Eagles Open NCAA Tournament Play on Friday
5/17/2012 8:30:55 AM | Softball
ATHENS, Ga. - Georgia Southern Softball enters NCAA Tournament Play for the first time since 2006 this weekend with a trip to the NCAA Athens Regional. The 2012 Southern Conference Champions open the postseason with a 42-18 overall record and play No. 22 North Carolina in Friday's opener at 2:30 p.m. The other two teams in the regional, Georgia and Coastal Carolina face-off at 5 p.m. on Friday.
Every game of the 2012 Athens Regional will be streamed for free on GeorgiaDogs.com.
Sarah Purvis (Warner Robins, Ga.), the SoCon Pitcher of the Year, picked up the SoCon Tournament's Most Outstanding Player award after pitching the Eagles into the Championship Series with three masterful games. Her week was highlighted by a two-hitter against Chattanooga, the nation's top offense.
The Eagles clinched the tournament berth behind a solid pitching performance by Allie Miles (Dacula, Ga.). She struck out eight including the final out of the game for the Eagles' third SoCon Crown.
Georgia Southern is led offensively by senior Marie Fogle (Rincon, Ga.) with a .399 batting average. She has hit nine home runs this year and posted 30 RBIs in her final campaign for the Eagles. Fellow seniors Mackenzie Williams (Baxley, Ga.) and Hanna Ennis (Snellville, Ga.) check in with .258 and .242 batting averages, respectively. Williams set a school record with 47 walks this year while Ennis was named second team All-SoCon after the regular season.
The hot bat for the Eagles this year has been Tabby Douberley (Clyo, Ga.) with a .448 average over the last 10 games. She has a pair of home runs and eight RBIs over the stretch. Andrea Tarashuk (Flemington, N.J.) has also been solid over the last 10 games, hitting .424 with a pair of home runs and six RBI.
In 2006, the Eagles' last trip to the postseason, Georgia Southern was also sent to the Athens Regional. That year as the No. 4 seed, GSU lost the opener to Georgia before responding with a win over Coastal Carolina in an elimination contest.
Georgia Southern will look to improve on its 0-5 all-time record against North Carolina in a series which has been dormant since 2004. The Eagles faced Georgia and Coastal Carolina in the regular season, defeating Coastal 5-2 on February 12th in Conway, S.C. GSU dropped a 1-0 defeat to the No. 9 Bulldogs on March 28th behind a two-hitter by Purvis which saw her retire the final 16 outs in order.
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2012 NCAA ATHENS REGIONAL SCHEDULE OF GAMES:
Friday, May 18
2:30 p.m.: Georgia Southern vs. North Carolina
5 p.m.: Coastal Carolina vs. Georgia
Saturday, May 19
12 p.m.: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
2:30 p.m.: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
5 p.m.: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3
Sunday, May 20
12 p.m.: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5
2:30 p.m.: (If Necessary): Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6
**All Times Eastern & Subject To Change**
