UC Santa Barbara to Host NCAA Baseball Regional on Campus for First Time

The University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) Baseball team is set to host the Santa Barbara Regional, the first stage of the NCAA D1 baseball tournament, at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium from May 31 to June 3.

The Gauchos will welcome familiar opponents, including the Fresno State Bulldogs, Oregon Ducks, and San Diego Toreros, for the double-elimination regional tournament.

“We’re excited to host, we know it’s going to be a challenge, those are all good teams that we’re familiar with,” Head Coach Andrew Checketts said. “We haven’t played USD in a while, but we had Fresno last year and Oregon this year, so that gives us some familiarity and it should be a great experience.”

The Gauchos will kick off their postseason by facing Fresno State on Friday at 6 p.m., with the regional tournament concluding on Monday.

After a remarkable season, UCSB was awarded the No. 14 seed in the nation by the selection committee. The Big West champions finished the season with an outstanding 42-12 record, including an unbeaten 25-0 streak at home.

This marks the first time UCSB has been granted hosting rights since 2015 and the first time that Caesar Uyesaka Stadium will host a regional.

“They’ve set a high level of expecations for themselves,” Checketts said of this year’s Gaucho squad. “They’ve grown, the leadership side of it has really grown, has matured, and there’s talent. There’s talent on the field … talented players that work hard, they’ve got a really good foundation from that perspective.”

In 2015, the Gauchos hosted their regional in Lake Elsinore, as Caesar Uyesaka Stadium did not meet NCAA postseason requirements at the time.

Fresno State, champions of the Mountain West with a 33-27 record, will enter the regional after securing a postseason spot by winning their conference tournament. The Bulldogs, who claimed the championship victory over San Jose State, last faced UCSB in 2023, with the Bulldogs winning the series in Fresno two games to one.

The Oregon Ducks, with a 37-18 record, received an at-large bid from the selection committee after their performance in the Pac-12 tournament. The Ducks and the Gauchos previously squared off this season, with UCSB emerging victorious in two of three games in Eugene.

San Diego, champions of the WCC with a record of 40-13, will bring victories over Texas and Arizona to the Santa Barbara Regional.

The Santa Barbara Regional is paired with the College Station Regional hosted by the Texas A&M Aggies. The champions of the two regionals will battle in a best-of-three super regional from June 7-10.

As the anticipation builds for the upcoming tournament, UCSB is poised to showcase its top-notch baseball program and Caesar Uyesaka Stadium to a broader audience, marking a significant moment in the university’s athletic history.

Tickets for the Santa Barbara Regional will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, May 28 at 4 p.m. PT.