Once a softball powerhouse, Georgia Tech has returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012.
The Yellow Jackets were awarded an at-large berth into the 64-team field Sunday night and will be the No. 2 seed in a region with top seed Florida, No. 3 seed Wisconsin and No. 4 seed Canisius.
The Jackets earned their spot with a 37-16 record, which included 17 games against tournament teams. They are one of six ACC teams in the field, joining Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech.
Tech will play Wisconsin (28-19) on Friday in Gainesville, Fla., the first game of the four-team double-elimination regional.
Tech has had a breakthrough year in coach Aileen Morales’ fifth season. The former Jackets All-American took over a team that had registered five consecutive losing seasons, including 57-101 over the final three seasons. Morales has led Tech to winning records in four of her five seasons – and its first NCAA Tournament berth in 10 years.
During Morales’ playing career at Tech, the Jackets went to four NCAA Tournaments (part of a run of eight consecutive trips) and won an ACC regular-season and tournament championship.
The Jackets are led by their two first-team All-ACC selections: first baseman Tricia Awald and catcher Emma Kauf.
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