, and support staff with whom I've had the opportunity to work with in Athens. I would like to thank Coach Vince Dooley for providing me with the opportunity of a lifetime because it was a dream come true to lead the Georgia program. I'd like to thank Dr. Michael Adams for his support during his tenure. And I'd like to tell all my former and current players that I love them and appreciate all that they have done for this program. Finally, I want to thank the wonderful fans who shared in our success at Foley Field." 

Perno's teams advanced to the College World Series in 2004, 2006 and 2008. Overall, they made NCAA Regional appearances in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2011. Georgia's best finishes were second in 2008, tied for third in 2004 and tied for seventh in 2006. Thirty-one former Bulldogs under Perno have played professional baseball with five in the Major Leagues in 2013. He was a member of Georgia's 1990 national championship team and was an assistant under Ron Polk when the Bulldogs won the 2001 SEC title and advanced to Omaha for the CWS. A native of Athens, he was a three-year letterman for Georgia from 1988-91, returned as an assistant coach in 1996 and was named head coach in July of 2001.

While one of the greatest draws of college baseball is the staying power of smattering of elite programs throughout the nation, that doesn’t mean it isn’t nice to see new faces at the top of the standings as we head into conference postseason play.

This year, two programs – Indiana and Kansas State – have accomplished incredible feats at their respective schools, both winning conference regular season titles for the first time in decades. 

The Hoosiers claimed the outright Big Ten baseball title for the first time since 1932 with an 8-1 defeat at Ohio State on Saturday. It is the fifth time the Hoosiers have won the regular season league title, and only the first time since sharing it in 1949.  

Indiana earned Big Ten regular season title.

Indiana Athletics

Indiana, which was ranked as high as No. 15 in the most recent polls, reached the 40-win mark for the first time since 1996 after taking two of three games from Ohio State during the weekend. The Buckeyes finished second in the league standings. 

The Hoosiers will be the top-seeded team in the Big Ten championship for the first time since the tournament began in 1981. Indiana has won the league tournament twice in school history, most recently in 2009. 

Kansas State also matched the school-record for victories as the Wildcats took two of three games from No. 20 Oklahoma during the weekend, including a walk-off 6-5 win against the Sooners on Friday that helped the Wildcats secure their first Big 12 championship in school history. 

With a 5-2 win on Saturday against OU, No. 19 Kansas State tied the school record for regular season victories with 39. The Wildcats’ regular season conference title is the fourth in school history, but the first since 1933. 

“It’s pretty amazing,” 10th-year head coach Brad Hill said. “These kids are phenomenal. All the credit goes to these kids, and the coaching staff did a tremendous job of preparing them and getting them ready to go. This is a great accomplishment for this program.”

Last year, the Wildcats were 27-31 overall and finished eighth in the conference. K-State was predicted to finish seventh in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches’ Poll – the biggest jump by a regular season championship squad since the poll began in 1999. 

On the flip side, one of the nation’s most storied programs finished in last place in their league standings for the first time since 1956. Texas completed the year with a 7-17 mark in Big 12 action, and did not qualify for the conference tournament.  

• The Florida State softball team secured the final spot in the NCAA super regionals next weekend with a come-from-behind 7-6 victory against No. 13 seed South Alabama on Sunday. The Seminoles were down 6-1 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning in the second regional championship game, and rallied to score five runs, capped off by a grand slam home run by junior Kelly Hensley that sent the game into extra innings. It was Hensley’s 13th home run of the season. 

Then, in the top of the eighth inning, freshman Victoria East blasted the eventual game-winning solo home run as the Seminoles took a 7-6 lead. Senior pitcher Monica Perry secured the victory, tossing a scoreless inning and fanning the final USA batter. The Seminoles advance to their first NCAA super regional since 2006 with the victory. 

This incredible game was just a microcosm of our season. We never give up and we have always fought to the end," head coach Lonni Alameda said. "I'm so proud of how we came back to win the elimination game. This is a great feat for our program and huge step in the right direction. The way Monica pitched and the huge hits by Victoria and Kelly capped one of the most thrilling games I've ever been involved in."

