Tampa to Meet Saint Leo to Open NCAA Softball Tournament
INDIANAPOLIS - The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has announced its pairings for the 2013 Division II Softball tournament, selecting the University of Tampa as the No. 4 seed in the four-team regional hosted by top-seed Valdosta State University.
Tampa will meet Sunshine State Conference opponent Saint Leo University on Friday at 4:30 p.m. Host and defending NCAA national champion Valdosta State will also meet Albany State University, the champions of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, on Friday.
The NCAA South Regional also features four teams that will play at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, the No. 2 seed. The Huntsville regional will feature North Alabama, Barry and West Alabama.
The Spartans enter the regional with a 31-8 overall record, including a 19-5 showing in Sunshine State Conference play. The Lions edged UT by one game for the SSC title, though Tampa two of three from Saint Leo on the road on May 8-9.
Kayla Cox leads Tampa as the dominating pitcher has a 0.45 ERA to go with a 23-4 record. Her season highlights include seven no-hitters, including a perfect game on Feb. 15. Opposing hitters are batting just .114 against the junior right-hander, as she has fanned 293 opposing hitters in 185.1 innings of work.
A total of four Spartans are hitting over .300, led by sophomore shortstop Kayleen Boatwright and her .344 clip. Stacy Piagno is hitting .333 and holds team honors with 35 RBI. Sophomore Meagan Burke sports a .325 average and a team-leading six home runs as Katie Bannon owns a .305 average.
For complete information on the 2013 NCAA Softball South Regional, please visit TampaSpartans.com.