On Thursday, May 9, the softball team will begin play in the Region X Tournament, entering the nine-team bracket as the No. 8 seed in the program’s inaugural season.
Springwood Park in Burlington, NC , is the host site for the tournament, which is scheduled to conclude on Saturday, May 11.
Fayetteville Tech (10-24, 6-14) will open play at 10 a.m. Thursday against No. 9 Patrick Henry Community College (9-25, 5-13) The Trojans swept a doubleheader against Patrick Henry on March 10, topping the Patriots 15-13 and 9-7 in the pair’s only meetings of the season.
Coach Miguel Justiniano called the contest a good matchup.
“We’re very competitive with them,” Justianiano said. “And I think we’ll be successful if we go out and play our game.”
Of late, quality defensive play has been a crucial part of the Trojans’ game. Fayetteville Tech has played error-free in four of its last five games, including a spotless performance in a three-game series against Surry Community College over the weekend.
“The defense is something that’s developed when they’ve gotten more confidence in themselves,” Justiniano said. “They go out knowing they need to make plays. They don’t worry about errors.”
The Trojans finished seventh in the Division II standings on the strength of an all-freshman roster that Justiniano said entered the season looking to make a point.
“They came in with a purpose to prove some people wrong not recruiting them” the coach said. “They know they have the ability and the heart to play this game. They have the opportunity to do great things.”
NJCAA Region X Softball Tournament
Springwood Park, Burlington N.C.
Seeding:
No. 1 Pitt Community College (25-4, 18-1)
No. 2 Louisburg College (32-9, 18-5)
No. 3 Pasco-Hernando State College (20-18, Region 8)
No. 4 Florence-Darlington Technical College (25-8, 15-5)
No. 5 Surry Community College (24-14, 13-5)
No. 6 Paul D. Camp Community College (21-15, 11-10)
No. 7 Southeastern Community College (12-9, 6-9)
No. 8 Fayetteville Technical Community College (10-24, 6-14)
No. 9 Patrick Henry Community College (9-25, 5-13)
Schedule: Thursday, May 9
G1 – Field 1 at 10:00am: No. 8 Fayetteville Tech vs. No. 9 Patrick Henry
G2 – Field 1 at 12:00pm: No. 1 Pitt vs G1 Winner
G3 – Field 2 at 12:00pm: No. 4 Florence-Darlington vs. No. 5 Surry
G4 – Field 2 at 2:00pm: No. 3 Pasco-Heranando vs. No. 6 Paul D Camp
G5 – Field 1 at 2:00pm: No. 2 Louisburg vs. No. 7 Southeastern
G6 – Field 2 at 4:00pm: G1 Loser vs. G4 Loser
G7 – Field 1 at 4:00pm: G2 Winner vs G3 Winner
G8 – Field 1 at 6:00pm: G4 Winner vs. G5 Winner
Friday, May 10
G9 – Field 2 at 11:00am: G2 Loser vs. G3 Loser
G10 – Field 1 at 11:00am: G5 Loser vs. G6 Winner
G11 – Field 2 – G8 Loser vs. G9 Winner
G12 – Field 1 at 1:30pm: G7 Loser vs. G10 Winner
G13 – Field 1 at 4:00pm: G7 Winner vs G8 Winner
G14 – Field 2 at5:30pm: G11 Winner vs. G12 Winner
Saturday, May 11
G15 – Field 1 at 12:00pm: G13 Loser vs. G14 Winner
Championship game – Field 1 at 2:30pm; G13 Winner vs G15 Winner
If Necessary Game – Field 1, 30 minutes preceding championship game; If G15 wins first game.