Bulldogs Earn Second Straight NCAA Regional Berth
Maroon And White Headed To Lincoln, Neb., Regional As Four Seed
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The preceding hours were tense, the commercial breaks were suspenseful, but the Mississippi State softball team finally learned its postseason fate on ESPNews late Sunday evening -- the Bulldogs are headed to the postseason.
For the second-straight year, and the third time in four seasons, the Maroon and White will head to the NCAA postseason as one of six Southeastern Conference squads to earn berths. State will represent the league as the No. 4 seed in the Lincoln, Neb., regional and will face fifth-seeded Florida International at 10 a.m. CDT in the opening round of the double elimination bracket.
"What an honor for the Mississippi State softball program," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "This is a testament to our three seniors and all of their hard work in earning NCAA Regional berths in three out of their four years here."
Five other teams -- Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, LSU and Alabama -- also earned NCAA Regional berths, as did eight other squads on Mississippi State's 2003 schedule. The Maroons posted a a 9-17 record against the field of 64, including a 7-13 clip against teams seeded one through three in their respective regionals.
The Maroon and White earned NCAA Regional berths in both 2000 and 2002, collecting a 2-2 record as the No. 16 seed overall in 2000 at the Seattle, Wash., regional, and a 1-2 clip last season as the fifth seed in the Lafayette, La. Regional.
This year's NCAA Regional appearance will mark Miller's sixth trip to the postseason in his 21 years as a collegiate head coach. State's first-year head coach took the Missouri Tigers to five NCAA Regional appearances from 1988 to 2002, including NCAA Women's College World Series berths in 1991 and 1994. He also took NAIA powerhouse Oklahoma City to the national tournament in 1986 and 1987, finishing second in the country at the 1986 NAIA national championships.
Tickets for the NCAA Regional Tournament in Lincoln, Neb., can be purchased through the Nebraska Ticket Office, by logging onto www.Huskers.com or by calling 1-800-8-BIGRED. All session ticket prices are as follows: reserved ($50), adult general admission ($35), senior/youth general admission ($25). Single-session tickets will also be available, including reserved ($13), adult general admission ($9) and senior/youth general admission ($7).
2003 NCAA Division I Women's Softball Championship
Region 5 at Lincoln, Neb.
(All Times Central)
Thursday
Game 1, 10 a.m. - #4 Mississippi State (33-28) vs. #5 Fla. International (35-25)
Game 2, 12:30 p.m. - #1 Washington (40-14-1) vs. #8 Creighton (25-22)
Game 3, 3 p.m. - # 3 Iowa (40-13) vs. #6 Pacific, Calif. (34-22)
Game 4, 5:30 p.m. - #2 Nebraska (36-15) vs. #7 Hofstra (37-15)
Game 5, 8 p.m. ? Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser
Friday
Game 6, 10 a.m. ? Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Loser
Game 7, 12:30 p.m. ? Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner
Game 8, 3 p.m. ? Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner
Game 9, 5:30 p.m. ? Game 5 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser
Game 10, 8 p.m. ? Game 6 Winner vs. Game 7 Loser
Saturday
Game 11, 1 p.m. ? Game 9 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner
Game 12, 3:30 p.m. ? Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner
Game 13, 6 p.m. ? Game 11 Winner vs. Game 12 Loser
Sunday
Game 14, 1 p.m. - Game 12 Winner vs. Game 13 Winner
*Game 15, 3:30 p.m. ? Game 14 Winner vs. Game 14 Loser
* If Necessary