On May 13, the NCAA released their 2012 Division I Softball Championship bracket, announcing the regional line-ups for the Nation’s top 64 softball programs, including the teams of all seven of our 2012 USSSA Pride Draftees.
Draftee Valerie Arioto and her team, the number 1 seed Cal Bears will host Iona, Boston University, and Arkansas in the University. Cal will face Iona on May 18 at 7 p.m..
The winner of the Cal tournament will take on the champion of the Seattle regional, hosted by Draftee Nikia Williams and her team, the number 16 seed University of Washington. The Huskies will take on Harvard, Texas Tech, and Maryland, and will kick off their regional run at 6 p.m. on May 18 vs. Harvard.
Draftee Andrea Harrison and the number 12 seed UCLA host their regional tournament in Los Angeles. Hofstra, Florida State, and San Diego State will compete against UCLA, who will play their first game of the tournament on May 18 versus Hofstra at 5:30 p.m.
The winner of the Los Angeles Tournament will take on the winner of the regional tournament hosted by the number 5 seed University of Florida and Pride Draftee Michelle Moultrie. The Gators will face Florida Gulf Coast University, the University of Central Florida, and the University of South Florida in Gainseville. The tournament opens on May 18 at 3:30 p.m. when Florida takes on UCF.
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette earned the number 14 seed. The Ragin Cajuns and Draftee Christi Orgeron will host Stanford, Baylor, and Mississippi down in Lafayette from May 18-20.
Draftee Kristyn Sandberg and the number 10 seed Georgia Bulldogs will host their own regional tournament featuring Georgia Southern, North Carolina, and Coastal Carolina. On May 18 at 5 p.m., Georgia will play in their first bout of the tournament against Coastal Carolina.
Louisiana State University, home to both draftee Brittany Mack and head coach Beth Torina, will play in a regional tournament hosted by Texas A&M, which also includes Texas State and Bethune Cookman College. LSU and Texas State kick off the tournament at 3 p.m. on May 18.
Click here to see the 2012 NCAA Division Division I Softball Bracket in it’s entirety.
By Caitlin Schwartz
About USSSA Florida Pride:
The USSSA Florida Pride is a professional franchise in the National Pro Fastpitch League that is owned and operated by USSSA. The amateur organization of USSSA has multi-sport coverage and encompasses teams and players from the United States and abroad.
About NPF:
National Pro Fastpitch is headquartered in Nashville, TN. The league, created to give elite female fastpitch players the opportunity to pursue a professional career in their chosen sport, has operated since 1997 under the names of Women’s Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women’s Pro Softball League (WPSL). NPF is the Official Development Partner of Major League Baseball in the category of women’s fastpitch softball since 2002.
About USSSA:
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, USSSA is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Karate, Basketball, Soccer and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!