ATHENS, Ga. - America East softball champion Maine will begin NCAA regional play Friday when it takes on 16th-seeded Georgia.
The Black Bears (28-19) and Bulldogs (40-17) square off at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN3. Oklahoma State (29-24) and Northwestern (26-26) will meet in the opening game of the regional. The regional continues with three games Saturday and up to two on Sunday. The winner of the four-team regional will head to Super Regionals next week.
Maine is making its third NCAA tournament appearance all-time, previously appearing in 1994 and 2004.
America East teams have won seven NCAA games since 2007 and made two regional finals.
Maine outscored opponents 24-4 in going 3-0 at the America East Championship, becoming the first team to go unbeaten in the conference tournament since 2012. The Black Bears, who placed second in the conference standings in the regular season to earn their best seed since 2010, beat Albany 14-1 in the championship game Saturday.
The Black Bears feature the America East Player, Pitcher and Rookie of the Years in Janelle Bouchard, Erin Bogdanovich and Alyssa Derrick.