Chico State’s Sacramento area alumni will converge on the capital’s Raley Field for a special edition of the Chico State-Sonoma State baseball rivalry to be played at the minor league baseball facility on April 22. The Wildcats and Seawolves, the West Region representatives in a combined nine of the last 15 College World Series, will play their series finale in the capital this season and next.

The first three games of the series will take place at Seawolf Diamond in Rohnert Park April 20-21. First pitch for the series finale in Sacramento is set for 1 p.m.

The rivalry between Sonoma State and Chico State goes back decades. Over the last six seasons, the teams have split 12 of 24 meetings. But Chico State leads the series 64-40 dating back to 1994. Regular foes in the postseason as well, the teams have met 19 times in either the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) or NCAA Tournament play, with the Wildcats winning 10 of those games. In addition, Chico State (7) and Sonoma State (2) are responsible for nine of the 15 West Region titles since 1997 and nine of the 13 conference championships since 1999 (Sonoma State-5, Chico State-4).

Chico State, picked to win the 2012 CCAA title, enters the season ranked No. 15 in the nation. Sonoma State was picked to finish second. The Wildcats open the season with a four-game home series against Saint Martin’s Feb. 10-12. First pitch on opening day is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Home to the Sacramento River Cats, the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics, Raley Field opened on the banks of the Sacramento River in 2000.  With 11,093 permanent seats and grass seating for a total capacity of 14,014, it is among the largest minor league stadiums in the nation.  Last season, Raley Field hosted an average of 8,455 fans for each of the River Cats home games.  It was the fifth-highest total in all of minor league baseball.

Ticket information will be released later this month.  Stay tuned to chicowildcats.com to learn more.