BLACKSBURG 鈥 The Virginia Tech softball team will have to hit the road for the NCAA tournament.
The Hokies (41-11) were hoping to host an NCAA regional for the first time since 2022, but instead they were assigned to a regional that will be hosted by No. 15 overall seed Alabama.
Virginia Tech will face Missouri Valley Conference champ Belmont at 3:30 p.m. Friday on the first day of the four-team, double-elimination regional.
As expected, both Tech and Virginia received at-large bids to the 64-team tournament.
The Hokies, who were ranked No. 13 in last week鈥檚 national coaches poll, gathered inside Lane Stadium to watch the selection show on ESPN2. They clapped when their bid was announced.
The top 16 overall seeds each get to host a regional.
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The Hokies entered Sunday rated No. 14 in the NCAA鈥檚 official RPI, with Stanford No. 15, Auburn No. 16, Alabama No. 17 and Oregon No. 18.
鈥淚 think we had the resume to host,鈥 Tech coach Pete D鈥橝mour said Sunday night. 鈥淲e were 14 (in the) RPI. 鈥 But that鈥檚 the way it rolls. You don鈥檛 know what the selection committee鈥檚 looking at.
鈥淥ur league does not get the respect that it deserves.鈥
The final three teams that were awarded a regional site were No. 14 overall seed Duke, No. 15 overall seed Alabama and No. 16 overall seed Oregon.
鈥(The) 15, 16 (overall seeds) and then the teams that were right there (also in the running to host) probably took the majority of our discussion throughout the weekend,鈥 selection committee chairman Kurt McGuffin, the Tennessee-Martin athletic director, said Sunday night on an NCAA video conference.
鈥淎 lot of discussion 鈥 between Alabama, Oregon, Virginia Tech and some other teams. 鈥 There was probably a group of six teams for those last two (hosting) spots.鈥
McGuffin said Oregon was helped by going 17-4 against the top 50 of the RPI, including five top-10 RPI wins. He said both Oregon and Tech had three Quad-4 losses.
鈥淰irginia Tech did have five top-25 (RPI) wins but 鈥 just one top-10 win in there, with Oregon鈥檚 five top-10 wins (better by comparison),鈥 McGuffin said. 鈥淪o it was really close.鈥
and Softball America had each predicted Tech would host a regional as the No. 16 overall seed.
This is the third straight year that Tech will have to hit the road for its NCAA regional.
鈥淲e have the 鈥楽o what?鈥 mentality. So what we鈥檙e not hosting? We鈥檙e ready to go to Alabama,鈥 shortstop Annika Rohs said.
Duke is one of three ACC teams that will get to host, along with No. 5 overall seed Florida State and No. 11 overall seed Clemson. The field includes nine ACC teams.
The Hokies had a chance to boost their resume by beating Clemson in the ACC semifinals last Friday. Tech led Clemson 9-2 but lost 10-9. The game was played in the pouring rain, which made pitching and fielding difficult.
鈥淚t was just one game that goes into our (evaluation) pot,鈥 McGuffin said.
Does D鈥橝mour think Tech would have gotten to host a regional had it beaten Clemson?
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know. I鈥檓 not Nostradamus,鈥 D鈥橝mour said with a laugh.
Virginia Tech, which finished in third place in the ACC standings, is in the NCAAs for the sixth straight time and for the 14th time overall.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been really good since we鈥檝e gotten here,鈥 D鈥橝mour said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been on the other side where you don鈥檛 know whether your name鈥檚 going to get picked, and we knew we were going to be called this year.鈥
If Tech wins its regional, it will face the winner of the Oklahoma regional in a best-of-three Super Regional series for a berth in the Women鈥檚 College World Series in Oklahoma City. If No. 2 overall seed Oklahoma wins its regional, it will host the winner of the Alabama regional.
Alabama and Oklahoma are among nine Southeastern Conference teams that will be hosting a regional.
Alabama (37-21) will meet Southwestern Athletic Conference champ Jackson State (29-23) in the other first-round game Friday in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama is the top seed in its regional, with Tech the No. 2 seed, Belmont (40-14) the No. 3 seed and Jackson State the No. 4 seed.
Tech went 1-1 against Alabama in Tuscaloosa in February, winning 2-1 and losing 9-1 in five innings.
鈥淚 told the team, 鈥榃e already beat them once,鈥欌 D鈥橝mour said. 鈥淚鈥檓 glad we went there. It鈥檚 a tough environment to play in. Our kids are going to be ready for it.鈥
鈥淚鈥檓 excited,鈥 Rohs said. 鈥淚 know that we鈥檙e going to come out and win.鈥
Tech first baseman Michelle Chatfield has missed her team鈥檚 past two games with a sprained wrist. D鈥橝mour said the All-ACC first-team pick is day-to-day.
UVa (37-17) was sent to a regional that will be hosted by No. 8 overall seed South Carolina.
Virginia will face North Florida on Friday. South Carolina will meet CAA champ Elon, whose team includes Lord Botetourt graduate Meredith Wells, in the other first-round game in that regional.
Liberty, which earned an automatic bid as the Conference USA champ, was assigned to a regional that will be hosted by No. 1 overall seed Texas A&M. Liberty will meet Marist in the first round.
