May 3, 2004
WACO, Texas - Baylor is one of eight regional sites selected for the 2004 NCAA Division I Softball Championship the NCAA Division I Softball Committee announced today. The selection marks the first time in school history Baylor will host a NCAA Division I Softball Championship regional.
With the selection, Getterman Stadium will play host to one of eight regional fields that will feature eight teams in a double-elimination tournament. All regional games are scheduled to be conducted Thursday, May 20, through Sunday, May 23.
"Being awarded a NCAA regional is a credit to the outstanding work of head coach Glenn Moore, his staff and our student-athletes in building the Baylor program into a major player in collegiate softball," Baylor Director of Athletics Ian McCaw said. "This will be a wonderful opportunity to showcase Getterman Stadium as one of the finest softball facilities in the nation and will be a source of pride for our community and Baylor University."
In addition to Baylor, the regional sites, with host institutions are as follows: Tucson, Arizona (University of Arizona); Los Angeles (University of California, Los Angeles); Tallahassee, Florida (Florida State University); Athens, Georgia (University of Georgia); Ann Arbor, Michigan (University of Michigan); Lincoln, Nebraska (University of Nebraska, Lincoln); and Stanford, California (Stanford University).
Site selections were based on geographic location, quality of facilities and quality of the experience for the student-athletes, including attendance history. Host institutions are not guaranteed a bid to the tournament.
"We are extremely excited to be selected as one of the host institutions for the upcoming NCAA Softball Championships," Baylor head coach Glenn Moore said. "We have been waiting for this opportunity for a long time and we are extremely excited we will be able to showcase our world-class softball facility to some of the top teams in the country."
Tickets to the 2004 NCAA Softball Championship in Waco, Texas, are available now and can be purchased through the Baylor ticket office by calling 1-800-BAYLOR-U or 254-710-1000. Tournament passes for admission into all games are $50 for reserved seating, $35 for adult general admission and $20 for student general admission.
Current Baylor softball season-ticket holders will have until Wednesday, May 12, to purchase their current seats for the 2004 NCAA Division I Softball Championship in Waco, Texas.
Following the May 12 deadline, the seats will be released to the general public for purchase. Should the No. 21 Baylor softball team be chosen to play at Getterman Stadium, the Lady Bears will own a unique edge in the tournament. So far this year, Baylor is 24-2 at Getterman Stadium, with the Lady Bears only losses coming at the hands of nationally-ranked Pacific and Oklahoma Christian University.
The at-large teams, top-eight national seeds and first-round regional pairings will be announced Sunday, May 16, between 8 and 9 p.m. Eastern time, live on ESPNews. The bracket will not be reseeded prior to the Women's College World Series.
Twenty-six Division I conferences receive an automatic berth in the field of 64, along with 38 at-large selections.
Winners of the regional tournaments will advance to the 23rd Women's College World Series at Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla., beginning on Thursday, May 27. All of the games will be broadcast live on ESPN or ESPN2 (except game 14), and the television schedule, as well as more information on the championship, is available at www.ncaasports.com.
