{"id":8575,"date":"2016-05-27T06:49:58","date_gmt":"2016-05-27T10:49:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=8575"},"modified":"2016-05-27T09:36:41","modified_gmt":"2016-05-27T13:36:41","slug":"jmu-vs-lsu-what-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=8575","title":{"rendered":"JMU vs. LSU Softball Super Regional, What You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"CjbCYV-UoAE44no\"It’s a clash of the purple in the ‘burg today folks. The Harrisonburg Super Regional kicks off today as JMU Softball attempts to qualify for the trip to Oklahoma City for the NCAA Softball College World Series. Here’s what you need to know.<\/p>\n

What is this?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s NCAA Softball Super Regional. Thought we made that pretty clear above.<\/p>\n

Stop being an ass and give us\u00a0the details.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fair point. Think Sweet Sixteen in March Madness terms. The NCAA Softball tournament started last week with 64 teams. JMU is one of 8 teams hosting best of three series for the right to advance to the College World Series next weekend. Game one is at 3:00 today. Game two is at noon tomorrow, with game three (if necessary) to follow.<\/p>\n

This sounds like a big deal. Is this a big deal?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes. Yes, it’s a very big deal in fact. Anytime a JMU team makes the postseason it’s great. JMU Softball didn’t just squeak into the tourney for the one game experience though. The ladies are a legit contender. NCAA Softball is not unlike hoops or basketball, in that it’s heavily weighted toward the P5. JMU crashed the party this year and put itself among the country’s elite.<\/p>\n

I’m new, what’s so great about this particular JMU team?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pitching. The pitching is amazing. Imagine if baseball had two man rotations and your favorite team had a one two punch of Noah Syndegard (LGM!) and Clayton Kershaw. That’s pretty much what the Dukes have in Jailyn Ford and Megan Good. Good has 217 strikeouts, a 0.90 ERA, and an opposing batting average of .150. Ford has 173 strikeouts, a 0.88 ERA, and an opposing batting average of .154. Yeah, that good.<\/p>\n

What about LSU?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, the Tigers are pretty good too. LSU went 48-15 on the season, playing in the always tough SEC. They’re no stranger to postseason play, having made the Super Regional four previous times, including last year.<\/p>\n

This sounds cool. I’m going to get tickets.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hahahahahahahahahahaha.<\/p>\n

What?<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can’t get tickets. They sold out in minutes (literally).<\/p>\n

But I JMU released more tickets after the initial sellout.<\/strong><\/p>\n

They did. JMU added 700 temporary seats to accommodate the increased demand.<\/p>\n

So, why can’t I get those tickets?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Because they sold out too. And in less than 3 minutes if we’re keeping score.<\/p>\n

Oh. Well now what?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

There’s always “The Hill” where you can join other Dukes fans and watch the game without a ticket.<\/p>\n

Can I watch from home?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes. The series is going to be nationally televised by the worldwide leader. You can watch today’s game on ESPNU. And yes, you can even stream it from work<\/a> because we know you won’t be doing anything productive at 3:00 the day before a three day weekend.<\/p>\n

Anything else I should know?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just root.<\/p>\n