May 6, 2002

VILLANOVA, PA.----- With Syracuse's sweep of Pittsburgh on Monday, May 6, the Orangewomen will face Villanova in the opening round of the 2002 Big East Softball Championships held in Salem, Va. The Wildcats (44-13 overall, 14-6 Big East) enter tournament play as the No. 2 seed and will play the first round game at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 9, at the James I Moyer Complex.

Notre Dame garnered its seventh consecutive regular season crown and will be the No. 1 seed in the 2002 BIG EAST Softball Championship. The conference tournament will be held May 9-11 at the James I. Moyer Complex in Salem, Va. This marks the first time in the 13-year history of BIG EAST Softball that the championship will be held at a neutral site.

Notre Dame went 18-2 in league play to compile 36 points (2 points for a win, 1 point for a tie). The Fighting Irish finished the regular season 38-14 overall and are in search of their third championship title. Under the direction of first-year head coach Deanna Gumpf, ND defeated No. 4 Nebraska on April 23 marking the highest ranked opponent ND has ever beaten.

Villanova, seeded second, was 14-6 in BIG EAST play with 28 points. The Wildcats, 44-13 overall, have set a school record for single season wins. Villanova ranks seventh among all Division I teams in ERA and fielding percentage and is eighth in batting average. The Wildcats, led by head coach Maria DiBernardi, are in search of their first conference title.

With a doubleheader sweep of Pittsburgh today, Syracuse earns the No. 3 seed with a 12-6 conference record and 24 points. The Orangewomen finished in a third-place tie with Virginia Tech, but SU garners the third seed by virtue of two wins over the Hokies during the regular season. Head coach Mary Jo Firnbach has led the Orangewomen to their first tournament appearance since becoming a league member in 2001. Syracuse finished the regular season 25-19 overall, its first winning season in the short three-year history of the program.

Rounding out the field is No. 4 seed Virginia Tech. The Hokies took two nine-inning decisions from Seton Hall on May 5 to earn its first championship appearance in just its second season as a member of the BIG EAST. The Hokies (40-16), under the guidance of head coach Scot Thomas, won their last six league games to finish with a 12-8 conference record, 24 points and the third-place tie with Syracuse.

The BIG EAST champion earns the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Women's Softball Championship. Regionals will be held at campus sites on May 16-19 with the regional champion advancing to the College World Series at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla. on May 23-27.

Tickets for the BIG EAST Championship may be purchased at the James I. Moyer Complex each day of the tournament. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for senior citizens (55 and older) and children (12 and under). BIG EAST students are admitted free with campus ID.

BIG EAST Softball Championship - James I. Moyer Complex, Salem, Va.

Thursday, May 9
Game 1 - No. 2 Villanova  vs. No. 3 Syracuse        11:00 a.m.
Game 2 - No. 1 Notre Dame vs. No. 4 Virginia Tech    1:30 p.m.

Friday, May 10
Game 3 - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2     1 p.m.
Game 4 - Loser Game 1  vs. Loser Game 2      3 p.m.
Game 5 - Loser Game 3  vs. Winner Game 4     5 p.m.

Saturday, May 11
Game 6 - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5     1 p.m.
Game 7 - Same teams as Game 6, if necessary  3 p.m.