NU Selected to Host NCAA Softball

Lincoln -- The University of Nebraska has been selected as one of eight regional host sites for the 2004 NCAA Division I Women’s Softball Championship, the NCAA Division I Women’s Softball Committee announced Monday. NU’s selection marks the second consecutive year and eighth time in school history that it has served as a regional host site. Nebraska has advanced to the NCAA Women’s College World Series in six of the seven previous years in which it has hosted a regional.

With two regular-season games remaining, Nebraska is 38-13 overall and 14-1 in the Big 12 Conference. The Huskers captured the Big 12 regular-season championship with a 4-3, 10-inning win over second-place Texas A&M on Sunday.

The Huskers have defeated 10 ranked teams this season, including top-10 teams Michigan, Florida State and California. Nebraska has won 20 of its last 22 games and has been ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll all season. The Huskers are currently ranked 13th.

The eight regional sites, with host institutions, are as follows: Tucson, Ariz. (University of Arizona); Waco, Texas (Baylor University); Los Angeles, Calif. (University of California, Los Angeles); Tallahassee, Fla. (Florida State University); Athens, Ga. (University of Georgia); Ann Arbor, Mich. (University of Michigan); Lincoln, Neb. (University of Nebraska, Lincoln); and Stanford, Calif. (Stanford University).

Each regional field will feature eight teams, playing a double-elimination format. All regional games are scheduled to be conducted Thursday, May 20, through Sunday, May 23. This season marks the second time regional sites have been named in advance of the NCAA Tournament team selections in softball. Site selections were based on geographic location, quality of facilities and quality of the experience for the student-athletes, including attendance history. Host institutions are not guaranteed a bid to the tournament.

The at-large teams, top-eight national seeds and first-round regional pairings will be announced Sunday, May 16, between 7 and 8 p.m. (CST) live on ESPNEWS. The bracket, which will not be re-seeded prior to the NCAA Women’s College World Series, will be only the second to include 64 teams since the championship began in 1982. Twenty-six Division I conferences receive automatic berths in the field of 64, along with 38 at-large selections.

The 23rd NCAA Women’s College World Series begins Thursday, May 27, at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. All of the games will be broadcast live on ESPN or ESPN2, and the television schedule, as well as more information on the championship, is available at www.ncaasports.com. Check Huskers.com for more information about the Nebraska regional as it becomes available.