Beavers Return to Postseason, Head to Waco Regional

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon State softball team will return to the postseason for the second consecutive year after earning a berth to the 2017 NCAA Tournament and will compete in the Waco Regional, as announced by the NCAA on Sunday night.

The Beavers (28-25) will start postseason play at Getterman Stadium on Friday, May 19 at 2:00 p.m. PT (4 p.m. CT) against James Madison (50-6). The winner will face the victor of the 4:30 p.m. PT (6:30 p.m. CT) game between No. 15 Baylor (43-12) and Kent State (32-26), Saturday, May 20. The losing teams will play an elimination game also on Saturday, May 20.

Oregon State returns to the tournament for the second time since 2013 and for the fourth time during head coach Laura Berg's tenure. The Beavers have been under the guidance of Berg for all four regional appearances since a berth in 2007, as Berg served as an assistant coach for the 2012 regional squad before being promoted the following season.

"I am so proud of this team," said head coach Laura Berg. "These ladies have been working hard since last fall and it is fun to see them get rewarded for that hard work. We have had some ups and downs this season, but we've grown as a team and will fight to make some noise this postseason. Each team in our regional is very good and there is a reason why they are playing in the tournament. Go Beavs."

Oregon State closed out its regular season with a 28-25 overall record and 9-15 mark in conference play. The nine wins is the second-straight season that Berg has reached the mark and ties for the most conference wins under her direction.

The postseason berth marks the 13th season in school history in which Oregon State has received an NCAA Tournament bid. The Beavers are set to play in a regional in Waco, Texas for the first time.

Oregon State entered the weekend with a 38 RPI and 30 strength of schedule, including seven wins on its resume over top-25 RBI opponents, including UCLA (RPI No. 4), Washington (RPI No. 6), Utah (RPI No. 16), Arizona State (RPI No. 20) and California (RPI No. 24). Each of those teams earned national seeds, with the exception of California and Arizona State.

Waco Regional Schedule
Friday, May 19
Game 1 (2 p.m. PT) – Oregon State vs. James Madison
Game 2 (4:30 p.m. PT) – No. 15 Baylor vs. Kent State

Saturday, May 20
Game 3 (11 a.m. PT) – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Game 4 (1:30 p.m. PT) – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
Game 5 (4 p.m. PT) – Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4

Sunday, May 21
Game 6 (11 a.m. PT) – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5

For more information on the Oregon State softball team, follow the team's official Twitter and Instagram accounts at @BeaverSoftball or by Facebook at /BeaverSoftball.

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