HARRISONBURG, Va. - Binghamton, the America East softball champion, opens NCAA Regional play Thursday in the Harrisonburg Regional. The Bearcats will face 15th-seeded and host James Madison at 4:30 p.m. in their first game of the double elimination regional. N.C. State and Fordham round out the quartet of teams playing at JMU.
America East teams have won seven NCAA games since 2007 and made two regional finals.
Binghamton (24-19) is making its first-ever trip to the NCAA Division I Softball Tournament after capturing the America East championship this past weekend. Freshman pitcher Sarah Miller was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player and was joined by junior catcher Lisa Cadogan, junior outfielder Sydney Harbaugh and senior shortstop Caytlin Friis on the all-tournament team.
The Bearcats have been led this season at the plate by Cadogan and Harbaugh, both of whom earned their third straight first-team all-conference selections. Cadogan is batting .434 with 10 home runs and 52 RBI. Harbaugh, meanwhile, has a .343 batting average with nine home runs and 32 RBI. Also earning America East first-team honors this year was junior catcher Taylor Chaffee, who is currently hitting .311 with seven home runs and 28 RBI.
Although Binghamton is making its first appearance in the NCAA Division I Tournament, it advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament four consecutive years (1995-98). Known back then as the Colonials, the program competed at the Division III level until 1998. For the next three seasons, Binghamton was a Division II program before elevating to its current Division I status in 2002.
James Madison (47-8) is the No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament and is currently ranked No. 17 in the NFCA Top 25 poll. The Dukes are making their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance and fourth overall as a program after going 47-8 this season. Earlier in the season, James Madison turned in a program-record, 36-game winning streak.
N.C. State (35-20), which competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is also making its third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. Earlier in the season, the Wolfpack defeated Binghamton 7-0 on March 14 at its home invitational.
Fordham (36-18) captured its third straight Atlantic 10 title and is making its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in six years. The Rams beat Binghamton 6-4 back on March 13 at the N.C. State Invitational.