Colorado State University Athletics
Mountain West Conference Tourney Matchups Finalized
5/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 9, 2006
Click here to view the bracket and more at the TheMWC.com
The Colorado State University softball team (26-24, 6-14 MWC) will enter the Mountain West Conference tournament as the No. 5 seed when play begins on Thursday from Eller Media Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev. The Tournament will run through Saturday.
The Rams come into the tournament after splitting with the New Mexico Lobos in their regular-season finale last Saturday at Ram Field. The Lobos stole game one from the Rams by a 3-2 final, but Colorado State bounced back to capture a 6-1 game-two victory.
In the first round, Colorado State will square off against the No. 4 seeded UNLV Rebels (24-35, 8-12 MWC) who will be hosting this year's tournament. The Rebels come into the matchup having been swept by the No. 2 seeded BYU Cougars in their final games of the season.
The Rams and Rebels have met three times before in the MWC Championships, in 2002, 2003 and 2005. The Rebels hold a 2-1 advantage, but CSU defeated UNLV, 7-1, in the second round in 2003 en route to the tournament championship. During the regular season, the Rams and Rebels split four games, and the all-time series record between the two schools is tied at 22-22.
The tournament is a double-elimination format. The winner of the CSU-UNLV matchup will then face top-seeded San Diego State (30-11, 15-3 MWC). The loser of that game will await a matchup with loser of the contest between No. 2 BYU (40-18, 15-5 MWC) and either No. 3 Utah (34-19, 10-8 MWC) or No. 6 New Mexico (23-29, 4-16 MWC).
The championship game is slated for 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 13 and will be televised by CSTV, with the winner earning the MWC's automatic bid into the NCAA Regional Tournament.