Florida A&M softball will remain in state for the NCAA Tournament.
On Sunday, May 10, it was announced the Rattlers will play in the Florida Gators’ Gainesville NCAA Regional. FAMU had a selection show watch party on campus at Bragg Memorial Stadium when learning its tournament fate.
FAMU (32-20) shares the four-team double-elimination field with Florida, Georgia Tech, and Texas State.
The Florida regional starts on Friday, May 15, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, and ends on Sunday, May 17.
How FAMU softball made NCAA tournament
FAMU earned its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017 by picking up an automatic qualifier by winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament on Saturday, May 9.
The Rattlers beat Southern in a 2-1 walkoff victory in Gulfport, Mississippi. It was the program’s first SWAC title since joining during the 2021-2022 season.
FAMU had been to two SWAC Tournament championship rounds the two years prior, but fell short to Jackson State both times.
FAMU enters the NCAA Regional led by SWAC Player of the Year Amari Brown and SWAC Tournament Most Valuable Player pitcher and utility player Samantha Smith. Both are pitchers and utility players, being forces for the Rattlers on both sides of the ball.
Other SWAC honorees include Zoryana Hughes, Neriah Lee, Keeleigh Spooner, and Jamison Townsend.
Gerald Thomas, III, is a multi-time national award-winning reporter for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU softball to play in NCAA Tournament’s Florida Gators Regional
Reporting by Gerald Thomas III, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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