Softball

Softball Earns Fourth Straight NCAA Tournament Bid

Softball Earns Fourth Straight NCAA Tournament BidSoftball Earns Fourth Straight NCAA Tournament Bid

May 15, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS -

NCAA Bracket in PDF Format

The San Diego State softball team earned a trip to the NCAA Division I Softball Championship for the fourth consecutive season and the seventh time in 11 years, the NCAA announced Sunday. The Aztecs (32-19) will play Long Beach State (37-16) at 2:30 p.m. PT Friday on the campus of Arizona State (50-6), the tournament's No. 1 overall seed. North Dakota State (30-25) is the other team in the double-elimination regional.

The entire Tempe Regional will be broadcast live on ESPNU, marking the third time in six years SDSU will play the first weekend of the tournament on the network (also 2006 and 2009).

San Diego State, which also made the tournament in 2001, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010, is 8-12 all-time in the NCAA championship and 9-15 against teams who made this year's tournament. Earlier this season, the Aztecs defeated Tempe Regional teams North Dakota State (3-2 on Feb. 11) and Long Beach State (3-0 on March 3).

This year, SDSU has set program records in slugging percentage (.444), runs (252), home runs (37) and RBIs (223).

This year's national tournament features 64 teams, with four teams participating at 16 regional sites in a double-elimination tournament. The regional winners will advance to super regional competition for a best-of-three series from May 26-29 at eight campus sites. The remaining eight teams will advance to the Women's College World Series (WCWS), an eight-team, double-elimination tournament with the championship final being a best-of-three series. The WCWS will be conducted June 2-8 at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.

2011 NCAA Division I Softball Championship
Regionals - Double-Elimination
Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium - Tempe, Ariz.
Entire Regional to be Broadcast Live on ESPNU
* Schedule and times subject to change due to television

Friday, May 20, 2011
Game 1: 2:30 p.m. PT - San Diego State (32-19) vs. Long Beach State (37-16)
Game 2: 5 p.m. PT - North Dakota State (30-25) at No. 1 overall seed Arizona State (50-6)

Saturday, May 21, 2011
Game 3: TBA - Winners of Game 1 and Game 2
Game 4: TBA - Losers of Game 1 and Game 2
Game 5: TBA - Loser of Game 3 and Winner of Game 4

Sunday, May 22, 2011
Game 6: TBA - Winner of Game 3 and Game 5
*Game 7: TBA - *If necessary