OKLAHOMA CITY -- The sixth-ranked University of North Georgia softball team is set for its fourth appearance in the NCAA Division II Softball Championship and its first since 2011. The Nighthawks, champions of the Southeast Region, will face 10th-ranked Indianapolis, champions of the Midwest Region, in the opening round of the eight-team tournament on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.
The Nighthawks and the Greyhounds met once earlier this season on the opening weekend of the year at the UAH Charger Chillout. North Georgia got the best of U-Indy that day, with a 5-3 victory over the Hounds in eight innings. Courtney Poole pitched all 8 innings with Meagan May collecting the game-winning hit for UNG in the top of the eighth. The two teams were the only squads to win a super regional that featured a pair of top-10 teams.
This is the first year the NCAA has held the Division II championship at the same location of the Division I Women's College World Series, ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. The main stadium, which is currently undergoing a multi-phase renovation, will host games on Thursday, Sunday and Monday. Friday and Saturday's games will be played at Field Three in the ASA Hall of Fame Complex at the same site.
The eight-team field is split into two four-team brackets that will feature double elimination play with the loser of each winner's bracket game on Friday flipping into the opposite four-team bracket. The two teams that advance out of bracket play will face off in a winner-take-all National Championship Game on Monday at Noon CDT.
