Carson-Newman, Lenoir-Rhyne Earn Bids To NCAA Softball Regional Tournament

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The sixth-ranked Carson-Newman Lady Eagles softball team has been selected as the top-seed in this week's NCAA South Atlantic Regional, the NCAA announced today, while Lenoir-Rhyne College received an at-large selection and is the third seed.

The South Atlantic Regional championship will be held on the campus of UNC Pembroke in Pembroke, N.C., at Lumberton Radiological Associates Softball Field from May 7-11.

Carson-Newman

C-N will face eighth-seeded Pfeiffer in the opening round on Wednesday afternoon in Pembroke, North Carolina.

Carson-Newman (48-6) earns the region's top spot after winning the 2008 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament title and capturing a share of the SAC regular season title.

The winner of Carson-Newman/Pfeiffer will face the winner of No. 4 Georgia College and State (GCSU) and No. 5 Francis Marion on Thursday.

No. 3 Lenoir-Rhyne joins C-N as the only other SAC team in the field. The Bears will take on #6 North Georgia. Host and second-seeded UNC-Pembroke will face No. 7 Armstrong Atlantic State University to round out the regional field.

Carson-Newman beat Pfeiffer twice in the only meetings between the two teams this season. Senior Zoe Heim (Gallatin, Tenn.) fired a ho-hitter, and sophomore Stephanie Templeton (Ringgold, Ga.) followed with a one-hitter as the Lady Eagles came away with a pair of 5-0 wins in an April 9 sweep of the Falcons in Misenheimer, North Carolina.

Pfeiffer (30-21) reached the regional by winning the Conference Carolinas Tournament title. The Falcons finished fourth in the regular season.

First pitch of Carson-Newman/Pfeiffer on Wednesday afternoon is at 1 p.m.

Lenoir-Rhyne

This season marks the third-straight year that the Bears have advanced to NCAA postseason play and the fourth time in program history. L-R has also won three straight South Atlantic Conference Regular Season Titles.

Lenoir-Rhyne (42-12), the recipient of the No. 3 seed, will take on sixth-seeded North Georgia College & State University (35-13) on Wednesday at 4 p.m. The meeting between the Bears and the Saints will be the first in school history.

In the first game of the tournament, fourth-seeded Georgia College & State University (39-12), winner of the 2008 Peach Belt Conference Tournament, will face No. 5 Francis Marion (33-13) at 11:00 a.m.

Top-seeded Carson-Newman College (48-6), who was granted an automatic bid by winning the 2008 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament, will play No. 8 Pfeiffer University (30-21), the automatic qualifier out of the Conference Carolinas, at 1:30 p.m.

Rounding out play in day one, host school, No. 2 UNC Pembroke (44-12) will take on seventh-seeded Armstrong Atlantic State (27-21) at 6:30 p.m.

NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional Softball Tournament
May 7-11, 2008
Pembroke, North Carolina
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
First Round

11 a.m. #4 Georgia College and State vs. #5 Francis Marion
1:30 p.m. #1 Carson-Newman vs. #8 Pfeiffer
4 p.m. #3 Lenoir-Rhyne vs. #6 North Georgia
6:30 p.m. #2 UNC-Pembroke vs. #7 Armstrong Atlantic State