Princeton University Athletics
Princeton Softball Ticketed for Amherst Regional
May 11, 2008 | Softball
PRINCETON -- The Princeton softball team's eight-day wait to find out its NCAA Regional destination ended Sunday night when the Tigers learned they would play in the Amherst Regional hosted by Massachusetts next weekend.
Familiar names will await the Tigers as Princeton has already faced the region's top seed, Stanford, as well as the Cardinal's first opponent, Lehigh, this season. Princeton dropped both games, but a rematch with at least one of those teams will take place next Saturday with heightened stakes.
Princeton is the third seed of the four in the Amherst Regional with Massachusetts as a hosting second seed and Stanford as the bracket's overall No. 12 seed of 64 teams. Only the top 16 teams -- one in each four-team regional -- are assigned overall seeds.
The Tigers have a history with Massachusetts as well. Princeton is 3-0 all-time in the postseason in Amherst, having swept that regional in 1996 to advance to the Women's College World Series. Pulling that feat required two wins over Boston University and one over the host Minutewomen. The tournament has since expanded, and the winner of the Amherst Regional will enter into a best-of-three series with the winner of the College Station Regional hosted by Texas A&M for a trip to this year's WCWS.
Princeton is 10-7 all-time against Massachusetts but has not faced the Minutewomen since 2000. The Tigers are 28-7 against Lehigh including a win in the only postseason meeting in 2005 at the Tucson Regional. The history with Stanford is much more recent with the Cardinal holding a 2-1 advantage. Princeton won the first meeting on Stanford's turf in 2005 but lost there in 2006 and earlier this season.
Princeton's first game will be at 5 p.m. Friday against Massachusetts.