Rice head baseball coach Wayne Graham has his Owls in the NCAA Tournament for the 14th straight year. Graham loves this time of year. He loves the pressure ... and he loves the fact that every pitch and every out is big. " I've always loved high competition. That's the reason I don't schedule anybody during the season that's a lock. I don't to come to the ballpark with a 100% chance to win. I wanna have to compete to win."

If Rice gets past Sam Houston State .... it's likely they'll play Texas. Longhorns coach Augie Garrido though is concerned about St. John's. Mainly because of their pitching talent. "St. John's is probably a team that could function pretty successfully in either one of our two conferences. They have quality left handed pitching which matches up with us pretty well because of the left-handed hitting that we have." Garrido likes the momentum his team has right now though ....and he knows Longhorn Nation expects the baseball team to be in Omaha annually. "The watermark was set long before I got here. Fortunately I'm an aquarian and I know how to haul water....so .(heh, heh) I've been able to fill it up a little bit over the years." I guess so, Garrido has led the 'Horns to a pair of NCAA titles ....he won 3 before he got to Austin ... while at Cal-State Fullerton.

If it comes down to Rice versus Texas for the Regional crown .....it'll be great theater ....plus it'll be the toughest ticket in town. Rice fans will be there in big numbers ..and Texas fans will pack into the park also.

There is no live TV for these games ...so keep tuned to 11 News Sportscasts for all the highlights.