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The University of Utah Athletics
Softball Gains At-Large Berth To NCAA Tournament
5/14/2000 12:00 AM | Softball
May 14, 2000
Utah Utes at NCAA Regionals
May 18-21 * Husky Softball Stadium * Seattle, Wash. * All Day (PST)
SALT LAKE CITY - The University of Utah received an at-large selection to compete in the 48-team NCAA Division I Softball Championships. The Utes are the No. 3 seed in Region I which will be played in Seattle, Wash., May 18-21. Utah will play Western Illinois in the first round of the double elimination event on Thurs., May 18, at 10:00 a.m. (PST) in Seattle, Wash. Six teams will compete in each of eight regionals with the winners advancing to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla., May 25-29.
The regular-season and conference tournament champion, Utah enters the tournament with a 39-21 record. Utah is making its first trip to the NCAA tournament since 1995 and its ninth NCAA overall. The Utes own a 13-19 NCAA record, including a 12-11 mark in NCAA regional play, and have advanced to the Women's College World Series four times (1982, '85, '91 and '94) with a 1-6 slate.
The Utes are led by Mountain West Conference Player of the Year and Championship MVP Kristin Arbogast, a junior pitcher from Eugene, Oregon. Arbogast posted a 37-17 record and 2.74 ERA with 54 starts in 59 appearances this season. She has struck out 199 batters and held opponent hitters to a .270 average. The Utes' supporting cast features five All-Mountain West Conference selections and five all-tournament team honorees. Niki Hayhurst was named the Freshman of the Year and made both the all-conference and all-tournament teams as the designated player. Senior catcher Sunny Smith and senior outfielder Jenny Monson made both the all-conference and all-tournament squads. Sophomore outfielder Molly McLean was named to the all-conference team, while sophomore third baseman Lindsey Trevis made the all-tournament squad.
The Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year, Mona Stevens, is in her fourth season with the Utes and brings a 147-87 record into the NCAA tournament.
Also competing in Region I are the host and No. 1 seed Washington (56-7), which faces Army (27-16) in the first round, and No. 2 seed Mississippi State (42-25) which will play Tennessee-Chattanooga (46-25).
"When you don't have an automatic bid, it's like having sweaty palms during a close game. When we saw that we were in, I felt relieved and excited at the same time. If we show up to play without fear and with a lot of intensity, we should be in the championship game with Washington. We've faced Washington four times this year and they're no mystery to us, but every team that has made it to this point is in it to win. We'll definitely have our hands full, but I'm confident in our team that we can continue winning," said Stevens.
Game Times:
Regional Games Thursday, May 18, 2000
| 10:00 a.m. | Game #3 | #3 Utah (Home) vs. #4 Western Illinois (Visitors) |
| 12:30 p.m. | Game #2 | #2 Mississippi State (Home) vs. #5 Tennessee-Chattanooga (Visitors) |
| 3:00 p.m. | Game #1 | #1 Washington (Home) vs. #6 Army (Visitors) |
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