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SALT LAKE CITY — Three teams from the state of Utah will head to the regional round of the NCAA softball tournament this week.
West Coast Conference champion BYU (35-19) will begin play Thursday at No. 15 Missouri in the Columbia Regional. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. MT on ESPN2 for the regional contest, proceeding Louisville and Nebraska at 4:30 p.m. MT.
“We are excited to be a part of this year's NCAA tournament," BYU coach Gordon Eakin said in a statement. "We are equally excited to play in a great regional with three great opponents. It will be a challenge, but that is what the NCAA tournament is."
Check out the team's reaction! So excited to head to the Columbia Regional! #GoCougs#RoadtoWCWS#D1softballpic.twitter.com/qldh7r2ZLj — BYU Softball (@byusoftball) May 16, 2016
Big Sky regular-season and tournament champion Weber State (37-17) stays out West for a Friday showdown with No. 11 Washington in Seattle. North Dakota State and Minnesota are also in that regional.
Utah (32-19) will travel to Lexington, Kentucky, for Friday’s showdown with Illinois. The host Wildcats and Butler also open regional play Friday.
THE UTES ARE HEADED TO LEXINGTON! @Utah_Softball will play Illinois on Friday #AIP#GoUtespic.twitter.com/0b0vQQJ9vN — Utah Softball (@Utah_Softball) May 16, 2016
Two-time defending national champion Florida is the No. 1 overall seed, and Michigan, Oklahoma and Auburn round out the top four bids in the 64-team tournament.
The Women’s College World Series begins June 2 in Oklahoma City.
