It has been described as the nation̢۪s best collegiate baseball tournament. Dozens of teams from all over the country have come North, South, East and West to participate in the Fresno State baseball program̢۪s Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic.

Starting today, the tournament — which has seen multiple name changes since its inception in 1978 — will be in its 29th year, and has traditionally served as a weeklong, all-day event providing baseball fans hours of entertainment.

This year, however, the event is going through what can be best described as a hiccup. The tournament, which has evolved to a field of eight teams over the years, only has three participants this year, including host Fresno State. Iowa and Dallas Baptist are the only other teams to have made the trip to Fresno this season.

Fresno State baseball coach Mike Batesole isn̢۪t worried about the lack of teams taking part in the event, given the obstacles a team must clear to ensure its part in the tournament.

Schools that are interested in the PJQ Classic must be on spring break in order to take off the more than a week it takes to travel and play in the tournament. For many schools, including ones that were originally slated to play this year, having that week available was the lone challenge they could not overcome.

Contributing to that is the financial aspect a team must commit to. With travel parties of 40 or more people, funding for plane flights, meals and hotels can accumulate to more than $50,000.

It just so happened that for this year̢۪s tournament, an abnormal amount of teams fell victim to the sometimes overwhelming commitments.

“Until they sign a contract, they’re not locked in,� Batesole said.

The problem with contracts, though, has been that many times teams would be unable to commit to a contract, or the potential payout from backing out of a contract, Batesole said.

So, for this year at least, Fresno State will change the PJQ Classic from a bracket format to a head-to-head format, taking place Wednesday through Saturday, two days shorter than typical tournaments have been.

Regardless of the amount of teams in this year̢۪s PJQ Classic, players like Fresno State̢۪s Brian Lapin understand how beneficial the tournament can be.

“We try and invite the best teams,� Lapin said.

But what separates the Pepsi/Johnny Quick Classic from the rest of the tournaments, according to longtime Dugout Club booster Marty Mamigonian, is the hospitality teams receive and the memories they leave Fresno with.

The Dugout Club is the baseball team̢۪s fundraising and support booster, sponsoring luncheons and other events to help the Fresno State baseball team succeed.

Mamigonian, a current board member and two-time past president of the Dugout Club, has nearly 20 years of involvement with the PJQ Classic, and can recall the finest comments people have made in regards to the tournament.

“Coaches used to say the Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic was the finest baseball tournament in the country,� Mamigonian said.

One year, Mamigonian remembers, a sports writer for the San Francisco Chronicle came to the tournament “by chance,� and gave the tournament his highest praise.

“He called it college baseball’s version of [Major League Baseball’s] spring training,� Mamignian said.

Next year, Batesole says eight teams have already committed to participate in the Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic, with more on the waiting list. In fact, Batesole says the tournament is booked for the next 2-3 years.

Even baseball tournaments have to get rid of the hiccups from time to time.