NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona College softball team drew No. 7 Texas in its opening contest in the 2010 NCAA Regionals, it was announced on Sunday. The Gaels will travel to Austin, TX to take on the Longhorns. The Gaels and Longhorns will meet for the first time in program history Thursday evening at 8:30 pm.
"The chance to play in the NCAA Regionals is a great honor for the program", said head coach Jaime Wohlbach. "This is one of the first steps in laying the foundation at Iona to building a tradition. It is a great opportunity for the team to play in Austin, at a beautiful venue and against a program that has a built tradition."
Iona earned its first ever bid to NCAA Regionals with its MAAC Championship clinching win over Canisius on Saturday. Iona rolled through the tournament with three straight victories credited to sophomore RHP and the championship's Most Outstanding Performer Sarah Jackson. She was joined by sophomores 1B Allyssa James and 3B Chelsea Sheehan and freshman CF Jodi Petersen on the All-Tournament team.
Joining Iona in the Austin, Texas regional are East Carolina and Brigham Young. Each squad earned automatic bids into the tournament when the Pirates and Cougars won the Conference USA and Mountain West Conferences, respectively.
The berth into the NCAA Regional is one of many significant moments for the Iona College softball team in 2010. A year after finishing 13-27 overall, and 4-10 in the MAAC, the Gaels had one of the greatest turnarounds in program history. The Maroon & Gold picked up 13 wins in conference play, picking up a share of the regular season before winning the Conference tournament.