Sports

Lady Rams softball bound for the beach

• Albany State will fly to Miami today to prepare for the Division II South Regional hosted by its opponent, Barry University.

Scott Chancey

ALBANY — The Albany State softball team knew it was Miami-bound since winning its second consecutive SIAC tournament championship.

Coach Robert Skinner’s Lady Rams will play in their second consecutive NCAA Division II South Regional as the eighth and final seed. They will play against host school and third-ranked Barry in the first round at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the double-elimination tournament. If Albany State wins, it plays 6:30 p.m. Thursday; and if it loses, it plays earlier Thursday afternoon.

Each region champion advances to the World Series May 14-17 in Houston.

Albany State hosted Barry earlier this year in a doubleheader and lost by scores of 3-1 and 5-2, the latter game going one extra inning.

“I really feel this team has a realistic chance at winning some games at region,” said Skinner, who added his team is actually 36-24, which is different from what the NCAA has (33-20). “This year’s team has a little more talent than those in the past. We’ve competed well with those types of teams that will be there, and we really believe we can beat them.”

Albany State is ranked 10th in the South Region, which is the highest the Lady Rams have been entering a region tournament.

The only surprise for the Lady Rams was that they would get to fly there instead of drive. Thinking his team was less than the NCAA-mandated 500 miles away for flights, Skinner had originally arranged for his team to practice this morning and then make the drive.

Instead, Albany State discovered that it is actually 518 miles away, so the Lady Rams will drive to Tallahassee, Fla., this morning and fly from there, practicing later today in Miami.

This is the Lady Rams’ third overall appearance in regionals, and they are still looking for their first win. The lost both games last year when Valdosta State hosted the regional. Albany State lost, 8-3, against the Lady Blazers and then, 9-7, against Arkansas-Monticello.

Pitcher Mindy Mager (18-11), MVP of the 2007 conference tournament as well as this regular season, will start the first game. She’s also scheduled to start the second game.

And so on, and so on.

“We’re probably going to stay with her the whole tournament,” Skinner said. “The only way she won’t pitch is if she gets tired.”

This year’s tournament MVP, Kandis Tate, is part of a Lady Rams offense that has carried them to their most wins in the program’s history. “I think we’re going to do pretty good if we show up and hit the ball,” Lady Ram Deanna Birdsong said.

And if the Lady Rams defeat Barry, Skinner feels his team can build on it for the rest of the tournament.

“To go to the No. 1 seed’s home field and then beat them, that could really set yourself up to do some really good things,” Skinner said.

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