NCAA tourney field has its first entry

The NCAA Div. I baseball tournament field won't be announced until Memorial Day weekend, but we already know who one of the 64 teams will be.

Columbia defeated Dartmouth 7-5 to win the third and final game of the Ivy League championship series earlier this week. By doing so, the Lions earned the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Div. I baseball tournament, which starts May 30.

It's been a long time coming for Columbia. The last time they got a taste of the postseason was 1976, and they haven't been conference champions since sharing the title in 1977. While they will certainly be one of the longshots for a trip to the College World Series (the last Ivy League team to make it to Omaha was Harvard in 1973), they are assured to be one of the 64 teams that will make the postseason.

Most of the league tournaments will be held two weeks from now as the regular season winds down next week.