It isn’t the size of the seed that matters, but what grows up from it.
 
More than half of the Chico State baseball team knows this firsthand. Most of the coaching staff and 19 current Wildcats were seeded fourth among four teams at last year’s NCAA Championship Tournament West Regional. They grew that opportunity into a regional title and trip to the Division II College World Series.
 
This season the Wildcats are the sixth seed among six teams preparing to depart for the NCAA Championship Tournament West Regional. Chico State will face top-seeded Cal State Monterey Bay in the tournament’s opening game at Bruce Hurst Field in St. George, Utah, Thursday at 10 a.m., PST.
 
The Wildcats are hoping their 14^th NCAA Championship West Regional berth in the last 18 seasons will blossom into their ninth West Region title and a second straight ticket to the College World Series.
 
Chico State, 34-16, needs to snap out of a late-season funk to do so. They’ve dropped three straight and eight of their last 10. But this is a brand new season: a six-team, double-elimination tournament.
 
Sonoma State is the No. 2 seed and will face No. 5 Cal State L.A. in another first-round game. Host Dixie State will take on Grand Canyon in the other first-round matchup.
 
If Chico State wins Thursday, the Wildcats will take on the Grand Canyon-Dixie State loser on Friday at 2 p.m. If the Wildcats lose, they’ll face the Sonoma State-Cal State L.A. loser in an elimination game Friday at 10 a.m.
 
Each Chico State game will be broadcast locally on AM 1290 KPAY and streamed online HERE. Live video of each game of the tournament will be streamed at http://dixieathletics.com/showcase/.
 
The Winner of the double-elimination West Region Tournament will take on the South Central Regional champ in the opening round of the eight-team Division II College World Series at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, on May 26.
 
NCAA Championship Tournament West Regional Schedule
Thursday, May 16
Game 1 – 10 a.m.: No. 1 Cal State Monterey Bay vs. No. 6 Chico State
Game 2 – 2 p.m.: No. 2 Sonoma State vs. No. 5 Cal State L.A.
Game 3 – 6 p.m.: No. 3 Dixie State vs. No. 4 Grand Canyon
 
Friday, May 17
Game 4 – 10 a.m.: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
Game 5 – 2 p.m.: Winner Game 1 vs. Loser Game 3
Game 6 – 6 p.m.: Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3
 
If four teams remain after Game 6:
Saturday, May 18
Game 7 – 10 a.m.: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6
Game 8 – 2 p.m.: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 6
Game 9 – 6 p.m.: Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 7
 
Sunday, May 19
Game 10 (Championship Game) – 10 a.m.: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9
Game 11 (Championship Game, if nec.) – 2 p.m.: Same teams as in Game 10
 
If five teams remain after Game 6:
Saturday, May 18
Game 7 – 10 a.m.: Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6
Game 8 – 2 p.m.: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5
Game 9 – 6 p.m.: Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7
 
If two teams remain after Game 9:
Sunday, May 19
Game 10 (Championship Game) – 10 a.m.: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9
Game 11 (Championship Game, if nec.) – 2 p.m.: Same teams as in Game 10
 
If three teams remain after Game 9:
Sunday, May 19
Game 10 (Championship Game) – 10 a.m.: Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 9
Game 11 (Championship Game, if nec.) – 2 p.m.: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10
 
All times listed Pacific Daylight Time.
All games played at Bruce Hurst Field, St. George, Utah.