STATESBORO, Ga. – The Georgia Southern softball team will open the 2013 NCAA Softball Tournament on Friday at 3 p.m. against Big East champion South Florida in the tournament’s Gainesville Regional.

Georgia Southern’s two other possible opponents in the regional are the No. 2 national seed Florida and Hampton. The Eagles played the Bulls last season in Tampa, dropping a 2-0 result early in the season and is 0-5 all-time against USF. GSU has never faced Hampton and only has one game against the Gators, a loss in 2001.

GSU enters its second straight NCAA tournament at 32-27, wining the program’s second-straight SoCon Championship and fourth all-time. Two-time SoCon Pitcher of the Year Sarah Purivs went 11 innings in the Eagles’ 11-inning win over UNCG on Saturday and has 17 wins this season. Kourtny Thomas provided a walk-off home run to clinch the title, her 12th long-ball of the season.

Ticket information and game times for the Gainesville Regional will be announced soon.