Courtesy of Baylor Athletics
WACO, Texas – The Baylor softball team will find itself in a familiar position for the NCAA Super Regional round Friday and Saturday: Athens, Ga. Baylor’s last Women’s College World Series appearance went through the Georgia Bulldogs in 2011 in Athens, and the Lady Bears will look to repeat history in a best-of-three series Friday and Saturday.
Baylor and Georgia each went 3-1 in their respective regionals with Baylor defeating Tulsa 3-1 Sunday in Waco at Getterman Stadium while the Bulldogs beat North Carolina State in the deciding game in Athens, Georgia 7-0 Sunday night.
The Lady Bears (45-14) were the No. 13 seed headed into the NCAA Tournament and will be matched up with the No. 4 seed Georgia (49-13). The two teams will play beginning Friday at 2 p.m., EDT on ESPNU and Saturday at Noon EDT with the if-necessary game immediately following Saturday with both games broadcast on ESPN.
Baylor and Georgia are one of 16 teams remaining, and those that emerge from the NCAA Super Regional round will be headed to the Women’s College World Series, an eight-team double-elimination tournament to determine the national champion. Only two teams, Michigan and Nebraska, advanced out of the regional round unseeded. Michigan knocked off No. 9 seed Arizona State in Tempe, Arizona while Nebraska knocked off Missouri in the Columbia, Missouri regional.
The last time these two teams met was in the same position: in Athens, Georgia at the NCAA Super Regional in 2011. Baylor won game one May 28, 2011 5-1, dropped the second game May 29, 14-2, and took the if-necessary game 9-2 to advance to the WCWS.
Baylor’s Whitney Canion, Liz Paul, Holly Holl and Clare Hosack were all members of the Baylor team in 2011 that defeated Georgia while the Bulldogs’ Tiesha Reed is the only remaining member of the Georgia team that fell to Baylor in the Super Regional round.
