Lenoir-Rhyne And Carson-Newman Earn Bids To NCAA Softball Championship

ROCK HILL, S.C. - Lenoir-Rhyne University and Carson-Newman College were part of the 64-team field selected to participate in the 2011 Division II Softball Championship, the NCAA announced Monday. L-R will host one-half of the 2011 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Tournament for the third consecutive year.

The four-team tournament, which begins on Fri., May 13, will consist of Lenoir-Rhyne (41-8), Armstrong Atlantic State (30-12), Carson-Newman (39-15-1) and USC-Aiken (26-16).

L-R enters the tournament ranked No. 6 in NCAA Division II and seeded second. Lenoir-Rhyne faces seventh-seeded USC-Aiken Friday at 4:30 p.m. The Bears have earned a berth to the NCAA Championship for the sixth straight year and seventh overall in school history. L-R also won both the South Atlantic Conference regular season and tournament championships for the second straight year in 2011.

The Carson-Newman Lady Eagles received the No. 6 seed in the southeast region and will face third-seeded Armstrong Atlantic State in the first contest of thetournament Friday, beginning at 2 p.m.

C-N is making a South Atlantic Conference record seventh straight NCAA Tournament appearance and 11th overall under head coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield. Carson-Newman is 10-20 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. The Lady Eagles won the 2009 Southeast Regional in Hickory to advance to the super regionals for the first time in school history.

The meeting bewteen C-N and Armstrong Atlantic will mark the second time the two teams have played each other in the postseason, as the Pirates defeated theLady Eagles, 3-2, in the 2006 South Regional.

North Georgia, the second-ranked team in the country with a record of 47-9, hosts the other half of the regional tournament. That tournament will take place in Dahlonega, Ga., and will features Flagler (40-16), Augusta State (34-18) and Erskine (24-15-1).

Tickets are $7 daily, and $4 for children 12 and under and students with proper identification.

The winners of the regional tournament will meet in the Super Regionals on May 20-21 at the site of the highest remaining seed. The 2011 NCAA Division II Women's College World Series will take place on May 26-30 in Salem, Va.

2011 NCAA Division II Softball Southeast Regional Tournament Hickory, N.C. (Bears Field)

FRIDAY, MAY 13
Game One: No. 3 Armstrong Atlantic State (30-12) vs. No. 6 Carson-Newman (39-15-1), 2 p.m.
Game Two: No. 2 Lenoir-Rhyne (41-8) vs. No. 7 USC Aiken (26-16), 4:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, MAY 14
Game Three: Game One winner vs. Game Two winner, 2 p.m.
Game Four: Game One loser vs. Game Two loser, 4:30 p.m.
Game Five: Game Three loser vs. Game Four winner, 7 p.m.

SUNDAY, MAY 15
Game Six (Championship): Game Three winner vs. Game Five winner, 1 p.m.
Game Seven (if necessary): 3:30 p.m.