Spring Break
Softball team hosts Super Regional against Ohio State
BEN BUSSARD
Issue date: 5/18/09 Section: Sports
The Georgia softball team returns home and gets an opportunity that eluded them in the regional round of the NCAA Tournament.
Even though the Bulldogs (42-10) are the No. 6 overall seed in this year's NCAA Tournament, due to traveling arrangements, they were not able to host a four-team regional.
Instead, the Bulldogs were forced to travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., and managed to post a 3-0 record and advance to the NCAA Super Regionals, which will be held at the UGA Softball Stadium.
Georgia faces Ohio State in the Super Regional, a team the Bulldogs were scheduled to play in March but were unable to because of inclement weather.
The No. 11 seed Buckeyes (47-9) made quick work of Canisius, Brigham Young, and Kentucky at New Buckeye Field in Columbus, Ohio, to win their first NCAA Regional in school history.
The Buckeyes are entering unchartered territory when they visit Athens but it will be the Bulldogs second consecutive trip to the Super Regionals.
Georgia's top performers from the Chapel Hill Regional included sophomores Alisa Goler and Taylor Schlopy, who led the Bulldogs at the plate during the regular season.
Goler posted a .556 batting average and hit her 21st home run of the season over the three-game series while Schlopy contributed with a .545 on-base percentage, scored three runs and stole two bases.
However, the biggest factor at the plate for the Bulldogs in their impressive regional victory was the return of sophomore second baseman Megan Wiggins.
Wiggins clinched the regional championship for Georgia when she hit a two-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning against North Carolina after missing 20 games with a broken hand.
Senior pitcher Christie Hamilton and sophomore pitcher Sarah McCloud combined to throw 21 innings over the weekend and posted an impressive 1.29 ERA.
The Bulldogs will need a similar pitching effort in order to defeat an inexperienced yet determined Ohio State team that posted the fifth-best winning percentage in the nation (.830).
The Bulldogs and Buckeyes will play a best-of-three series starting Thursday at 7 p.m. with the winner advancing to the Women's College World Series.
"Every game we play is experience for us and we're happy to still be playing. We can't wait to get home and get some rest and get back at it," head coach Lu Harris-Champer said, "We just want to do what we've done all year long. All we've got to do is what we do every day."
Even though the Bulldogs (42-10) are the No. 6 overall seed in this year's NCAA Tournament, due to traveling arrangements, they were not able to host a four-team regional.
Instead, the Bulldogs were forced to travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., and managed to post a 3-0 record and advance to the NCAA Super Regionals, which will be held at the UGA Softball Stadium.
Georgia faces Ohio State in the Super Regional, a team the Bulldogs were scheduled to play in March but were unable to because of inclement weather.
The No. 11 seed Buckeyes (47-9) made quick work of Canisius, Brigham Young, and Kentucky at New Buckeye Field in Columbus, Ohio, to win their first NCAA Regional in school history.
The Buckeyes are entering unchartered territory when they visit Athens but it will be the Bulldogs second consecutive trip to the Super Regionals.
Georgia's top performers from the Chapel Hill Regional included sophomores Alisa Goler and Taylor Schlopy, who led the Bulldogs at the plate during the regular season.
Goler posted a .556 batting average and hit her 21st home run of the season over the three-game series while Schlopy contributed with a .545 on-base percentage, scored three runs and stole two bases.
However, the biggest factor at the plate for the Bulldogs in their impressive regional victory was the return of sophomore second baseman Megan Wiggins.
Wiggins clinched the regional championship for Georgia when she hit a two-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning against North Carolina after missing 20 games with a broken hand.
Senior pitcher Christie Hamilton and sophomore pitcher Sarah McCloud combined to throw 21 innings over the weekend and posted an impressive 1.29 ERA.
The Bulldogs will need a similar pitching effort in order to defeat an inexperienced yet determined Ohio State team that posted the fifth-best winning percentage in the nation (.830).
The Bulldogs and Buckeyes will play a best-of-three series starting Thursday at 7 p.m. with the winner advancing to the Women's College World Series.
"Every game we play is experience for us and we're happy to still be playing. We can't wait to get home and get some rest and get back at it," head coach Lu Harris-Champer said, "We just want to do what we've done all year long. All we've got to do is what we do every day."
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