TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE/RESULTS

ROME, Ga. – They defeated three nationally-ranked teams, including the No. 1-ranked program, to claim the championship in what is arguably one of the toughest conferences in the land and earn their first-ever trip to the NCAA Division II playoffs.

On Friday, however, the Shorter softball team finds themselves experiencing a huge déjà vu challenge.

Playing on the same field where they won the Gulf South Conference crown, the Lady Hawks return to Steel's Diamond at Blazer Park in Valdosta for the 2015 NCAA Division II Softball South 1 Regional Tournament as part a four-team field that includes two of those ranked conference squads they dispatched a week ago.

"It basically is another Gulf South tournament," Shorter head coach Al Thomas said as the Lady Hawks (36-15) make their NCAA postseason debut at 4:30 p.m. on Friday facing GSC foe and No. 11-ranked Alabama-Huntsville (39-14) in the regional that includes No. 1 Valdosta State (46-7), which lost to Shorter in the conference tourney, and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champ Tuskegee (21-20.)

"But we know that in order to be the best you have to beat the best," he added. "We would have had to beat these teams anyway if we didn't face them right away. The bottom line is that if we win at least five more games we'll be in Oklahoma City."

That is where the eight survivors of the 16 regional and eight super regional showdowns will go when the NCAA National Tournament is held at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium starting May 21 and if they Lady Hawks want to join that party, they must first take care of business in Valdosta once again.

In the GSC tournament, that's exactly what Shorter did.

After knocking off Union in the conference opener, the Lady Hawks shocked top-ranked Valdosta State that same day and although they fell to No. 16-ranked North Alabama, shook off that setback to remain in the title hunt eliminated Alabama-Huntsville to set up a rematch in the championship with UNA, beating the Lady Lions – they are hosting the South 2 Regional Tournament this weekend – twice to win the crown.

"Regardless of what we've done in the past," said Thomas, who has directed Shorter to NAIA and National Christian College Athletic Association national championships, "being able to win the conference and have that success gave us not just credibility, but proved to us mentally and physically that we do belong."

Judging from their performance in the GSC tourney, the Lady Hawks do indeed have the mind-set and the fortitude to keep their season alive.

By the time Shorter walked off the field in Valdosta carrying the conference trophy, ending Valdosta State's six-year reign, five of the Lady Hawks wound up being all-tournament selections, all of them giving an indication of what the team can do at the plate and on the field.

Niki Cook, the GSC Freshman of the Year who is batting .387 in a lead-off role, wound up being named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player recognition lead all hitters with eight hits and had four stolen bases; Maggie Meacham and Ericka Bynum were honored for their prowess with the bat and are have respective .343 and .316 averages; and pitchers Maddie Bray and Kalei Kimbrell garnered tourney honors with Bray (14-9) winning three games and Kimbrell putting up gaudy numbers in a relief role,  recording a tournament-high 14 strikes in 13 innings, closing out all five games and notching saves in three of them.

"It's nice to be able to have your starter pitch to a certain point and then have someone line her come in to save it," Thomas said of Kimbrell, who leads nation with seven saves. "She's been phenomenal."

So, too, has the Lady Hawks third pitching weapon, Amanda Blanchard, who leads the team with a 17-4 record and 125 strikeouts, and for additional firepower at the plate Shorter boasts the likes of Kendall Johnson, who top the team hitting .391 and has driven in 45 runs, and Paige Rowland, who in addition to being the Lady Hawks' catcher extraordinaire is hitting .333.

After Friday's opening round of the regional, the tourney resumes Saturday with three more games and concludes Sunday with the championship showdown.

The winner of the South 1 Regional moves on to face the South 2 Regional champion – host North Alabama, Rollins, Florida Tech and Tampa make up that group – in the South Super Regional to be held next weekend with the host school yet to be determined.