Four schools will represent the Big West in the 2004 NCAA Division I Softball Championship, as announced by the selection committee on Sunday, May 16. Big West champion Long Beach State, Cal State Northridge, UC Santa Barbara and Pacific were selected among the 64-team field.
Long Beach State, which won its fourth Big West championship and first since 1999, is competing in its second straight NCAA regional. The 49ers will play in Region 2, hosted by UCLA, and will meet Cornell in their first game on Thursday. The other teams comprising the regional are Central Michigan, Alabama, Louisville, Missouri and Mississippi Valley State. The 49ers are 16-23 all-time in regional action. With a 48-11 overall mark, the 49ers have tied the school record for most victories in a season.
Cal State Northridge finished in a tie for second place in the Big West and earned their 12th NCAA regional bid. The Matadors are appearing in their second consecutive postseason and have to make the furthest trip of any Big West school. CSUN is headed to Region 4 in Tallahassee, Fla., where it squares off against Florida in its first game on Thursday. The host school is Florida State and other participating schools are South Florida, Ohio State, Bethune-Cookman, Oregon and Long Island. The Matadors are 3-12 all-time in regional play as a Big West member and 12-22 overall in their Division I history.
UC Santa Barbara is making its first-ever NCAA Regional appearance. The Gauchos earned the postseason nod after finishing 32-29 overall and tying for second place in the conference standings. UCSB won 18 of its last 25 games, including five wins against ranked opponents. The Gauchos are targeted for Region 1 and face off against Northwestern in their opener on Thursday. Temple, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Louisiana-Lafayette, Centenary and host Arizona are the other competing schools.
Pacific captured its fourth straight NCAA Regional bid and sixth in the last seven years. The Tigers finished the regular season 34-21 and fourth in the Big West. They are 8-12 all-time in regional play as a Big West member. Pacific is playing in Region 7 in Palo Alto, Calif., with Stanford serving as host. The Tigers battle Southern Mississippi in their opener on Thursday. Pacific is joined by Fresno State, Southern Illinois, Hofstra, Auburn and Utah in this regional. The Tigers also competed in Palo Alto in 2001 and advanced to that regional's championship game before losing to Stanford.