May 14, 2000
Stanford, Calif. -- The ninth-ranked Stanford softball team received a No. 1 seed and will open the 2000 NCAA Softball Championship and will open the tournament against No. 6 seed Central Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Thursday, May 18. The University of Michigan is the host of the regional tournament.
Stanford is making its third consecutive tournament appearance and second as a No. 1 seed. The Cardinal earned a No. 1 seed in 1998 when they traveled to Stillwater, Okla. Stanford is 2-4 in postseason play.
The Cardinal finished the regular season with an all-time best 45-16 record and fourth in the Pac-10 Conference with a 9-12 mark. All eight schools that sponsor softball in the Pac-10 received bids into the NCAA tournament.
Michigan is the No. 2 seed in the region, followed by No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 4 Illinois-Chicago and No. 5 DePaul. The NCAA tournament is comprised of 48 teams, which are divided into eight regions. The team that makes it through the double elimination regional tournament will move on to the NCAA Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, OK May 25-29.