Princeton University Athletics
Hot Competition: What's In Store For The 2003 Ivy League Champs
May 13, 2003 | Softball
May 13, 2003
Arizona Hosts NCAA Regional
PRINCETON, N.J. - The Princeton softball team (24-19-1 overall, 11-3 Ivy) looks to carry its success in the Ivy League to Tucson, Arizona when it travels to the University of Arizona's Hillenbrand Stadium for the 2003 NCAA regional tournament this weekend.
The tournament commences Thursday, May 15 with games at 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 2 p.m. before the Princeton vs. South Carolina match-up at 4:30 p.m. Mountain time in Arizona's stadium that holds 2,956.
ARIZONA: The Top Seed
Arizona, which plays No. 8 seed Colorado State, is the top seed in the region and the No. 1 team in both the NFCA/USA Today and ESPN/USA Softball polls. The Wildcats (50-5 overall) appear in their 17th consecutive NCAA regional playoff, which they have won the past 15 years. They return six starters from last season's 6-4 postseason performance, including USA Softball Player of the Year finalist Lovie Jung. The senior is batting .442 with team highs of 18 doubles, 24 home runs, 72 RBIs, 162 total bases, and a 1.05 slugging percentage. Freshman Alicia Hollowell is also a Player of the Year finalist as she leads the Wildcats with a 0.79 ERA and 326 strikeouts on the mound.
SOUTH CAROLINA: Princeton's First Foe
The only other nationally ranked team in the Tucson region of the NCAA tournament is No. 2 seed South Carolina (38-18), which matches up with Princeton in its first game. The Gamecocks enter the tournament with a 19th place ranking in the two polls. South Carolina received an at-large bid after finishing fourth overall in the highly competitive Southeastern Conference. A total of six SEC schools made it to the NCAA tournament, including Alabama, LSU, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi State.
Senior third baseman Danielle Quinones leads Carolina in hitting with a .349 average and finished first among the conference's third basemen in defensive stats (.969). Second on the team in home runs with seven, four of those long balls came against SEC teams, the most by any Gamecock player this year.
Quinones and senior centerfielder Jodi Fittro, who has a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, both earned All-SEC honors. Fittro finished second on the team in hitting in SEC play with a .295 average and also has 26 RBIs.
Stacey Johnson and Melanie Henkos split time on the mound with 158 and 145 innings pitched, respectively. Johnson has the better 1.54 ERA with 126 strikeouts while Henkos has a team best 17-5 record.
This marks Carolina's fifth consecutive and 13th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Gamecocks have advanced to the tournament nine of the last ten years with their last appearance in the Women's College World Series coming in 1997.
After Arizona and South Carolina, the rest of the Tucson region is as follows: No. 3 seed Texas A&M, No. 4 seed Minnesota, No. 5 seed Cal State-Northridge, No. 6 seed Boston College, No. 7 seed Princeton and No. 8 seed Colorado State.
TEXAS A&M: The Super Seven
Texas A&M received an at-large bid after the No. 20 Aggies were defeated by Nebraska, which is ranked 10th in the nation, in the Big 12 tournament. Finishing the season at 35-20 overall and 10-8 in the conference, the Aggies placed seven players on the All-Big 12 team including first team selections of first baseman Kristin Gunter, shortstop Crystal Martin, and catcher Selena Collins.
MINNESOTA: Big Ten, Big Competition
Minnesota also earned an at-large bid with a fifth place finish and 12-8 mark in the Big Ten, which sent Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois, Northwestern, and Penn State to the NCAAs. The Golden Gophers have a 36-19-1 overall record led by Jordanne Nygren's .351 batting average, 15 homers, and 39 RBIs and by Piper Martin's 1.36 ERA and 294 strikeouts in 225 innings. This marks Minnesota's second straight NCAA appearance after going 1-2 in last season's regional tournament
CAL STATE-NORTHRIDGE: Back In The Groove
Cal State-Northridge enters the tournament at 26-21 after competing against nationally ranked UCLA, Alabama, Michigan, Arizona State, Oklahoma, and Cal State-Fullerton throughout the season. Northridge was one of four Big West teams that made it to the NCAAs and its at-large selection ends a one-year postseason hiatus for the Matadors. They have played in the postseason for 23 of the sport's 26 years of existence.
BOSTON COLLEGE: Representing The East
Boston College is 33-20 with a 14-5 Big East record and an at-large bid after falling to Villanova, 3-0, in the conference tournament. Kim Ryan was named the Big East Pitcher of the Year with a 2.00 ERA and 216 strikeouts in 154 innings, while Erin Mackey and Lisa Fischer earned All-Big East first team honors.
COLORADO STATE: The Underdog
Colorado State has a 37-13 overall record and a 13-7 mark in the Mountain West, which they won to earn the automatic bid to the NCAAs. The Rams have not appeared in the postseason since the 1997 regional championship game.
The regional tournament is a double-elimination bracket that sends one winner to the Women's College World Series on May 22-26 at the ASA Don E. Porter Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.
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