The SUNY Cortland softball team earned its fifth trip to the NCAA Division III World Series and its third in the last six years after posting a 4-0 record in regional play last weekend at Plattsburgh. Under 14th-year head coach
Julie Lenhart, the Red Dragons (38-11) are seeded fourth in the eight-team, double-elimination tournament and will face the fifth-seeded University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (34-9) on Friday at 1:30 p.m. at the Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Va.
Tournament Web Page (includes links to Live Stats and Video Webcasts of each game)
Cortland is 0-2 lifetime versus the Warhawks, including an 11-3 loss in the 1985 World Series. The teams haven't played, however, since 1994. Against other teams in the Series, Cortland is 44-43 against long-time rival Ithaca, including two losses at home this spring. The Red Dragons are 2-2 versus Muskingum (Ohio), 2-0 against Rhode Island College and 0-2 versus Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and have never faced either Louisiana College or Lynchburg (Va.).
Cortland tied for fifth at the 2003 Series in Salem with a 1-2 mark. The Red Dragons tied for fifth nationally in 1985 with a 0-2 record in Willimantic, Conn., and tied for seventh in the nation with an 0-2 mark at both the 1998 and 2004 tournaments, both in Salem.
FRIDAY, MAY 16 (seeds in parentheses)
Game 1 (#1) Louisiana College (42-5) vs. (#8) Rhode Island College (36-7), 11 a.m.
Game 2 (#4) Cortland (38-11) vs. (#5) Wisconsin-Whitewater (34-9), 1:30 p.m.
Game 3 (#3) Wisconsin-Eau Claire (32-11) vs. (#6) Ithaca (34-10), 4 p.m.
Game 4 (#2) Lynchburg (Va.) (39-6) vs. (#7) Muskingum (Ohio) (40-10), 6:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, MAY 17
Game 5 Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 11 a.m.
Game 6 Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 1:30 p.m.
Game 7 Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 4 p.m.
Game 8 Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 6:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, MAY 18
Game 9 Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7, Noon
Game 10 Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 8, 2:30 p.m.
Game 11 Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 5 p.m.
Game 12 Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10, 7:30 p.m.
MONDAY, MAY 19
Game 13 Winner Game 12 vs. Loser Game 11, Noon
Game 14 Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 13, 2:30 p.m.
TUESDAY, MAY 20
Game 15 Same teams as Game 14, if necessary, 11 a.m.
TEAM PREVIOUS WORLD SERIES APPEARANCES
Cortland (4) 1985-98-2003-04
Ithaca (8) 1983-96-99-2000-01-02-05-06 (2002 champion)
Louisiana College (first appearance in 2008)
Lynchburg (first appearance in 2008)
Muskingum (7) 1992-98-2001-03-04-05-06 (2001 champion)
Rhode Island Coll. (1) 2007
Wis.-Eau Claire (3) 1999-2000-07
Wis.-Whitewater (4) 1984-85-86-87
