Kansas Softball Headed to Georgia For NCAA Regionals

May 15, 2005

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

The University of Kansas softball team earned its first NCAA Regional invitation since 1999 when tournament bids were announced Sunday night. The Jayhawks will face Georgia Tech (49-12) Friday in first-round action in a bracket with Tennessee Tech and host Georgia in Athens, Ga.

The Jayhawks, who finished 30-22 overall and 9-8 in the league this season, are one of eight teams from the Big 12 Conference to received bids in 2005. KU joins Texas, Baylor, Oklahoma, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Nebraska as the most-ever Big 12 representatives in an NCAA Regional. The Pac-10 was the only other conference to place eight teams in the bracket.

2005 NCAA Championship Bracket

KU appeared in the 1999 regional in Tucson, Ariz., where it defeated Southeast Missouri State twice and fell to Maryland and Arizona. The 2005 bid is Tracy Bunge’s third as head coach of the Jayhawks (also in 1997) and KU’s ninth since the tournament’s origin.

“Eight Big 12 teams getting in the tournament really speaks volumes about our conference and the level of play we have,” Bunge said after KU was called. “I think the Big 12 by far is the strongest conference in the country. I am extremely excited not only for Kansas, but for our entire conference and my fellow coaches — but most excited for our players here at KU, who have not yet tasted regional competition. It’s been five long years since we’ve been in and we are excited to be back.”

Prior to the Selection Show, the Jayhawks celebrated the regular season at their team banquet. In addition to handing out Big 12 awards and academic accolades, team honors were announced. Destiny Frankenstein was named Offensive Player of the Year and Team MVP, Ashley Frazer was the Most Improved Player of the Year, Elle Pottorf the Defensive Player of the Year, and Cyndi Duran was given the Jayhawk Pride Award.

-KU-