Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh returning to Oklahoma, draws Texas A&M once again in Norman Regional
5/10/2015 11:57:00 PM | Softball, Tickets
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – After winning its 13th Patriot League Tournament championship on Saturday, the Lehigh softball team learned its NCAA Regional fate as the bracket for the field of 64 was unveiled Sunday night. The Mountain Hawks are headed to a familiar location and will face a familiar foe in its first NCAA game on Friday as Lehigh will travel to Norman, Oklahoma to face Texas A&M in the first game of the regional.
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Lehigh and Texas A&M will open play in the regional at 12:30 CDT Friday from the OU Softball Complex. The game will be televised on the SEC Network. In the other opening round matchup, Oklahoma, the No. 11 national seed, will face Central Arkansas.
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The Mountain Hawks will be making their ninth NCAA Regional appearance and their first since visiting Norman in 2012. Lehigh will travel to Oklahoma for NCAAs for the third time as the Mountain Hawks made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in Norman in 2001 and returned for their most recent appearance three years ago.
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There's also familiarity with the opening opponent. Lehigh and Texas A&M have met four times in the NCAA Regionals with the Mountain Hawks owning a 3-1 record versus an Aggies. The Mountain Hawks upset the then-No. 13 seeded Aggies twice in the 2006 Amherst Regional and were paired with Texas A&M again in Gainesville, Fla. in 2009, losing the opening game 1-0 before eliminating the Aggies the following day 3-2.
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"There's something nice about being familiar with where you're going," Lehigh head coach Fran Troyan said. "We know what we're going to be in for. I think we have a winning record against Texas A&M. We're friendly with that staff so it should be a fun game. It's a neat thing to see a lot of the respect the committee gave us by making us a three seed."
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"Overall, we're all excited about it," said junior outfielder MacKenzie Velasquez, who attended Lehigh's game with Oklahoma as a high school senior in 2012. "The only ones who have experienced the postseason are our seniors. So this is something we're all excited about. We're happy to be in this position."
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Lehigh enters the NCAA Tournament having won their last eight games and stand at 39-7 overall. The Mountain Hawks' .848 winning percentage ranks seventh nationally. Lehigh went 3-0 in the Patriot League Tournament with a pair of shutout wins sandwiched around a walkoff win over Bucknell on Friday. Senior Emily Bausher did not allow an earned run in 20 innings of play as Lehigh lowered its team ERA to 1.50, which ranks third nationally. Bausher ranks sixth individually with a 1.13 ERA, while sophomore Christine Campbell is 26th at 1.71.
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"This should validate for the players what we've been telling them, that' we're a very strong team," Troyan said. "We're going to see what happens out there so it should be a whole lot of fun."
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Texas A&M has won three national championships and has made 11 Women's College World Series appearances. The Aggies finished the regular season at 38-18 overall and finished eighth in the Southeastern Conference with a 12-12 conference mark. Texas A&M was a member of the Big 12 conference in its previous NCAA meetings with Lehigh.
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Oklahoma recently won its second national title in 2013 and enters this postseason having won its 12th Big 12 crown. The Sooners are 45-7 overall. Lehigh is 0-3 against Oklahoma including 0-2 in NCAA Regional Play.
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Central Arkansas is the fourth team in the regional. The Bears won the Southland Conference for the first time and sport a 35-19 overall record. Lehigh and Central Arkansas have never met.
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Lehigh is making its ninth NCAA Regional appearance overall, and its eighth in the last 12 years. The Mountain Hawks are 6-16 all-time in NCAA Regional play. Three of those six wins have come against Texas A&M, while Lehigh sports a 1-4 record in NCAA games played in Norman.
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The winner of this double-elimination regional will face the winner of the Tuscaloosa, Alabama regional in the Super Regionals next weekend. Lehigh has never won a regional, but reached the regional finals in both 2006 and 2009, eliminating Texas A&M to get to the regional finals in both years.
