BERKELEY – It was a foregone conclusion that the Cal baseball team was going to the NCAA Regionals.

That didn't make the scene any less rowdy for the Bears when "California" popped up on the TV screen during the NCAA Selection Show on Monday morning.

Players jumped out of their seats in celebration while watching the show inside a large meeting room at Memorial Stadium. Cal is headed to the college baseball postseason for the first time since 2015, quite a feat for a team that was picked to finish eighth in its own conference in a preseason vote of Pac-12 coaches.

First baseman Andrew Vaughn summed up the feeling for a group of Cal juniors that will be playing in their first 64-team NCAA Tournament.

"Finally," Vaughn said. "It's been three years. Honestly, it's a sense of relief."

The Bears (32-18, 17-11 Pac-12) landed the No. 2 seed in the Fayetteville (Ark.) Regional, where they will face Texas Christian University in their first game Friday at 4 p.m. (PT). The game will air live on ESPN3.

Host and No. 5 overall seed Arkansas will play Central Connecticut in that Regional's other first-round matchup at 11 a.m. Friday. The double-elimination bracket will unfold throughout the weekend until three teams end up with two losses. Play will run Friday through Sunday, with a potential deciding game Monday if it's necessary.

The team that wins the Fayetteville Regional – one of 16 four-team Regionals taking place across the country -- will advance to the Super Regional round the following weekend. The Super Regionals will pair off the final 16 teams into eight separate best-of-three series, with the eight winners advancing to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

Cal punched its ticket by finishing fourth in the Pac-12, always one of the country's toughest conferences, and carrying a No. 31 RPI ranking at the conclusion of the regular season.

"We know that our resume got us there," head coach Mike Neu said. "I think we were just excited to see where we were going to go. Arkansas is going to be an unbelievable stadium, unbelievable fan base.  I think we knew anywhere we go is gonna be a challenge, so I think we're excited for that challenge."

TCU went 32-26 (11-13 Big 12) and tied for sixth out of nine teams in the Big 12 baseball standings. The Horned Frogs were considered a "bubble" team entering Selection Monday and received the No. 3 seed in the Fayetteville Regional. They feature one of the country's top starting pitchers in Nick Lodolo, a lefty ranked the No. 8 overall draft prospect by Baseball America. Vaughn, the consensus 2018 national player of the year, is listed No. 3 in the same rankings.