The release of the Division III baseball championships handbook for 2008 confirms the shape of the playoff field as 54 teams compete for eight spots in Appleton.

With the Presidents' Athletic Conference receiving an automatic bid in baseball this season for the first time, 34 conferences will have their champion guaranteed a slot. Six bids (known as "Pool B" in the NCAA's terminology) are set aside for teams that are not in those 34 conferences. The remaining 14 bids (Pool C) are true at-large bids that can go to any eligible team.

Prominent conferences in Pool B include the University Athletic Association and Capital Athletic Conference, as well as independents such as Chapman. St. Scholastica (UMAC), Piedmont (GSAC), Salisbury (CAC) and Ithaca (Empire 8) join Emory, last year's runner-up, as teams to watch in Pool B.

Six teams will compete at five first-round sites, while eight teams will compete at the other three first-round sites in a double-elimination format.

The eight winners meet in the Division III Championships from May 23-27 at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wis.