Lenoir-Rhyne, Catawba Earn Bids to NCAA Softball Championship
INDIANAPOLIS - Lenoir-Rhyne and Catawba have been selected to compete in the 2012 NCAA Division II Softball Championship, it was announced on Monday. Southeast Regional competition is slated to get underway on May 4.
The double-elimination Championship bracket consists of 64 teams. Following the regional rounds, super regionals will be held on May 11-12, and the finals will take place on May 16-19 in Louisville, Ky., as part of the Division II Spring Sports Festival.
At 46-11 overall, Lenoir-Rhyne is the Southeast Region's No. 3 seed. The Bears won both the SAC regular season and tournament titles in 2012.
L-R went 14-4 in SAC play, and enters the NCAA Championship on a nine-game winning streak.
Lenoir-Rhyne's first-round opponent will be SAC-foe Catawba, which earned an at-large bid and the region's No. 6 seed.
The Lady Indians went 12-5 in conference play this season to finish second in the final standings. Overall, Catawba is 33-17 on the season.
Lenoir-Rhyne has now been selected to seven-straight NCAA Championships, while Catawba is making its first appearance in school history.
First pitch between Lenoir-Rhyne and Catawba is set for noon on May 4 in Savannah, Ga., on the campus of Armstrong Atlantic.