NCAA Announces Softball Tournament Changes
MAAC Sports
The Canisius College softball team, winners of the 2007 MAAC Softball Championship, learned today that its first opponent will be No. 15 Virginia Tech, not No. 25 Ohio State as previously announced. The change was made Monday morning after a clerical error by the NCAA and the NCAA Division I Softball selection committee.
It was originally announced that Virginia Tech, the top seed in the Columbus Regional, was going to face Cal State Fullerton at 5 p.m., Friday, May 18, and the Golden Griffins would take on the host Buckeyes at 7:30 p.m., at Buckeye Field. The scheduling change now means Canisius will face the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament champion Hokies, with Fullerton taking on Ohio State. Game times are still being finalized.
Canisius (27-19, 12-4 MAAC) captured its 10th MAAC title in the last 15 years by defeating Marist College 2-0 in the MAAC Championship game Saturday in Stratford, Conn. The victory was the Griffs’ seventh straight and improved the team to 16-4 in its last 20 contests. The win over Marist also allowed this year’s Canisius team to become the first squad since 1997 to win both the MAAC regular season and tournament titles.
Canisius and Virginia Tech (48-14) have met one time before, with the Hokies posting a 4-0 victory March 16, 2002, in the Hokie Spring Classic in Blacksburg, Va. The last NCAA Tournament game Canisius played in came May 22, 2005, against ACC member North Carolina, a game the Tar Heels won 3-0 in Ann Arbor, Mich.