EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon, the No. 14 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, will open the Eugene Regional Tournament Friday against Central Connecticut State at 2 p.m. in the first game of the day at PK Park. The Blue Devils (37-14) will be making their second consecutive NCAA appearance and third in the last four tournaments. CCSU claimed the Northeast Conference’s automatic bid after winning the league’s tournament championship after coming through the loser’s bracket to beat Bryant twice. Central Connecticut finished the regular season in second place with a 21-9 record. Joining top-seeded Oregon and No. 4 seed Central Connecticut State in the Eugene Regional are No. 2 Gonzaga (33-17) and No. 3 LSU (34-22). The Bulldogs earned the automatic bid from the West Coast Conference, while LSU claimed one of the at-large berths. The NCAA Regionals return to Eugene and PK Park for the first time since 2013 when the Ducks hosted for the second consecutive year. Oregon won the 2012 Eugene Regional winning all three games, including an 8-1 win over Austin Peay in the championship game. The Ducks also hosted a Super Regional that season losing to Kent State 3-2 in the third and deciding game. The Ducks advanced to the championship against Rice in the 2013 Regionals, but dropped an 11-4 decision in the if-necessary game. Oregon also played in Regional Tournaments in 2010 (Norwich, Conn.), 2014 (Nashville, Tenn.) and 2015 (Springfield, Mo.). Oregon played in the postseason in both 1954 and 1964, with the Ducks making their only College World Series appearance in 1954. Tickets went on sale to the general public on Monday. All-session tickets start at $80.
