UCA to play in NCAA Softball Tournament's Tuscaloosa Regional

May 14, 2023 at 7:01 p.m.

by Sam Lane

Central Arkansas players Kylie Griffin (left) and McKayla Betts (right) celebrate with their teammates after defeating Arkansas 2-1 during an NCAA softball game in Fayetteville in this March 6, 2023 file photo. (AP/Michael Woods)
Central Arkansas players Kylie Griffin (left) and McKayla Betts (right) celebrate with their teammates after defeating Arkansas 2-1 during an NCAA softball game in Fayetteville in this March 6, 2023 file photo. (AP/Michael Woods)

The University of Central Arkansas softball team is headed to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for the NCAA Softball Tournament.

The ASUN regular season and conference tournaments champion Bears (44-10) will face Middle Tennessee on Friday in their opening game. The winner of UCA-Middle Tennessee will take on the winner of No. 5 national seed and host Alabama and Long Island (N.Y.). The regional final will be played Saturday for a spot in the super regionals.

Oklahoma is the No. 1 overall seed, followed by UCLA, Florida State and Tennessee.

The winner of the Tuscaloosa regional will face the winner of the Evanston (Ill.) Regional, scheduled for May 26-28 and hosted by the higher seed.

This story has been updated with the correct date for the Bears' opening game. It was originally published at 6:39 p.m.

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