NU to Host NCAA Regional at Bowlin Stadium

The <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Nebraska softball team not only received an at-large berth to the 2005 NCAA Tournament on Sunday, but learned it will play host to its third straight NCAA Regional. The four-team regional will take place this weekend at Bowlin Stadium, with play beginning at 4 p.m. on Friday.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

Joining NU in Lincoln for the three-day tournament will be Washington, Iowa and Creighton. Washington is the top seed in the regional and the No. 16 national seed. The tournament’s first game pits the third-seeded Huskers against the No. 2 seed Iowa Hawkeyes. Fourth-seeded Creighton and Washington will meet at 7 p.m. in the second game of the day. The winner of the Lincoln regional advances to the Super Regional, May 27-28 at a site to be determined.

 

NU will face familiar foes this week, as Iowa and Creighton have traveled to Lincoln for regional play in each of the last two seasons. Washington won the 2003 NCAA Regional at Bowlin Stadium to advance to the Women’s College World Series.

 

The path to the Super Regional will not be an easy one, as each team has appeared in the NFCA/USA Today Coaches Poll this season. In the final regular-season rankings, the Huskies were ranked 21st, while Iowa came in at No. 22 and the Huskers rounded out the poll as the 25th-ranked team. Although Creighton is not ranked in the current poll, the Bluejays rose to as high as No. 22 earlier this season.

 

NU went 2-2 at the Big 12 Tournament last week to finish the regular season with a 35-21 record. With a win over 10th-ranked Oklahoma in the first round of the tournament, the Huskers notched their eighth consecutive season with 35 or more wins. Although the Huskers finished seventh in the Big 12 Conference, a schedule that ranked as the 16th-toughest in the nation and included 18 games against teams ranked in the top 25 and 30 games against teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament bolstered NU’s resume.

 

The Huskers posted a 1-2 record against the teams in the Lincoln Regional, including a pair of extra-inning losses to in-state rival Creighton and a 4-1 triumph over Washington. Nebraska and Iowa have not met this season.

 

Even with a good record against one of the toughest schedules in the nation, NU was still awaiting its postseason fate before the announcement was made. A concern was the seventh-place finish in the Big 12, as only once before in league history had the seventh-place team advanced to the NCAA Tournament, but a record eight Big 12 teams were selected for the tournament and Nebraska is one of five league school that will host an NCAA regional this weekend.

 

NU Head Coach Rhonda Revelle was excited for the Huskers’ 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament bid and the chance for more games at Bowlin Stadium.

 

“The most important thing is that we’re in, and the surprise of the night is that we’re hosting,” Revelle said. “It’s really exciting to be at home. To see eight teams from our conference get in really speaks well for the quality of our league.”

 

 

2005 Lincoln, Neb. Regional Schedule

Friday, May 20

Nebraska vs. Iowa, 4 p.m. (Game 1)

Creighton vs. Washington, 7 p.m. (Game 2)

 

Saturday, May 21

Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 1 p.m. (Game 3)

Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 4 p.m. (Game 4)

Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser, 7:30 p.m. (Game 5)

 

Sunday, May 22

Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 1 p.m. (Game 6)

Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 3:30 p.m. (If necessary)