Monday, May 16, 2011

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. The JU softball team’s inaugural NCAA Tournament appearance will be against the one of the nation’s best, as the Dolphins will face defending national champion UCLA in the Gainesville regional starting on Friday, as announced on the ESPNU selection show Sunday night.

The Dolphins (43-14) will play the Bruins (33-17, 9-12 PAC 10) to start the double-elimination event, while the host Gators, seeded fourth nationally, will have Bethune-Cookman in the night cap to round out the first day.

“We are thrilled to be in this regional,” said JU head coach Amanda Lehotak. “Our kids like a challenge and these three teams are at the top of their conferences. UCLA is the defending national champion and there is no better way to gauge how far we’ve come than against one of the top teams in collegiate softball. We excited to be playing in this field.”

The Dolphins have won 25 of their last 27 contests, including three straight to the claim the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

JU is currently on a program-best 15-game winning streak, which includes a sweep against cross-town rival UNF to secure its first A-Sun regular season championship.

At the A-Sun Tournament, junior Amanda Schmidt smashed a two-run homer in the first game to secure a 4-1 win against Mercer, while freshman Karson Tuck had a three-run game-winning home run to help JU down Lipscomb, 3-1, to advance to the title game. The Lady Bisons fought their way back to the championship game, but the Dolphins finished them off with the help of two homers by Schmidt for a 7-1 win.

Junior Sarah Sigrest earned all three wins in the circle and fanned 15 total batters to be named tournament MVP and to the all-tournament team. Schmidt and Tuck also received all-tournament honors.

Sigrest, the 2011 A-Sun “Pitcher of the Year” has been rock solid for the Dolphins during the winning streak, recording a 12-0 record in 13 appearances and fanning 77 batters for an 0.56 ERA. She currently has a 1.01 ERA (fifth nationally) and 200 strikeouts on the year, both school records.

Sophomore Sarah Simon is batting .436 (17-39) with two home runs and 11 RBI during the streak, while junior Amanda Schmidt has 24 RBI.

The Bruins came into the tournament after dropping eight of their last 10 games in Pac-10 play. Florida took an early exit from the SEC Tournament, but boasts 47-9 record. The Lady Wildcats (33-24) won the MEAC Tournament to get their ticket into the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.