PREVIEW: Eastern Nazarene Softball Battles #7 East Texas Baptist in 2021 NCAA Tournament Friday

MARSHALL, Texas- The New England Collegiate Conference champion Eastern Nazarene College softball team squares off against No. 7 East Texas Baptist University in the first game of the 2021 NCAA Tournament Marshall, Texas Regional Friday.

BASICS:
Date: 05/21/21
Location: Taylor Field | Marshall, Texas
Time: 12:00 pm EST
Tickets: Adults $10 – Seniors & Children $5 – Under 5 yrs Free
Follow: Live Stats | Live Video

HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Eastern Nazarene earned its second-straight NCAA Tournament bid after capturing the NECC Championship for the second-consecutive season. The Lions are ranked No. 11 in the latest NCAA New England regional rankings and boast a 24-5 overall record heading into the weekend.

East Texas Baptist is making its eighth-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament after claiming the American Southwest Conference title. The Tigers are ranked No. 7 in the NFCA National Poll and No. 1 in the NCAA West regional rankings with a 30-5 record on the year.

ENC vs. THE FIELD :
The Lions have never played East Texas Baptist and have never taken on a team from the Lone Star State in program history. Eastern Nazarene has also never played any of the other four teams in the Marshall, Texas Regional.

BRACKETOLOGY:
The winner of Friday's showdown will advance to face the loser of Friday opening round game between No. 5 Birmingham-Southern and Redlands on Saturday. The loser of Friday's tilt will face-off against the loser of the matchup between No. 9 Salisbury and Ohio Northern in an elimination game Friday evening. The NCAA Tournament Marshall, Texas Regional concludes May 23 with the winning team advancing to the 2021 NCAA Tournament Championship site May 27-June 1 at Moyer Park in Salem, Virginia.

NCAA Tournament Marshall, Texas Regional Bracket

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY:
Eastern Nazarene is making its second-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2021. The Lions made their NCAA Tournament debut in 2019, earning a spot in the Cambridge, Massachusetts Regional hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Lions narrowly dropped their opening game to No. 23 Rowan. Eastern Nazarene secured the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament victory with a 7-1 win over Husson in the elimination round before suffered a heart-breaking 5-4 loss to MIT to end the season with a 29-15 overall record.

WEEKLY HONORS:
Eastern Nazarene has collected nine weekly conference accolades this spring. Aurora Adams and Bailey Olaveson have each been named the NECC Player of the Week twice. Jennelle Munoz has garnered a pair of NECC Pitcher of the Week nods and one NECC Rookie of the Week honor. Adriana Montuya earned one NECC Pitcher of the Week accolade and Alexys Giddings has been selected as the NECC Rookie of the Week once. Munoz was tabbed the NFCA National Pitcher of the Week after tossing three complete games with zero earned runs in the NECC Tournament.

POSTSEASON ACCOLADES:
Eastern Nazarene garnered a league-best six All-New England Collegiate Conference first team nods, as the conference announce the postseason awards Wednesday. Jennelle Munoz became the first student-athlete in conference history to earn NECC Pitcher and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season. Aurora Adams, Taylor Brandt, Rebecca Hayner, Bailey Olaveson, and Alex Schwenger all joined Munoz on the All-NECC first team while Hayner also claimed a spot on the NECC Del Malloy Sportsmanship Team for the second year in a row.

Eastern Nazarene also collected four NFCA All-New England nods as Olaveson picked up first team honors while Adams, Brandt, and Munoz all earned third team laurels.