Courtesy: Albany Athletic Media Relations
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The University at Albany softball team will head to University Park, Pa. to face #13 Oregon in the NCAA Tournament Regional on May 20 at 2:30 p.m. at the Nittany Lion Softball Park. The Great Danes, who won their fourth America East Conference Championship title on Saturday, will join host Penn State along with Fordham in the four-team regional field, with games slated for the May 20-22.
UAlbany (28-21) earned the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, winning three straight games in the conference championship to take home the crown. Led by the tournament’s most outstanding player, Brittany MacFawn, the Great Danes defeated top-seeded Boston U., 3-1, on its home field to claim the program’s fourth league title and NCAA berth. It was the first America East crown for UAlbany since 2007, when the Great Danes became the first conference team to win a game in NCAA play, advancing to the regional final against Baylor.
The Great Danes will take on 13th-ranked Oregon (39-14) in the first round of the double-elimination tournament. The Ducks are led by senior hurler Brittany Rumfelt, who led Oregon to a 5-0 win over defending national champion UCLA in the Pacific 10 Conference finale on Saturday. The Ducks finished third overall in the Pac-10 standings, tying the program’s second-best league finish.
Fordham (41-17), the Atlantic 10 Conference champions, will take on host Penn State (27-22), a team that earned an at-large bid out of the Big 10 Conference. The Rams and Nittany Lions will play in Friday’s second game, starting at 5 p.m.