The good news is that the University of Utah softball team has received an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament. The bad news is that it was placed in the same region as the No. 2-ranked team in the country, Southwestern Louisiana.
The Utes got the word Sunday they will be playing Friday in Lafayette, La.The Utes, ranked ninth in the country with 46-10 record, open play in the four-team double-elimination tournament against third-seeded Princeton, the Ivy Group champ with a 41-14 record. Top-seeded Southwestern Louisiana (55-3) faces No. 4-seed McNeese State (35-20).
The Utes are one of three WAC teams in the eight-region 32-team field, Cal State Northridge and Fresno State also getting berths. The winners of the eight regionals will advance to the College World Series, May 26-30 at Oklahoma City.