May 13, 2001

The USF softball team has been selected to compete in the NCAA Division 1 Regional Tournament for the 2001 season. The Bulls will be going to the University of Alabama for the six team double elimination tournament. The Bulls finished fourth in the Conference USA Tournament last weekend, with their first loss coming to C-USA champions Southern Miss.

It was an emotional night as the Bulls gathered in the "USF Green and Gold Room" located in the Sun Dome to watch the selection show. The Bulls, have four seniors that were hoping for a few more games in a USF uniform. After the final loss to Louisville in the C-USA Tournament, the Bulls were emotional, and hoping for an at large bid into the regional. The room was silent as they called the South Florida team as the fourth seed in Region 4, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. When their names had been called, not one USF player, coach, or other team staff could be found without tears in their eyes.

This berth into the Tournament marks the first time since 1998 that the USF Softball team has been in the NCAA Tournament. In that region, the Bulls hosted, eventually losing the semi-final game to USA Olympic pitcher Krista Williams and the Texas Longhorns.

The Bulls will play No. 14 Oregon State to start the tournament on Thursday, May 17th. The other teams in field include; No. 7 Alabama, No. 21 Michigan, Chattanooga, and Illinois-Chicago. The Bulls are joined by two other Conference USA teams in the NCAA's (Southern Miss and DePaul), and another four teams from the state of Florida (Florida Atlantic, Florida, Florida State, and Bethune-Cookman). Alabama will start play against last seed UIC, and Michigan and Chattanooga will face off as the final game in the first round of play.

The Bulls played Oregon State early in the season in a tournament at UCLA. In that match-up, the Bulls split a double header winning the first game 3-2 and dropping the second to the ranked opponent. Head coach, Ken Eriksen is optimistic about going into the tournament, having had some experience with most of the teams in the region. "What can you say, we played a tough schedule and it paid off for us in the end, that was the key to our selection." "This is a nice opportunity for our seniors to extend their careers, and it is nice to get back after two years of not making it." Eriksen was pleased with the selection, saying " The NCAA recognized how tough our schedule was, and that we played well with that schedule." Eriksen congratulated his team saying "this is big for USF."

The Bulls will practice Monday in preparation for the tournament, and prepare to travel Tuesday. After three years of making the regionals (1996, 97, 98), the Bulls have been left out of the tournament until now. USF softball has stepped to the next level of competition, playing one of the hardest schedules in the nation, and this year, the 2001 Bulls have been rewarded for their hard work.