Softball to Play-In, Host NCAA Regional
May 5, 2008

The University of Texas at Tyler softball team (40-7) received one of 18 Pool C, or at-large, bids into the 2008 NCAA Division III Softball Championships on Monday morning and will stay at home for regional play at the UT Tyler Ballpark.

The Patriots, who finished second in the American Southwest Conference tournament, will enter the double-elimination regional as the No. 2 seed.

UT Tyler’s first opponent will be the Southern California Intercollegiate Conference Champion, University of LaVerne. The Leopards enter the tournament by virtue of the SCIAC’s automatic qualifier and with a record of 27-17. LaVerne and UT Tyler will meet at 2 p.m. on Thursday.

The first match on Thursday will be between the No. 4 seed Linfield (36-4) and the No. 5 seed Redlands (36-4). Linfield, the defending National Champions, enters the tournament as the champions of the Northwest Conference. Meanwhile, Redlands gained entry into the regional also via a Pool C bid. Redlands fell to LaVerne in the SCIAC championship game. Game time is schedule for 10 a.m.

The 12 p.m. game on Thursday will between the No. 3 seed Mary Hardin-Baylor (32-9) and the No. 6 seed Chapman (27-9). UMHB is the final of three teams in the Tyler Regional to earn an at-large bid. The Lady Cru finished third in the ASC Tournament and were eliminated by UT Tyler. Chapman comes into the regional as the only team to receive a Pool B bid. Pool B bids are set aside specifically for schools that compete as independents.

The final game of the day will be between the No. 1 seed Louisiana College (39-5) and the winner of the Linfield/Redlands match-up. The Wildcats earned an automatic berth by winning the ASC Championship on Saturday.

The winner of the regional will advance to the NCAA Division III Softball World Series in Salem, Va., on May 16-20 as the No. 1 seed in the eight-team tournament.

Livestats will be provided for all games. Links, team information, as well as tournament information can be found at the official regional website at www.uttyler.edu/athletics/ncaa.

Texas-Tyler Regional Bracket (PDF)

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