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BRISTOL, Tenn. – For the third time in program history, the King University softball team will play in the NCAA Southeast Regional. The Tornado will be the fourth seed in the Anderson University regional that will start play on Thursday.
King will take on regional rival, and fifth seed, Lincoln Memorial University in their first game of the double elimination bracket. First pitch is set for Thursday at 2:30 p.m. following the opening game that features top seed and host Anderson and eighth seed Francis Marion University.
The winner of the regional will face the winner from the other regional hosted by second seed Lenoir-Rhyne University. That regional features Lenoir-Rhyne, third seed University of North Georgia, sixth seed Carson-Newman University and seventh seed Wingate University.
The Tornado previously reached the NCAA Southeast Regional in 2012 and 2018, both times as the eight seed at North Georgia. King went 0-2 in 2012 before going 2-2 in 2018, falling to North Georgia in the regional final.
This season King split with Lincoln Memorial in February, dropping game one 8-3 before winning game two 13-5. The Tornado didn't play Anderson this year and split four games with Conference Carolinas foe Francis Marion. The Patriots won both regular season contests in Florence, S.C. before King earned two one-run victories over Francis Marion in the Conference Carolinas Softball Championships. The Tornado defeated the Patriots 1-0 in the championship game, taking their third Conference Carolinas title.
This season has been historic for the Tornado as they have set a school record for wins in a season with 41 and are currently on a school-record 15-game winning streak. The Tornado went 18-6 in Conference Carolinas play, their most league victories in program history. King leads all of NCAA Division II with a school-record 116 doubles and their 62 home runs rank 10 in the country and set a school record.
Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year
Jake Cockerham talks about earning a spot in the regional and expectations for the weekend.
