May 14th, 2012
Texas State wins berth to NCAA regional tourney

The Texas State softball team after winning the Southland Conference tournament this weekend. TEXAS STATE PHOTO

STAFF REPORT

The Texas State softball team will take on Louisiana State University at 3 p.m. Friday, May 18 in the opening round of the 2012 NCAA Softball Championship Tournament in College Station.

The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3.

Friday will mark the sixth appearance for the Bobcat softball team in the NCAA Regional and the third time in four years. Texas State (38-15, 18-2 SLC) earned the postseason bid after claiming the Southland Conference Tournament title with a 3-0 victory over Sam Houston State on Sunday afternoon in San Antonio.

The game marked Texas State’s 13th straight win this season and second consecutive tournament title.

LSU (34-22, 15-13 SEC) earned an at-large bid after it finished sixth in the Big 12 standings. Texas State and the Tigers have not played each other since 2009.

No. 8 Texas A&M (40-16, 12-8 Big 12) will be the top seed in the region. A&M and Texas State played each other in early March, where the Aggies came away with a 3-2 walk-off victory.

Bethune-Cookman received the automatic bid out of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference after winning its third straight title. The Wildcats finished 30-29 overall and 11-4 in league play.

The winner of the College Station region will face the winner of the Columbia region. The four teams in the region are No. 9 Missouri, Illinois State, Massachusetts and DePaul.

NCAA College Station Regional

Friday, May 18

Game 1: LSU vs. Texas State – 3 p.m.
Game 2: No. 8 Texas A&M vs. Bethune Cookman – 6 p.m.

Saturday, May 19

Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner – TBA
Game 4: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser – TBA
Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner – TBA

Sunday, May 20

Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner – TBA
Game 7: Rematch if necessary – TBA