Freshman Finale

Though it didn't really go the way we had hoped, I still think it was a really great season for our niece as she finished up her freshman softball season down at Radford University. If you have been following this account at all, you know that conference softball tournaments were taking place this weekend as we approached the national tournament selection show on Sunday.

Down in the Big South, USC Upstate took down Winthrop who were the regular season champions 5 to 1. Then unfortunately, Gardner-Webb edged past Radford 4 to 1 to hand them their second loss of the season and send them home. I'm sure it was a bit heart breaking for the Highlanders after such an impressive defensive season. I look forward to seeing how they build on it next year. I should also point out that at the beginning of the season, Radford was the favorite to win it all, so if that doesn't tell you just how inaccurate those projections are...

Meanwhile, Also on Friday, the other conferences had a lot going on as well. Over in the ACC, number 19 Stanford fell to number 8 Florida State 9 to 0, and number 13 Duke lost to number 15 Virginia Tech 5 to 0.

In the Big 12, Kansas got hammered by number 4 Texas Tech 14 to 0, and number 23 Arizona State bested number 14 Oklahoma State 11 to 7.

Up in the Big Ten, number 2 Nebraska eliminated Indiana 5 to 0, and number 11 UCLA showed no mercy to Wisconsin destroying them 19 to 5.

Finally, on Friday down in the SEC number 3 Alabama was the winner over number 9 Florida 9 to 1, and number 6 Texas just barely edged past number 12 Georgia 5 to 4.

Which if you haven't guessed, sets things up for Championship Saturday.

In the ACC, number 8 Florida State had a close game against number 15 Virginia Tech, but ultimately the Seminoles came away victorious 2 to 1.

The Big 12 Tournament finished was probably the biggest surprise and the most talked about result of the day. Number 23 Arizona State stunned the country by beating number 4 Texas Tech 4 to 0 to win the Big Twelve Championship and secure their spot in the national tournament.

In the Big South, USC Upstate took down Winthrop 12 to 2 to secure their third straight conference tournament title and secure their spot in the national tournament as well. Too bad for them their first game is against Alabama, but I will cover the full tournament bracket tomorrow.

It's also interesting to note that Winthrop was the regular season champion, so at least for the mid-major schools, the conference tournament must hold more weight with the selection committee than regular season ranking.

In the Big Ten, number 2 Nebraska wiped away the lopsided win by number 11 UCLA the day before and beat them 7 to 2. This Nebraska team is really exciting to watch and they will probably be the team I am cheering for in the national tournament.

Finally, down in the SEC, number 6 Texas secured the championship against number 3 Alabama 7 to 1.

That wraps up the regular season of softball and probably tomorrow I will break down the bracket games that are starting up at the end of this week for the national tournament.