'Dogs Awarded Bid To NCAA Regionals
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State softball team was among the 48 teams awarded berths for the 2002 NCAA Regionals and will head to Lafayette, La., as the fifth seed in NCAA Regional 3, hosted by Louisiana-Lafayette, the NCAA announced Sunday evening. The Bulldogs (35-29) will open against a familiar foe, taking on fourth-ranked and second-seeded Arizona State in the opening round. The Bulldogs upset the Sun Devils earlier this season at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga. In other games at the regional, top-seeded and third-ranked LSU (53-9) will face sixth-ranked Northwestern State (45-23) and third-seeded and host team Louisiana-Lafayette (49-11) will square off against UMass (52-11) in their opening game. LSU (SEC), UMass (Atlantic 10), Northwestern State (Southland Conference) won their conference tournaments to earn an NCAA regional bid, with the other half of the field all receiving at large bids. Seven Southeastern Conference teams received bids to NCAA Regionals. It marked the second-most regional bids ever received by the SEC. A record eight teams received bids in 2000. "We are thrilled to be a part of the 48-team field and feel that our players are very deserving of such an honor," said Mississippi State head coach Kathy Arendsen. The Bulldogs, who returned home Sunday afternoon from the conference tournament in Chattanooga, Tenn., gathered at the home of Arendsen Sunday evening to view the selection show. The Maroon and White will depart from Humphrey Coliseum for NCAA Regional 3 on Tuesday afternoon. First pitch of their opening game is still to be determined.