Prime Seats For Regional

Got the good news, the word, the confirmation: Chair back seats for the weekend at Jim Patterson Stadium. What more could ask for? Chairback seats in the shade, under the roof? No confirmation of that yet, but the observer is feeling lucky.

Having no delusions about the first NCAA Regional game based on two earlier University of Louisville wins over the Indiana baseball team, not with Indiana going with right hander Eric Arnett, a candidate for national pitcher of the year with a glossy 12-1 won-lost record.

With Justin Marks (10-1) on the mound for U of L, one thing is certain: neither team will match the offensive prowess they displayed in their conference tournaments.

Haven’t been this intense about baseball since the Louisville Colonels inhabited Fairgrounds Stadium. The observer was a partial owner of the Colonels, thanks to an uncle who gave him a $10 stock certificate in community ownership when the local Triple A franchise was struggling. One of these days that decades-old certificate is going to find a frame.

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U of L’s Chris Dominguez and Justin Marks are among the 30 semifinalists for the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award, presented annually to the nation’s premier amateur baseball player. Louisville was among five schools (Arizona State, Indiana San Diego State, and North Carolina) with two players nominated. The winner will be announced July 14.

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Parking for the NCAA Baseball Regional will be available free behind the Speed School off Third Street, near the corner of Eastern Parkway and Third Street. A free shuttle will transport fans to and from Jim Patterson Stadium. Limited parking for baseball is also available in the lot opposite Patterson Stadium at the corner of Second Street and Central Avenue near Wagner’s Pharmacy.