Lady Cougs step up to the NCAA plate

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After winning the WAC championship against Fresno State last weekend, BYU Softball faces their next opponent, Mississippi State, in the Eugene Regional of the NCAA Tournament this week.

BYU finished its season with an overall 43-13 record. Its victory in the WAC Tournament gave them an automatic spot in the bracket, and this will be its eighth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs have not attended since 2009.

With a No. 33 ranking, BYU stands just above Mississippi State, which holds a No. 35 spot with an overall 33-22 record. The winner of the Cougar-Bulldog face-off will play one of the other two teams in the regional, Portland State or Oregon.

The tournament is double-elimination, which means even if the Cougars lose during the regional, they could still have a chance to win the Women’s College World Series at the end of the bracket. Starting in the Eugene Regional gives BYU the potential to compete against equally talented teams as well as No. 11 Oregon.

“Every regional is a tough regional and this is no exception,”head coach Gordon Eakin said. “But we’re confident that if we continue to play BYU softball that we’ve got a chance to win.”

Playing BYU softball is what these girls do best, and they head into the tournament with an optimistic outlook despite their all-time 0-2 record against Mississippi State.

The Cougars and Bulldogs will play Thursday at 4 p.m. Mountain time. The game will be broadcast live on BYU Radio and the tournament will continue through Saturday.

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