May 16, 2007
ATLANTA – The 15th-ranked Georgia Tech softball team (53-14) will travel to Gainesville, Fla., for the NCAA Gainesville Regional, May 18-20, and will be the No. 2 seed. The Yellow Jackets, winners of 19 of their last 20 games, will face No. 3 seed Texas (33-18) on Friday at 3:30 p.m.
“We’re excited about heading to Gainesville and facing top-notch competition,” said first-year Tech Coach Sharon Perkins. “We are really playing well right now in all phases of the game and feel like we have as good as chance as anyone to come out of this regional.”
The double-elimination bracket will also feature host and No. 13 overall seed Florida (46-20) and No. 4 seed Stetson (44-20). The Jackets dropped a 5-1 decision to then-19th-ranked Gators at the NFCA Leadoff Classic on Feb. 23, and are 0-2 lifetime against UF. Tech and Texas have met twice in the history of the programs, with the Longhorns sweeping the Jackets, 1-0 and 5-3. The Rambling Wreck and Stetson are 2-2 against each other in the all-time series.
The winner of the NCAA Gainesville Regional will advance to the NCAA Super Regional, and will take on the winner of the NCAA College Station Regional, which hosts No. 4 overall seed Texas A&M (40-10), No. 2 seed ULL (46-16), No, 3 seed Houston (42-16) and No. 4 seed Sam Houston State (37-24).
The Yellow Jackets set several Atlantic Coast Conference single-season records this year, including batting average (.326), home runs (94), RBI (412), total bases (1006), slugging percentage (.543) and runs scored (446). Tech also set school records in hits (603) and single-season wins (53).
Senior Caitlin Lever, juniors Savannah Brown and Aileen Morales, and sophomore Whitney Haller all earned first team All-ACC honors for the Rambling Wreck. Lever is sixth in the nation with a .455 batting average, and set a new Tech record with 91 hits this season (8 shy of ACC record). Lever also became the first Jacket to make the Final 10 for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.
In the circle, junior Whitney Humphreys moved into fourth in the Tech record book with 23 wins this season. Sophomore Tiffany Johnson posted two saves in the circle last weekend at the ACC Tournament, and is sixth in the NCAA with five this year, one shy of matching Haller’s ACC record of six set in 2006.
The Jackets could potentially face two of the nation’s top pitcher’s this year. The Longhorns’ Meagan Denny will most likely get the nod in game one against Tech, and boasts a 20-15 record, 1.69 ERA and has 319 strikeouts. The top-seeded Gators have Stacey Nelson and she carries a 0.94 ERA, 30-13 mark and has 254 strikeouts.
NCAA Gainesville Regional Schedule
FRIDAY, MAY 18
Game 1 – #2 Georgia Tech vs. #3 Texas – 3:30 p.m.
Game 2 – #1 Florida vs. #4 Stetson – 6 p.m.
SATURDAY, MAY 19
Game 3- Winner of game 1 vs. winner of game 2 – 1 p.m.
Game 4 – Loser of game 1 vs. loser of game 2 – 3:30 p.m.
Game 5 – Loser of game 3 vs. winner of game 4 – 6 p.m.
SUNDAY, MAY 20
Game 6 – Winner of game 3 vs. winner of game 5
Game 7 (If Necessary) – Winner of game 6 vs. loser of game 6
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