This bracket is going to be a little tougher than the conference tournament bracket, to say the least.
Since the NCAA Division I softball tournament started in 1982, only 10 schools have ever won the tournament, and nine of those are in this year's bracket.
Though these numbers may be daring to the eyes of coaches and players entering the 2010 tournament, Ball State University is not backing down.
Ball State (43-14) will play the No. 15 University of Tennessee at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Knoxville, Tenn., in the opening round of the NCAA Regionals — a four-team double-elimination tournament. The Cardinals reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 12 years after winning the Mid-American Conference Tournament during the weekend.
Ball State all-conference pitcher Elizabeth Milian (32-5) said she knows the potential for her team and what they need to do make a run in the tournament.
"If we play how we did in the MAC tournament with stellar defense and timely hitting anything can happen," she said.
The Lady Volunteers finished the regular season with the second highest team batting average in the Southeast Conference and have two starters hitting more than a .400. This means pitching for the Cardinals will have to be effective as well, which it has.
In the four games that won the MAC Tournament for the Cardinals, Milian went a 4-0 on the mound with a 0.25 ERA and was named the tournament's most valuable player.
Her preparation hasn't changed for this NCAA Regionals.
"[Milian] is just on her normal schedule. Typically she takes Monday off, so she threw [Tuesday] and looked good," coach Nicholson said. "We'll take [Wednesday] off before throwing a little on Thursday to get ready for Friday's game."
To get his team prepared for the game against the Lady Volunteers, Nicholson continues to show his team these bigger teams aren't much different from them.
"This week we've talked a little about what they do offensively, and we've noticed it isn't anything we haven't seen before," Milian said. "The main thing is that if we hold them in tight games and put pressure on [the bigger teams] to win because they're expected to win, not us.
"We're the underdogs in the tournament. We have to keep the games close," she said.
In scouting his opponent this week, Nicholson said what most stood out was Tennessee's speed on the base paths.
"I think their biggest strength is the speed that they have in the top three hitters of their order," Nicholson said. "The play similar to how we do, they steal bases and try to put pressure on the defense. We expect them to do similar things to us."
The odds are against Ball State as this will be the sixth consecutive time Tennessee hosts the NCAA Regionals. However, the Lady Volunteers have failed to advance beyond for the regionals since reaching the 2007 Women's College World Series.
This will place the importance of the team rallying behind Milian and her success this year on the rubber.
Her senior season recorded eight shut outs, 299 strike outs and 33 complete games — not to mention she holds five career records at Ball State.
After all that, the odds seem to be a little bit brighter.
"We'll play it by ear," Nicholson chuckled. "[Milian] will have the ball in her hand."
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