• In a clash of two perfect squads in the Division III Women’s Lacrosse Championship, it was a shame one had to lose. In the first meeting of unbeatens in the title game since 2004, No. 2 Salisbury topped No. 1 Trinity 12-5 as the Sea Gulls avenged their loss to the Bantams in the 2012 championship. It is the second NCAA title for the Salisbury women’s lacrosse program. Lauren Feusahrens tallied five goals in the contest for the Sea Gulls, while goalie Ashton Wheatley garnered Most Outstanding Player honors for contributing nine saves on the day.

Wheatley

• The No. 4-seeded Denver men’s lacrosse squad became the first team to win an NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse quarterfinal after trailing by five goals or more as the Pioneers rallied for a 12-11 victory against North Carolina on Sunday in Indianapolis. The Tar Heels jumped out to a 6-0 lead with 5:23 remaining in the first quarter, but the Pioneers steadily mounted a comeback as junior goalie Jamie Faus held UNC to just five goals in the final 50:23 of the contest. The Pioneers advanced to the NCAA semifinals for the second time in three years, and will face top-seeded Syracuse on Saturday.  

• Top-seeded and unbeaten Mercyhurst remained perfect on Sunday as the Lakers survived a scare against No. 2 Limestone in the NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse semifinals. The Lakers trailed 17-15 with less than a minute remaining, but James Chayka netted the game-tying goal with 4.1 seconds on the clock, and Deven Alves scored the game-winner as Mercyhurst claimed an 18-17 victory and advanced to the NCAA championship for the second time in three years. 

• The UT-Tyler men’s golf team claimed the program’s first national title as the Patriots shot a 1,167 to win the NCAA Division III Championship after scoring a total of 1,167 in the 72-hole event at The Raven Golf Club at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort that concluded Friday. The Patriots won the tournament by seven strokes ahead of Transylvania, sending out their head coach King Campbell in grand fashion. Campbell, who led UT-Tyler to four NCAA tournaments as the program’s first full-time golf coach, will now retire from his coaching duties.  

• The Louisiana softball team reeled off three consecutive shutouts in the Baton Rouge Regional, including back-to-back victories against No. 9-seeded LSU as the Ragin’ Cajuns advanced to the NCAA super regionals for the second consecutive season. Sophomore pitcher Jordan Wallace tossed three consecutive shutouts in the regional, striking out 25 batters and giving up just seven hits in 21 innings of work. Wallace worked her way out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh inning in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat of LSU as the Cajuns advanced to play No. 8 Michigan in the NCAA super regional in Ann Arbor next week. 

“What [Wallace] did [Sunday] was phenomenal," head coach Michael Lotief said. "She went through her share of struggles early in the season. The crowd was trying to intimidate her, the hitters made adjustments. As the game wore on, you could see she lost some velocity. I saw a lot of heart, will and fight. She is a warrior and a winner.”

THE DIGIT		THE 4-1-1
5		The No. 1 Maryland women’s lacrosse team earned its fifth consecutive NCAA semifinal appearance as the Terrapins downed Duke 14-9 in quarterfinal action on Saturday. Senior Alex Aust tallied five goals and two assists as the Terps improved to 21-0 on the season.
12-0		Southern Maine junior left-hander Logan Carman pitched his second shutout in five days as he led the Huskies to a 9-0 win against Endicott on Sunday and an NCAA Division III New England Regional Tournament title. Carman set a new school record with his 12th victory of season, surpassing the previous mark of 11 set by Robert Aceto in 1991 – the year the Huskies won their first NCAA title. Southern Maine will compete in the NCAA championship for the seventh time since 1989, and first time since 1989.
16		The Louisville baseball team stretched the nation’s longest winning streak to 16 games with a 7-4 win against No. 16 Pittsburgh on Saturday as the Cardinals claimed sole possession of the Big East Conference regular season title – their fourth in the last five seasons.  The Cardinals also matched the school regular season record for wins with 46. Louisville will be the No. 1 in the league tournament at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Fla., beginning Wednesday.
300		Armstrong Atlantic State softball coach Ted Evans picked up his 300th career victory as the Pirates defeated Anderson (S.C.) 7-2 on Saturday to win the NCAA Division II Southeast Region Championship and the program’s first berth in the national tournament. Evans has compiled a 300-165-1 record in nine seasons as the Pirates’ head coach.
830		The No. 18 University of North Florida men's golf team made program history Saturday claiming the team title at the NCAA Division I Tallahassee Regional held at Golden Eagle Country Club.  UNF set a program record with a 54-hole score of 830 as the Ospreys became the first Atlantic Sun Conference team to win an NCAA men’s golf regional championship. The Ospreys advanced to the NCAA championship for the second consecutive year and third time in four seasons.
1997		For the first time since 1997, a team other than Methodist claimed the Division III Women’s Golf Championship as Mary Hardin-Baylor won the trophy with an eight-stroke victory ahead of Texas-Tyler and a four-day team score of 1,239. Methodist had won 15 consecutive national titles, but finished third at this year’s championship.

