INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The 24th-ranked Anderson University softball team has been seeded fifth in the NCAA's Southeast Region and will face fourth-seeded Catawba College on Friday, as announced by the NCAA selection Committee Monday morning.
North Georgia (44-7), the No. 6 team in the nation, along with
fellow
Peach Belt Conference-member Georgia College (44-9), are the top
two teams in the region rankings, with each hosting half of the
eight-team field for the Southeast Region. Georgia College was
ranked eighth in the country in the most recent National Fastpitch
Coaches Association (NFCA) poll, which was released last
Wednesday.
The host and top-seeded Nighthawks will square off against No. 8
seed Limestone (28-13), which claimed the Conference Carolinas'
title, while Anderson (39-13) will face the Indians (29-15) for the
fourth time this season at UNG's Haines and Carolyn Hill
Stadium.
Friday's contest versus fellow South Atlantic Conference-member
Catawba will mark the third consecutive appearance by the Trojans
in the NCAA Division II Softball Championship and the second
matchup against the Indians in less than two weeks.
The Trojans and Indians have met 15 times on the diamond, with all but two of the meetings occurring since Anderson joined the South Atlantic Conference in 2011. Catawba owns a narrow, 8-7, edge in the all-time series between the two schools, and despite dropping all three meetings with Catawba this season, the Trojans have won seven of the last 11 matchups. Catawba swept the first two doubleheaders in 2009 and 2011, while the Trojans swept the 2013 and 2014 regular-season twin bills and a 2014 SAC Tournament meeting, while Catawba defeated AU for this year's SAC Tournament crown.
In the three contests versus the Indians this season, freshman all-conference selection Chelsea Jones led the Trojans offensively by going 3-for-7 at the plate with four walks. Senior Jessica Neidigh, freshman Cailah Niles and sophomore Courtney Czentnar each posted a home run.
The other half of the double elimination event features
second-seeded and nationally eighth-ranked Georgia College (44-9)
playing host to seventh-seeded Armstrong (30-14) in Milledgeville,
Ga., while third-seeded GRU Augusta (32-12) faces sixth-seeded
Carson-Newman (39-13).
The two winners will advance to a two-out-of-three Super Regional,
slated for May 15-16. The winner of the Super Regional will join
the other Super Regional winners in the NCAA National Finals,
scheduled to be held May 21-25 in Oklahoma City, Okla.
2015 NCAA Division II Softball
Southeast Region Tournament
Dahlonega, Ga.
Friday, May 8
Game One: No. 5 Anderson (39-13) vs. No. 4 Catawba
(29-15), 4 p.m.
Game Two: No. 1 North Georgia (44-7) vs. No. 8 Limestone (28-13),
6:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 9
Game Three: Game One winner vs. Game Two winner, noon
Game Four: Game One loser vs. Game Two loser, 2:30 p.m.
Game Five: Game Three loser vs. Game Four winner, 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 10
Game Six (Championship): Game Three winner vs. Game Five winner, 1
p.m.
Game Seven (if necessary): 3:30 p.m.
