RedHawks Head to Evanston for NCAA Tournament
5/14/2023 7:45:00 PM | Softball
The Miami University RedHawks will head to Evanston, Ill. to open the NCAA Division I Softball Championship in a regional hosted by 12th-seeded Northwestern University this weekend for three days of double-elimination competition. The RedHawks (37-18, 21-8 MAC) will face Kentucky in their first matchup on Friday, May 19 at 1 p.m. ET.
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Evanston Regional Teams
Northwestern (38-11)
Eastern Illinois (34-19)
Miami (37-18)
Kentucky (30-20-1)
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Miami grabbed its fourth consecutive regular-season Mid-American Conference championship (2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 with no conference play in 2020) and won the MAC Tournament this past weekend in Oxford. This granted them automatic qualification to the NCAA Division I Softball Championship. This is the RedHawks' second consecutive MAC Tournament title and third NCAA Tournament appearance in a row. It will be their seventh appearance in the NCAA Tournament.Â
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The RedHawks are led by third-year head coach Kirin Kumar (123-45-1 at Miami). They also have six All-Conference players on the 2023 roster, including first-teamers Allie Cummins, Brianna Pratt, Karli Spaid, Jenna Golembiewski and Riley Coyne along with second-teamer Holly Blaska.
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Pratt, the MAC Pitcher of the Year, is 30-10 in the circle this season after securing her 30th win in the MAC Tournament championship game. Spaid, the MAC Tournament MVP, boasts a .364 batting average and has 21 home runs on the season.
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Miami's phenomenal offense has 91 home runs this season and ranks third in the country in home runs per game. They are second in the country in slugging percentage. 12 different RedHawks have hit home runs this year, and four players have double-digit totals (Spaid, Cummins, Golembiewski, and Coyne).
More information to come on MiamiRedHawks.com.
Evanston Regional Schedule
Friday, May 19
Game 1 - Miami vs. Kentucky - 1 p.m. ET - SEC Network
Game 2 - Northwestern vs. Eastern Illinois - 3:30 p.m. ET - ESPN+
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Saturday, May 20
Game 3 - Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 - 1 p.m. ET
Game 4 - Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 - 3:30 p.m. ET
Game 5 - Loser of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 - 6 p.m. ET
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Sunday, May 21
Game 6 - Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5 - 4 p.m. ET
Game 7 (if necessary) - 6:30 p.m. ET
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Miami's NCAA Tournament History
2022 – Blacksburg, Va.
5/20 lost to Kentucky 15-1 (5)
5/21 def. Saint Francis 4-0
5/21 lost to Virginia Tech 5-4Â
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2021 – Lexington, Ky.
5/21 lost to Notre Dame, 3-2
5/22 lost to Northwestern, 7-1
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2016 – Ann Arbor, Mich.
5/20 def. Notre Dame, 3-2
5/21 lost to Michigan, 6-0
5/21 lost to Notre Dame, 5-0
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2012 – Knoxville, Tenn.
5/18 def. Tennessee, 1-0
5/19 lost to Virginia Tech, 6-0
5/19 lost to Tennessee, 8-0 (6)
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2009 – Ann Arbor, Mich.
5/15 lost to Michigan, 11-3 (6)
5/16 def. Cleveland State, 5-4
5/16 lost to Notre Dame, 5-3
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2005 – Knoxville, Tenn.
5/20 lost to Tennessee, 9-0 (5)
5/21 lost to Virginia Tech, 4-1
