VALDOSTA, GA. (vstateblazers.com) — The No. 9 Valdosta State softball team earned the No. 2-seed in the upcoming NCAA Division II South Regional, scheduled for May 19-22, at Steel's Diamond at Blazer Park, announced Sunday evening by the NCAA.
The Blazers will face the winner of the No. 3-seed Alabama Huntsville vs. No. 6-seed Mississippi College on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. ET. VSU is 34-8 overall and went 25-5 in Gulf South Conference play earning a share of the GSC regular season title. Auburn Montgomery earned the top-seed in the regional, while Rollins College is the No. 4-seed and West Florida is the No. 5-seed to round out the six-team field.
Rollins and West Florida kick off the South Regional, Wednesday at 1 p.m., followed by Alabama Huntsville versus Mississippi College at 3:30 p.m. The two losing teams from the first two games will play at 6 p.m., in an elimination game.
The second day of action will begin with Auburn Montgomery facing the winner of the Rollins vs. West Florida game at 1 p.m., followed by the VSU vs. the UAH/MC winner. The two losing teams from Thursday's first two games will play at 6 p.m. in an elimination game. There will be three games on Friday (1 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.) followed by the regional final Saturday at 1 p.m. and an "if necessary" game at 3:30 p.m., to crown the regional winner.
The winner of the regional will advance to the NCAA Division II National Championship, scheduled for May 27-31 at The Regency Athletic Complex at MSU Denver in Denver, Colo.
Click on the link to the right of this story for the complete NCAA South Regional Championship Central webpage.
Daily Session Tickets will be $10 for adults and $8 for youth and seniors, while Tournament Passes will be $25 for adults and $15 for youth and seniors. Tournament passes are available by calling 229-333-SEAT (7328), Monday-Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET. Daily Session tickets are not available in advance of the tournament and only will be available the day of the games. Doors will open 90 minutes prior to the first game of each day.
The Blazers were awarded hosting duties for the regional last month as the NCAA Division II Championships Committee chose pre-determined regional sites for the 2021 NCAA Division II Softball Championships. Due to health and safety protocols surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic, it is necessary to conduct all NCAA championship competition at predetermined sites. The committee believes the sites and hosts chosen will provide an exceptional and safe experience for all participants.
This will be the first time since 2016 the Blazers have hosted the South Regional and the eighth time overall in the history of the program. VSU is making its 19th appearance in the NCAA postseason (15th-straight) and is 56-38 all-time with a national title in 2012 and runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2014. The 56 victories by VSU in the postseason tie for the seventh-most all-time in NCAA Division II.
