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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ORANGE, Calif. – Not surprising, the Chapman University softball reached the NCAA Division III playoffs for the fifth consecutive year and 11th time in 13 seasons under head coach Janet Lloyd. What comes as a bit of a shock is where the Panthers will have to go to try to win their third regional championship in four years: Pineville, Louisiana. Chapman (28-11), ranked No. 5 in the nation by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, will travel to Louisiana College for the regional playoffs, which begin Thursday. The Wildcats will host the event, earning the No. 1 seed and a first round bye. The Panthers will be the No. 5 seed in what has been deemed the toughest regional in the nation and will face No. 4 Trinity University (Texas) on Thursday at 12 p.m. (central time). Trinity finished 25-10 overall this season. The winner gets a same-day date with top-seeded Louisiana College. No. 2 Linfield College (Ore.), No. 3 Mississippi College, No. 6 Redlands and No. 7 Hardin-Simmons University (Texas) round out the tournament bracket. Of the seven tournament participants, four are currently ranked in the top-10 in the Division III coaches poll. The team that advances to Salem, Va. will be the No. 1 seed at the World Series. Chapman posted a 4-1 record against the regional field in 2007, defeating both Louisiana and Trinity at the Leadoff Classic in March; beating Linfield at home on a walk-off home run in the seventh inning and splitting a doubleheader with Redlands last month. The Panthers are led by senior RHP Maggie Wilder (14-4, 1.27 ERA, 127 K) who defeated seven toip-25 opponents this season. Offensively, sophomore OF Erin Dudzinski (.414, 13 2B, 15 SB) and junior IF Catherine Hall (.355, 7 HR, 41 RBI) helped Chapman to a .339 team batting average and over 6.3 runs per game.
Complete listing of NCAA playoff selections: |
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