AU softball set for NCAA Tourney

The NCAA Tournament is nothing new for the Auburn softball team.

The Tigers have qualified for the 64-team field four times in the past five seasons. That includes this year’s tournament, which begins for AU in College Station, Texas, today at 3:30 p.m.

The Tigers, the No. 2 seed in the College Station regional, will play third-seeded Louisiana Tech. The winner will advance to face the winner of today’s game between top seed Texas A&M and fourth-seeded Stephen F. Austin.

While the postseason is nothing new for the AU softball program, most of this year’s players will be making their NCAA Tournament debuts today. The Tigers (37-20) missed the tournament last season, which means this year’s freshmen and sophomores are NCAA tourney newcomers.

That total includes three of Auburn’s top four pitchers and three starting position players.

Head coach Tina Deese is looking forward to getting her young players some postseason experience.

“I think it’s going to be good for the girls in terms of experience,” Deese said. “We have several young ones, and I think it’ll be great for the seniors as well.”

The priority for Deese and her players is making sure this season’s postseason trip gets off to a good start.

Auburn has never won an NCAA Tournament opener. That’s a disturbing distinction: In the regionals’ double-elimination format, an opening-round loss drops a team into the loser’s bracket for the duration of its stay, making it difficult to put together an extended run.

Deese hopes this year is the year her team’s luck changes.

“We’ve won games, we’ve been in (regional) championship games, but we’ve never won the first game,” she said. “I think one of our goals is to win that first one, get off to a good start and see where we go from there.”

Auburn’s first opponent won’t make that task easy. Louisiana Tech (35-27) is one of the nation’s hottest teams. The Techsters won the Western Athletic Conference Tournament despite a losing conference record, upsetting four ranked teams in the process.

“Louisiana Tech is obviously very, very hot right now,” Deese said. “They’ve been playing some good ball.”

Auburn pitcher Anna Thompson, who missed three SEC series with a sore shoulder, is healthy, according to Deese. Thompson, a sophomore, will alternate with senior Brittany Day.

“I think we’re best when we have a mix,” Deese said. “I think … they’re our best right now. I think those two, mixed in like that, can go a long way.”

| 737-2561