• The fifth-seeded Ohio State men’s tennis team upended four-time defending NCAA champion USC 4-3 on Saturday as the Buckeyes advanced to the national team semifinals for the third time in program history. Junior Peter Kobelt fueled the upset with a pair of tiebreaker wins against USC’s Ray Sarmiento at No. 2 singles. The Buckeyes will now play No. 1 UCLA on Monday.  

• In its first NCAA postseason appearance, the Coker College baseball team won the Division II Southeast Regional and advanced to the national championship tournament with a 7-2 victory against Georgia College on Sunday. Senior left-hander Dan Meyer pitched a complete-game victory, striking out six batters on only two days of rest. Meyer was named Most Outstanding Player of the regional.  

• Texas Woman’s earned its first trip to the NCAA Division II Women’s Softball Championship as the Pioneers topped St. Edward’s 3-0 on Saturday to claim the South Central Super Regional title. It will be the school’s first NCAA championship appearance in any sport as the team advances to the national tournament in Salem, Va., beginning May 23.

• A two-out, RBI-single by freshman Isaac Glenn lifted Millsaps College to a walk-off 7-6 victory against Salisbury on Sunday, and a berth in the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship in Appleton, Wis., next weekend. It will be the first appearance in the national tournament for the Majors.

Follow Amy Farnum on Twitter: @NCAA_Amy

Lopez

FULLERTON, Calif. -- For the second day in a row, Carlos Lopez was the hero for No. 5 Cal State Fullerton, launching his second walk-off home run of the weekend over the right field wall as the Titans completed the sweep of UC Irvine in a 7-5 victory on Sunday afternoon at Goodwin Field.

The Titans (45-8, 20-4) have now won their 27th conference championship in 39 years, including their fourth consecutive Big West title. The championship also clinches the Titans the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament as Fullerton will be making its 35th postseason appearance, including its 22nd in a row.

Entering the ninth trailing the Anteaters (31-20, 13-11) 5-4 UC Irvine reliever Mitch Merten surrendered a leadoff single to Jake Jefferies and issued a one-out walk to Richy Pedroza. Evan Brock then came to the mound for the Anteaters, and for the second day in a row, Lopez came to the plate with the game on the line. The fifth-year senior delivered as he took Brock's 1-1 offering and left UCI on the field with a three-run walk-off homer to right.

In the loss, Merten (2-4) allowed two runs on two hits and one walk in one inning of relief.

Koby Gauna (3-1) was credited with the win, tossing a scoreless ninth despite allowing two hits in the top of the frame.

Cal State Fullerton took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first as UCI starter Andrew Morales struggled with location, issuing two walks. Pedroza was issued a leadoff walk and stole second before moving to third on a passed ball. Morales then issued a one-out walk to Matt Chapman, putting runners on the corners for J.D. Davis, who gave Fullerton a 1-0 lead by driving a single to center field.

Chapman was able to move to third on the play, and scored as Michael Lorenzen drove a sacrifice fly to right field plating the second run of the game for CSF.

But the first inning was Morales' only hiccup as he left the game with Anteaters leading 5-2. In seven innings on the hill, Morales allowed two runs on two hits while issuing four walks and striking out five.

