After going 15-3 in conference play during the regular season, UCF has earned the No. 1 seed for the first American Athletic Conference Softball Championship [1], which takes place May 8-10 at Cougar Stadium on the campus of the University of Houston.
All of Thursday’s first-round games and both of Friday’s semifinal games of the tournament will be carried live on The American Digital Network. Saturday’s final will be televised live on ESPNEWS [2] at 3:30 p.m. Eastern. The winner of the tournament will earn The American’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
The Knights, who won their last eight conference games to close the regular-season, finished with a two-game lead on second-place USF in the final standings. UCF (39-15) will face No. 8-seeded UConn (13-37) at 5 p.m. ET Thursday in the third of four first-round games in the single-elimination championship. UCF set up the first-round meeting with UConn by sweeping the Huskies in the final weekend of conference play.
The championship begins at 11 a.m. ET Thursday as No.3-seeded Louisville (33-20) faces No. 6 Temple (15-29). The Cardinals took all three regular-season meetings with the Owls and finished the regular season with five wins in their last six American Athletic Conference games.
USF (40-14) won its last nine conference games and 10 of its last 11 overall. The Bulls, who are seeded No. 2, will face No. 7-seeded Memphis at 1:30 p.m. Thursday in the first round. USF took all three regular-season meetings against the Tigers (23-32).
The final first-round paring has No. 4-seeded Houston (32-20) against No. 5-seeded Rutgers 27-18) at 7:30 p.m. ET in another rematch from the final weekend off the regular season. The teams split a doubleheader Saturday before Houston was a 4-2 winner in Sunday’s rubber match.
2014 American Athletic Conference Softball Championship all games at Cougar Stadium, Houston, Texas
Thursday, May 8
(all games on the American Digital Network)
Game 1 – No. 6 Temple (15-29) vs. No. 3 Louisville (33-20), 11 a.m.
Game 2 – No. 7 Memphis (23-32) vs. No. 2 USF (40-14), 1:30 p.m.
Game 3 – No. 8 UConn (13-37) vs. No. 1 UCF (39-15), 5 p.m.
Game 4 – No. 5 Rutgers (27-18) vs. No. 4 Houston (32-20), 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 9
(all games on the American Digital Network)
Game 5 – Temple/Louisville winner vs. Memphis/USF winner, 5 p.m.
Game 6 – UConn/UCF winner vs. Rutgers/Houston winner, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 10
(televised live on ESPNEWS)
Game 7 – Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6, 3:30 p.m.
All times Eastern