2014 NCAA DIVISION II SOFTBALL SOUTH SUPER REGIONAL
HUNTSVILLE | The University of Alabama in Huntsville softball team is prepared to open play at the 2014 NCAA Division II Softball South Super Regional on Friday as the Chargers (47-10) will host rival Valdosta State (43-13) in a three-game series to determine who represents the South Region at the upcoming NCAA Division II Softball National Championships.
 
The series will begin on Friday at Charger Park with the first pitch scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Saturday's contest will start at 1 p.m., and the if necessary game is slated for 3:30 p.m. Admission is $5.
 
This marks the second straight year that the two teams have met in the Super Regional as UAH traveled to the Peach State last season where VSU won in three games.
 
UAH has met Valdosta State in the NCAA tournament more times than any other opponent, holding an all-time record of 8-3 against the Blazers in the national postseason event, and this will be the fourth consecutive year that the two teams meet in mid-May.
 
This season the teams have met five times with this weekend's hosts traveling to Valdosta and earning a three-game sweep in early April, while the Blazers took two meetings at the recent Gulf South Conference Softball Championships – including an 11-7 victory in the championship game.
 
To advance to this weekend, the Chargers put together a stunning weekend in which they bounced back from an opening-game loss to Tuskegee, stringing together four straight wins – including a pair of walk-offs – to win the South 1 Regional. Kailtyn Bannister was particularly strong for UAH during the tournament as she was 9-for-17 with three homers and 11 RBI, and the freshman was 5-for-8 for the weekend with runners in scoring position.
 
Valdosta State has won 12 of its last 13 games since being swept by the Chargers, and the Blazers needed just three wins a weekend ago to wrap up the South 2 Regional title. Two of those wins came against the second-seeded and host Tampa, including a 1-0 win in the final game, and the Blazers surrendered just four runs total in the three games as they rode the arm of Brianna Hancock through the tournament.