From the final two outs of the first through Jefferies' two-out single in the seventh, Morales faced 21 straight batters without giving up a hit and issuing one walk, retiring 14 straight during one stretch.

Irvine trimmed Fullerton's lead to 2-1 in the top of the fourth as Dominique Taylor led off the inning with a triple to left center before scoring on Connor Spencer's sacrifice fly.

Fullerton starter Grahamm Wiest ran into trouble again in the sixth as Irvine took a 3-2 lead scoring two runs on three consecutive hits in the top of the frame. Taylor again started the momentum with a leadoff single to center, and Spencer continued the rally with a double to left that fell just fair, putting runners on second and third.

Taylor Sparks then tied the game with a RBI single up the middle, before Jeff Stephens beat out the double play and his RBI fielder's choice scored Spencer as UCI claimed a 3-2 advantage.

UCI added two additional runs in the eighth to take a 5-2 lead as Sparks lined a one-out single up the middle, stole second and scored when Jerry McClanahan drove a two-out RBI double into left center. McClanahan was able to move to third on a passed ball, and scored unearned as Stephens knocked a RBI single up the middle.

But the Titans mounted a monstrous comeback in the eighth with Morales off the mound. With runners at second and third, Lorenzen hammered a two-run, bases-clearing triple to right center to bring Cal State Fullerton within a run at 5-4.

Jefferies led the Titans with two hits, while Lopez and Lorenzen each drove in three runs.

In eight innings of work, Wiest allowed five runs, four earned, on eight hits and one walk and one strikeout.

Fullerton concludes the 2013 regualr season with a three-game Big West conference series at Cal State Northridge beginning on Thursday.

EUGENE, Ore. -- Michael Conforto hit a second inning grand slam and No. 3 Oregon finished with 17 hits in a 12-2 win against No. 6 Oregon Sunday at PK Park. The game marked the series finale of the Civil War.

Oregon State's victory gave the Beavers a 2-1 series victory against Oregon and the team now holds a two-game lead with three games to play in the race for the Pac-12 Conference championship. The club's last Pac-12 series begins Friday against Washington State.

Conforto's grand slam in the second inning started an offensive onslaught for the Beavers, who led 1-0 after the Oregon State (43-9 overall, 22-5 Pac-12) sophomore singled in the first. He proceeded to hit the first pitch he saw from Oregon (43-13, 20-7) starter Jake Reed over the right field fence to push the lead to 6-0. Tyler Smith had driven in the inning's first run on a bases loaded walk.

The home run was the ninth of the season for Conforto, who has two grand slams on the year. It was also his second home run of the series after his game-winning solo shot on Saturday.

Conforto capped off his afternoon with a run-scoring double in the ninth, giving him six RBI on the day.

Smith singled to left in the third for a 7-0 Beavers lead. Oregon State broke the game open with a four-run eighth that saw Dylan Davis, Kavin Keyes, Ryan Barnes and Jake Rodriguez drive in runs.

Ben Wetzler was solid in 6 1/3 innings of work to earned his seventh consecutive win and improve to 7-1 this season. The lefty scattered six hits and two runs - one earned - while walking one and striking out six.

Wetzler earned his seventh quality start in nine Pac-12 games this season, and extended the pitching staff's streak to 21 games against league foes.

Reed worked 2 2/3 innings for Oregon, allowing eight hits and seven runs - only one of which was earned - while striking out two. The right-hander dropped to 6-4 on the year.

Conforto, Davis and Keyes all had three hits to pace the Beavers, while Smith, Hayes and Barnes pitched in with two as well.

Oregon State and Oregon compete again Tuesday at Goss Stadium in Corvallis. The game is considered a non-conference tilt and will not count toward the Pac-12 standings.

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Oklahoma’s youth grew large on the final day of the regular season, tuning the Sooners to a high note entering the Big 12 Championship with a much needed win Sunday.

Freshmen Kolbey Carpenter and Anthony Hermelyn combined for four RBIs as Oklahoma defeated Kansas State 7-3 at Tointon Family Stadium to squash a three-game losing streak.

