Gold Sox catcher to play in NCAA tourney
Associated Press/Appeal-Democrat
May 30, 2006 - SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco earned its first bid ever into the NCAA baseball tournament on Monday, a day after losing the West Coast Conference tournament final to Pepperdine.
The Dons (38-21) will face Miami (36-21) in a regional in Lincoln, Neb., on Friday. The Hurricanes are making their 34th straight appearance in the tournament. Manhattan (32-21) and Nebraska (42-15) are the other teams in the double-elimination regional.
“We have built this program into a strong one with two straight solid seasons. Obviously, being in the NCAA tournament is a goal that everyone shoots for,” Dons' coach Nino Giarratano said. “It's been quite a year for the program, with our first league title and now advancing into NCAA play.”
Dons catcher Jonny Norfolk will be joining the Yuba-Sutter Gold Sox after the tournament. Norfolk, a junior catcher and returning Gold Sox player, is currently hitting .298 with 12 RBIs in 124 at-bats with the Dons. He was 0-for-6 with an RBI in the WCC tournament against Pepperdine.
Other California schools to make the tournament, include Stanford (30-25), which opens against North Carolina State (38-21) in the Austin, Texas regional, and three teams each in the Malibu and Fullerton regionals.