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The Mountain Hawks will face Texas A&M in game one of the double-elimination tournament Friday at 12:30 p.m. (CDT) from the OU Softball Complex. Oklahoma and Central Arkansas will meet in game two at 3 p.m.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – After winning its 13th Patriot League Tournament championship on Saturday, the Lehigh softball team learned its NCAA Regional fate as the bracket for the field of 64 was unveiled Sunday night. The Mountain Hawks are headed to a familiar location and will face a familiar foe in its first NCAA game on Friday as Lehigh will travel to Norman, Oklahoma to face Texas A&M in the first game of the regional.
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Lehigh and Texas A&M will open play in the regional at 12:30 CDT Friday from the OU Softball Complex. The game will be televised on the SEC Network. In the other opening round matchup, Oklahoma, the No. 11 national seed, will face Central Arkansas.
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The Mountain Hawks will be making their ninth NCAA Regional appearance and their first since visiting Norman in 2012. Lehigh will travel to Oklahoma for NCAAs for the third time as the Mountain Hawks made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in Norman in 2001 and returned for their most recent appearance three years ago.
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There's also familiarity with the opening opponent. Lehigh and Texas A&M have met four times in the NCAA Regionals with the Mountain Hawks owning a 3-1 record versus an Aggies. The Mountain Hawks upset the then-No. 13 seeded Aggies twice in the 2006 Amherst Regional and were paired with Texas A&M again in Gainesville, Fla. in 2009, losing the opening game 1-0 before eliminating the Aggies the following day 3-2.
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"There's something nice about being familiar with where you're going," Lehigh head coach Fran Troyan said. "We know what we're going to be in for. I think we have a winning record against Texas A&M. We're friendly with that staff so it should be a fun game. It's a neat thing to see a lot of the respect the committee gave us by making us a three seed."
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"Overall, we're all excited about it," said junior outfielder MacKenzie Velasquez, who attended Lehigh's game with Oklahoma as a high school senior in 2012. "The only ones who have experienced the postseason are our seniors. So this is something we're all excited about. We're happy to be in this position."
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Lehigh enters the NCAA Tournament having won their last eight games and stand at 39-7 overall. The Mountain Hawks' .848 winning percentage ranks seventh nationally. Lehigh went 3-0 in the Patriot League Tournament with a pair of shutout wins sandwiched around a walkoff win over Bucknell on Friday. Senior Emily Bausher did not allow an earned run in 20 innings of play as Lehigh lowered its team ERA to 1.50, which ranks third nationally. Bausher ranks sixth individually with a 1.13 ERA, while sophomore Christine Campbell is 26th at 1.71.
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"This should validate for the players what we've been telling them, that' we're a very strong team," Troyan said. "We're going to see what happens out there so it should be a whole lot of fun."
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Texas A&M has won three national championships and has made 11 Women's College World Series appearances. The Aggies finished the regular season at 38-18 overall and finished eighth in the Southeastern Conference with a 12-12 conference mark. Texas A&M was a member of the Big 12 conference in its previous NCAA meetings with Lehigh.
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Oklahoma recently won its second national title in 2013 and enters this postseason having won its 12th Big 12 crown. The Sooners are 45-7 overall. Lehigh is 0-3 against Oklahoma including 0-2 in NCAA Regional Play.
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Central Arkansas is the fourth team in the regional. The Bears won the Southland Conference for the first time and sport a 35-19 overall record. Lehigh and Central Arkansas have never met.
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Lehigh is making its ninth NCAA Regional appearance overall, and its eighth in the last 12 years. The Mountain Hawks are 6-16 all-time in NCAA Regional play. Three of those six wins have come against Texas A&M, while Lehigh sports a 1-4 record in NCAA games played in Norman.
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The winner of this double-elimination regional will face the winner of the Tuscaloosa, Alabama regional in the Super Regionals next weekend. Lehigh has never won a regional, but reached the regional finals in both 2006 and 2009, eliminating Texas A&M to get to the regional finals in both years.
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The Mountain Hawks will face Texas A&M in game one of the double-elimination tournament Friday at 12:30 p.m. (CDT) from the OU Softball Complex. Oklahoma and Central Arkansas will meet in game two at 3 p.m.
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