Oklahoma (36-19, 13-11 Big 12) earned the No. 4 seed for the conference tournament and will face 5-seed Baylor Wednesday in the opening game at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City.

Trailing 1-0 in the second, Carpenter snuck a line drive into the left field corner, scoring Hector Lorenzana and Matt Oberste, who were issued back-to-back walks by Kansas State senior righthander Jake Doller (2-3).

Doller was replaced by southpaw Jared Moore, but OU designated hitter Colt Bickerstaff singled to left center to plate Carpenter and put the Sooners up 3-1.

Carpenter added a solo home run, his second of the season, in the fourth to extended the Sooners’ lead.

Oklahoma added three runs in the eighth after Craig Aikin, Jack Mayfield and Max White loaded the bases with three straight singles. Hermelyn hit a fly ball into right center, too shallow for outfielder Mitch Meyer to grab, and Aikin scored.

Lorenzana and Matt Oberste added two runs, moving Mayfield and White home with sacrifice flies.

Jake Fisher (2-2) pitched into the eighth inning before putting two aboard. Fisher struck out seven and allowed nine hits, but the Sooners’ defense kept the Wildcats’ firepower to a minimum.

Third baseman R.J. Santigate hit into right center and KSU waved two baserunners home, but Taylor Alspaugh, making his first start, sped to catch the hit on the hop and flipped to Lorenzana, who threw to Hermelyn, to put out Davis, the trailing runner, sliding into home.

NORFOLK, Va. -- Peter Poole's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning scored Darien Campbell as Savannah State defeated Bethune-Cookman 1-0 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship game.

“It was a well played game against the defending champions,” Savannah State head coach Carlton Hardy said. “We knew coming into the tournament that in order for us to win this championship, we would have to play Cookman. Our kids played hard. Pitch to pitch and inning by inning. It took a total team effort for us to win this game.”   

It is SSU's first MEAC baseball championship and their first conference title since winning the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 1999.

Kyle McGowin was the game's winning pitcher. McGowin went all 10 innings and struck out 11 batters to improve his record to 12-1.

“Kyle took the ball on three days rest and showed what a champion is all about,” said Hardy. “In 10 innings of work, he showed big time production from a big time player.”

Chris Arnold struck out to lead off the bottom of the 10th but Campbell hit a doubled which was followed by a single by Todd Hagen to put runners at the corners. Poole sent a shot deep enough to right field that allowed Campbell to score the game-winning run.

Hagen, Poole and David Richards all had two hits each for Savannah State.

For the game, Bethune had seven hits but left nine runners on base and made two errors. SSU managed eight hits, left seven runners on base and made one error.

The Wildcats, who had won eight consecutive MEAC baseball titles, stranded at least two runners on base in the fourth, fifth and ninth innings.

Montana Durapau pitched eight innings for B-CU but it was Jordan Dailey who was tagged with the loss. Durapau struck out four batters while Dailey pitched 1.2 innings and gave up three hits, one run while striking out three.

Josh Johnson and Eric Sams each had two hits for Cookman.

Savannah State made their way to the MEAC championship game with tournament wins against Maryland-Eastern Shore, Norfolk State and Coppin State. The Tigers earn the conference berth to the NCAA tournament. 

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EUGENE, Ore. -- Andrew Moore tossed a two-hit shutout and Michael Conforto and Ryan Barnes each hit solo home runs to send No. 3 Oregon State to a 9-0 win against No. 6 Oregon Saturday afternoon at PK Park.

The Beavers evened the series with the shutout, which was the team's 10th of the season and second of the year for Moore, who improved to 11-1, becoming the Pac-12 Conference's first 11-game winner. The victory pushed the Beavers back ahead in the chase for the Pac-12 Championship, and now lead the Ducks by one game.

Oregon State (42-9 overall, 21-5 Pac-12), up 2-0 after seven, scored five in the eighth and two more in the ninth for the convincing win. The nine-run victory margin was the largest between the teams in a game that counts toward the Pac-12 standings since Oregon (43-12, 20-6) reinstated its program in 2009. It's the second-highest overall.

