The BYU softball team again achieved its spring tradition of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, as the Cougars won their 12th consecutive conference title and earned an automatic NCAA bid.
Now, they know where they’ll be headed in the NCAA regionals: Tempe, Arizona. BYU (36-15) will play Virginia Tech (33-13) in its opening game Thursday and will join a regional that includes host Arizona State (32-14) and Southern Illinois (37-14).
The NCAA bracket was revealed Sunday night.
BYU, which has won 24 of its past 26 games, will be trying to advance out of regional play for just the second time in school history. The Cougars advanced out of regionals to Super Regionals in 2010.
Before that can happen, though, BYU’s focus is on the Tempe regional. The Cougars and Hokies have never met on the softball field. BYU played Arizona State twice to open this season, getting swept by the Sun Devils.
Here’s a look at the schedule for the double-elimination tournament:
Thursday
All times MDT
5:30 p.m. — Game 1, BYU vs. Virginia Tech
8 p.m. — Game 2, Arizona State vs. Southern Illinois
Friday
TBD — Game 3, Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
TBD — Game 4, Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
TBD — Game 5, Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3
Saturday
TBD — Game 6, Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5
TBD — Game 7, If necessary