The San Diego State baseball team played the toughest nonconference schedule in the nation.

But any opportunity the Aztecs had of earning an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament vanished last week after a loss to Long Beach State and three more against Cal State Fullerton.

Once again, SDSU's postseason hopes hinge on the Mountain West Conference Tournament.

“The conference tournament is everything,” said SDSU coach Tony Gwynn. “That's where the automatic bid lies.”

It has been the only bid as far as the MWC is concerned. The conference has never received an at-large invitation to the NCAAs, although TCU has played well enough this year to receive one if it doesn't win the tournament.

Six teams have gathered in Fort Worth, Texas, for the double-elimination tournament hosted by TCU, which is the two-time defending champion. The Horned Frogs, ranked No. 24 in the nation, are favored to make it three in a row.

The Aztecs are aiming to end a 17-year postseason drought.

MWC TOURNAMENT

The MWC Tournament runs today through Saturday. Top-seeded TCU (39-16) and second-seeded New Mexico (32-23) have first-round byes. Third-seeded SDSU (30-26) plays sixth-seeded UNLV (21-35) in today's opening game at 2 p.m., followed by fourth-seeded BYU (22-34) against fifth-seeded Utah (23-26). If the Aztecs win, they will play New Mexico tomorrow at 2 p.m. If the Aztecs lose, they will play an elimination game tomorrow at 10 a.m.

FOLLOW THE TOURNAMENT

www.goaztecs.com www.themwc.com

SDSU AT A GLANCE

SDSU can beat anyone when it has sophomore RHP Stephen Strasburg on the mound. Strasburg (8-2), the MWC Pitcher of the Year, has a 1.59 ERA and leads the nation with 128 strikeouts in 90 1/3 innings. The biggest decision for the Aztecs is whether to throw Strasburg in the first game or save him for the second game . . . Senior SS Troy Hanzawa (.382, 5 HR, 50 RBI), junior 3B Nick Romero (.329, 11 HR, 60 RBI) and senior 2B Garett Green (.294, 5 HR, 42 RBI) lead the offense.

AROUND THE MWC

TCU closed out the regular season with a 10-game winning streak. Sophomore RHP Tyler Lockwood (6-1, 2.11 ERA) and freshman RHP Sean Hoelscher (7-2, 4.55 ERA) are the team's top two starters, although junior RHP Andrew Cashner (8-3, 1.94 ERA, 8 SV) has been amazing in relief. . . . New Mexico missed Strasburg during conference play (he was ill) but could see him this time around. The Lobos have five players with at least 40 RBI this season, led by Brian Cavazos-Galvez (.371, 11 HR, 53 RBI) . . . BYU and Utah meet again right after finishing the regular season against each other. The Cougars won the last two games of the three-game series . . . UNLV struggled down the stretch, losing 13 of its last 15 games. That included two losses over the weekend at Air Force. Junior 1B Xavier Scruggs (Poway High) leads the Rebels with a .389 average, 20 HR and 65 RBI.

PAST CHAMPIONS

YEAR	WINNER	RUNNER-UP
2000	SDSU	Air Force
2001	BYU	SDSU
2002	BYU	SDSU
2003	UNLV	SDSU
2004	UNLV	SDSU
2005	UNLV	BYU
2006	TCU	BYU
2007	TCU	BYU

DID YOU KNOW?

San Diego State would have qualified for the NCAA Tournament when it won the inaugural MWC Tournament in 2000. Except for one thing – it was the first year of the MWC and the NCAA did not award the conference an automatic bid. The Aztecs (34-28) did not receive an at-large invitation, either.