May 13, 2012
ATLANTA – For the 11th straight season the Georgia Tech Softball team is headed to the NCAA Tournament. Tech will head to Tuscaloosa as announced by the NCAA live on ESPNU Sunday night where the Yellow Jackets will face South Alabama (39-15) in the first round of the tournament on Friday, May 18 at 4:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. CT.
Second seeded Tech (36-21) is coming off their third ACC Championship in the last four years. The Jackets busted out 33 hits en route to victories over Virginia (6-4), No. 19 Florida State (9-1) and Virginia Tech (9-1, five innings) to earn its fifth ever ACC Championship.
Also in the regional are host team and No. 2 seeded Alabama (50-7) and four-seed Tennessee-Martin (39-20) who the Jackets have previously faced this season.
The Jackets and three seed Jags have squared off just one time previously, as South Alabama is just in its sixth year as a varsity Division I program. Tech earned a 5-2 victory over the Jags back on February 13, 2009 in Gainesville, Fla. at the Lipton Invitational.
Tech fell 12-9 to No. 2 Alabama at the ACC/SEC/Big 12 Challenge in Auburn earlier in the year. However, the nine Tech runs were the most ever recorded against the Crimson Tide in school history. Tech is 3-13 all time against the Crimson Tide.
Tech and UT-Martin went to extra innings in a late night Buzz Classic game back on March 3. Tech got the better of the Skyhawks in extra innings earning an 8-6 victory in eight. The Jackets and Skyhawks are knotted at two-all in the series history.
The Yellow Jackets are 4-4 all-time when playing in the Tuscaloosa Regional and 19-20 all-time in the tournament. Tech is 11-7 in neutral sites in 2012.
Tech is 6-8 this season against ranked opponents notching victories over No. 8 Arizona (2-1), No. 20 Nebraska (6-5), No. 4 Oklahoma (1-0), No. 8 Georgia (2-0), No. 21 Florida State (5-4), and No. 19 Florida State (9-1, ACC Tournament).
Tuscaloosa Regional – May 18-20 at Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Georgia Tech (36-21) vs. South Ala. (39-15)
UT Martin (39-20) vs. No. 2 seed Alabama* (50-7)
Keep up to date with the Georgia Tech Softball team all season long at www.RamblinWreck.com as well as twitter.com/GaTechSoftball and facebook.com/GTSoftball
