Story Created:
Feb 17, 2010 at 4:01 PM PST
Story Updated:
Feb 17, 2010 at 4:01 PM PST
Four NCAA Division I college baseball programs are the headliners during this weekend’s Urban Invitational presented by the U.S. Army at the MLB Urban Youth Academy in Compton.
UCLA and Cal State Northridge are part of the event, as are Bethune-Cookman of Daytona Beach, Fla. and Southern of Baton Rouge, La., two historically-black colleges, set for Friday through Sunday at the facility located on the Compton College campus.
Friday’s matchups at the academy pit Bethune-Cookman vs. Northridge at 2 p.m. and Southern vs. UCLA at 6.
Saturday at the academy, Northridge plays Southern at 2 p.m. and UCLA faces Bethune at 6.
Sunday at the academy, Southern plays Bethune at 2 p.m. Northridge takes on UCLA at 1 p.m. at UCLA’s Jackie Robinson Stadium.
Hall of Famers Lou Brock and Rod Carew are expected to attend tournament games, which will be carried live by the MLB Network and MLB.com Feb. 20.
Saturday’s games begin with a live performance by 18-year-old saxophone sensation B.K. Jackson, who will perform the National Anthem. There will also be performances from Southern’s “Human Jukebox” and Bethune-Cookman’s “Marching Wildcats.”
A battle of the bands featuring Crenshaw, Compton and Dominguez high schools will also take place. Youth baseball and softball clinics will be held Saturday and Sunday.
College hockey
USC and UCLA will be part of the Pac-8 Conference ice hockey tournament Friday and Saturday at The Rinks - Anaheim Ice in Anaheim.
Besides the Trojans and Bruins, Arizona State, Cal, Oregon and Washington State are participating. Friday’s schedule has No. 4 UCLA vs. No. 5 USC and No. 3 Arizona State vs. No. 6 Cal, both at 9 a.m. The third-place game is at 4:45 p.m. and the championship game at 7:30 Saturday.
“We’re excited to have the Pac-8 Tournament back in Southern California,” USC coach Mark Wilbur said. “We last hosted in 2003, and this will be the first time we’re hosting the tournament with a six-team format.”
Prior to the 2008-2009 season, only four teams qualified for the tournament.
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