"This was a very important bounce back win for us," head coach Pat Casey said. "We battled through five tough innings against a very good starter in Cole Irvin. We were focused today and it showed."

Moore held Oregon to just two hits - a double by Ryon Healy in the fourth and a single by J.J. Altobelli in the sixth - while walking one. He only picked up two strikeouts, with both coming in the eighth.

Pitching in his hometown of Eugene for the first time at the collegiate level, he did so in fine fashion, and in the process, set the Oregon State freshman record for victories in a single season, surpassing Sam Gaviglio's 10 in 2009.

Moore also pushed his earned run average to 1.34 on the year.

The teams were embroiled in a scoreless tie through six but Conforto lofted a home run over the left field fence in the sixth off Irvin. Barnes did so in the seventh as well to put the Beavers in the driver's seat, 2-0.

Then came the eighth inning. Oregon State sent 10 batters to the plate with Barnes and Danny Hayes highlighting the inning. Hayes hit a two-run single and Barnes tripled to right for three of the inning's five runs. Andy Peterson, who went 4-for-4 with a walk, also drove in a run during the inning, which he followed in the ninth with another RBI.

Peterson's four hits led the Oregon State offensive attack, which finished with 12 hits off four Oregon pitchers. Conforto, Hayes and Barnes all had two hits as well.

Irvin took the loss and dropped to 10-3 on the year. The Oregon lefty allowed six hits and two runs with a walk and three strikeouts in seven innings.

BATON ROUGE, La. -- It was a memorable evening at the ballpark Friday night at LSU, one that will go down in history as the night that legendary coach Skip Bertman’s name was forever etched onto Alex Box Stadium.

In a pre-game ceremony that also celebrated the 20th anniversary of Bertman’s 1993 national championship team, the field was officially dedicated “Skip Bertman Field.”

“In a very fortunate lifetime of thrills and awards that were mostly deserved because of great players, this is at the very, very top,” Bertman said to a crowd of more than 10,000 Tiger fans.

Bertman was joined on the field by his wife, Sandy, his '93 squad and other players from the Bertman era that spanned from 1984-2001. Vice chancellor and director of athletics Joe Alleva officially christened the field and signaled for the unveiling of a new sign above the stadium’s press box that says “Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.”

“This is truly the house that Skip built,” Alleva said.

Although the field will be called “Skip Bertman Field,” the name of the stadium remains “Alex Box Stadium” in honor of the former LSU student, baseball player, Purple Heart and Distinguished Cross recipient who was killed in North Africa during World War II.  The recommendation to name the field for Bertman came from the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame Election Board, which recommends honors for former coaches and student-athletes, and was approved by the LSU Board of Supervisors.

Bertman helped grow interest in the sport of baseball from an average attendance of less than 500 fans per game in 1983 to now become the annual NCAA attendance leader of more than 10,000 fans per game in a new stadium constructed under his direction as athletic director.

“This is truly the house that Skip built.”
--  Joe Alleva

In 18 seasons as head coach at LSU (1984-2001), he led the Tigers to five national championships (1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000) and seven Southeastern Conference championships. He finished his career with a total record of 870-330-3.

Bertman took LSU to 11 College World Series appearances, 16 NCAA tournament appearances and coached 31 LSU players who reached Major League Baseball. He was named National Coach of the Year six times (1986, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000) and SEC Coach of the Year seven times (1986, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997).

He represented LSU on the international stage as well, serving as assistant coach on several USA national teams, and the 1988 U.S. Olympic gold-medal-winning team. He was head coach of the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team in Atlanta that won a bronze medal.

Bertman also served as director of athletics at LSU from 2001-07, directing one of the greatest periods of facility growth and athletic accomplishments in the history of the institution.

Bertman is a member of the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame, the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the College Baseball Hall of Fame. Upon his retirement as baseball coach, his No. 15 jersey was retired at LSU.

Throughout his career and to this day, Bertman remains a pillar of the Baton Rouge community, serving on numerous philanthropic organizations such as United Way, Cancer Services and the Alzheimer’s Association and he has been honored by the likes of the Arthritis Foundation, the Boy Scouts of America and the Anti-Defamation League.