Wright State opens NCAA Softball Championship against Michigan
May 11, 2008
INDIANAPOLIS - Wright State University will take on the University of Michigan in the Ann Arbor regional of the NCAA Softball Championship at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
The Raiders (13-7 Horizon League, 33-24 overall) earned the League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after they shutout Cleveland State 2-0 in the title game of the Horizon League Championship. WSU will make its third NCAA appearance in school history (2003, 2007).
Wright State won four straight games in the League tournament, two of which were come from behind victories. In addition the Raiders outscored their opponents 17-8 during the four-game stretch.
Michigan (48-6) earned the No. 4 seed in the NCAA Championship. The Wolverines tied Northwestern for the Big Ten regular-season title, but U of M was upset by Michigan State in the first round of its conference tournament.
Notre Dame (37-20-1) and Kent State (44-10) join the Raiders in the Ann Arbor regional. The two teams will faceoff at 4:30 on Friday. Wright State will face the winner of the Notre Dame-Kent State matchup on Saturday at a time to be determined by Friday's results.
During the 2008 regular season, Wright State led the League in 12 offensive categories, including batting average (.321), runs scored (321) and home runs (62).
Senior outfielder Jherica Williams and sophomore pitcher Sharon Palma lead the Raiders into the NCAA Championship. Williams was selected as the 2008 Horizon League Player of the Year, while Palma was tabbed Most Valuable Player of the League tournament
2008 NCAA Softball Championship Pairings
Gainesville Regional - May 16-18 at Gainesville, Florida
*No. 1 seed Florida (62-2) vs. Georgia Tech (31-29)
Central Florida (46-18) vs. South Florida (44-18)
Fresno Regional - May 16-18 at Fresno, California
San Diego State (43-15) vs. California (40-24)
Sacramento State (32-19) vs. *No. 16 seed Fresno St. (51-11)
Baton Rouge Regional - May 16-18 at Baton Rouge, Louisiana
*No. 9 seed LSU (42-16) vs. Mississippi Valley St. (28-26)
East Carolina (36-28) vs. La.-Lafayette (46-12)
Houston Regional - May 16-18 at Houston, Texas
Washington (28-23-1) vs. Texas (28-21-2)
Delaware State (29-23) vs. *No. 8 seed Houston (50-9)
College Station Regional - May 16-18 at College Station, Texas
*No. 5 seed Texas A&M (49-7) vs. Stephen F. Austin (36-23)
Louisiana Tech (35-27) vs. Auburn (37-20)
Amherst Regional - May 16-18 at Amherst, Massachusetts
* Massachusetts (36-11) vs. Princeton (25-22)
Lehigh (38-15-1) vs. No. 12 seed Stanford (46-12)
Knoxville Regional - May 16-18 at Knoxville, Tennessee
*No. 13 seed Tennessee (47-14) vs. Winthrop (36-17)
Louisville (30-21) vs. Virginia Tech (44-15)
Ann Arbor Regional - May 16-18 at Ann Arbor, Michigan
Notre Dame (37-20-1) vs. Kent State (44-10)
Wright State (33-24) vs. *No. 4 seed Michigan (48-6)
Tuscaloosa Regional - May 15-17 at Tuscaloosa, Alabama
*No. 3 seed Alabama (51-6) vs. Chattanooga (41-20)
Jacksonville St. (38-14) vs. Florida St. (37-26)
Iowa City Regional - May 16-18 at Iowa City, Iowa
Missouri (44-15) vs. *Iowa (40-18)
Creighton (43-15) vs. No. 14 seed Long Beach St. (39-15)
Evanston Regional - May 16-18 at Evanston, Illinois
*No. 11 seed Northwestern (37-13) vs. Western Illinois (14-31)
Drake (29-24) vs. DePaul (48-16)
Tempe Regional - May 16-18 at Tempe, Arizona
Mississippi St. (40-20) vs. Hawaii (38-18)
Stony Brook (33-21-1) vs. *No. 6 seed Arizona St. (56-5)
Hempstead Regional - May 16-18 at Hempstead, New York
No. 7 seed Arizona (36-16) vs. Canisius (38-12)
Long Island (34-15) vs. *Hofstra (43-11)
Norman Regional - May 16-18 at Norman, Oklahoma
Arkansas (36-27) vs. Tulsa (34-23)
Oregon (33-27) vs. *No. 10 seed Oklahoma (43-12)
Chapel Hill Regional - May 15-17 at Chapel Hill, North Carolina
No. 15 seed Georgia (43-22) vs. Campbell (41-23)
Brigham Young (42-18) vs. *North Carolina (50-10-1)
Los Angeles Regional - May 16-18 at Los Angeles, California
Nevada (42-16) vs. Purdue (34-21)
Cal St. Fullerton (27-26-1) vs. *No. 2 seed UCLA (45-7)
* - Host institutions
