ECU softball

By ECU Sports Information
Published in Sports on May 16, 2011 1:47 PM

• Print
• Email

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Conference USA automatic qualifier East Carolina will face Maryland in opening-round play of the College Park Regional in the 2011 NCAA Division I women's softball championships.

First pitch is 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The Pirates (39-20 overall) repeated as CUSA champions with a 4-1 victory over Tulsa on Saturday in Greenville. They became the first team to capture back-to-back CUSA crowns since DePaul in 2004-05. East Carolina entered this year's tournament as the No. 5 seed and emerged the lowest seed to claim the title, and the first host team to win the championship since Tulsa in 2006.

Joining ECU and the Terrapins in the four-team regional are No. 11 national seed Baylor (40-12) and Lehigh (33-21).

ECU lost two of three meetings against Maryland (39-17) this season, and scored a mercy-rule victory over Lehigh at the Pirate Classic in late February.

The Pirates are making their second straight postseason appearance and third in their last four seasons. East Carolina has made four trips overall to the NCAA tournament in program history.