FMU teams find out NCAA opponents

By Morning News Staff Reports

Published: May 12, 2008

FLORENCE — The Francis Marion softball and men’s and women’s tennis teams left Florence on Monday to travel to Houston for the NCAA Division II Spring National Championships Festival and their respective finals competition.
Updated results, brackets, and live video can be found at http://www.ncaa.com.
The Patriots women’s tennis squad owns a program-best 22-2 record after winning two matches in Florence this past week to advance to the round of Sweet 16. The seventh-ranked Patriots will face sixth-ranked Abilene Christian (26-3) in a first-round match at 9 a.m. at Houston’s Memorial Park.
The FMU men’s tennis team will play seventh-ranked Cameron (21-3) at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at at Homer Ford Park. The Patriots, 18-5 and ranked 20th nationally, are making their fourth trip to the Sweet 16, but the first since 2001. FMU has never advanced to the quarterfinal round (Elite Eight).
The tennis competition is single elimination.
The 38-14 Patriot softball team will play Ferris State (34-16) at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in the second of four first-round games. The eight-team double-elimination tournament will be played at Houston’s Memorial Park.
Francis Marion is playing in its first-ever NCAA tournament, while Ferris State is in its sixth national tournament and making its third finals appearances.

FMU baseball misses out on NCAA tournament
FLORENCE — Despite finishing third during the Peach Belt Conference regular season and reaching the PBC tournament title game, the Francis Marion baseball team was not among the six squads from the South Atlantic Region extended invitations to the NCAA Division II national tournament. The 48-team field was released Monday.
Mount Olive (49-5) will host the regional, with Columbus State (39-15), USC Aiken (43-13), North Georgia College & state (37-19), Belmont Abbey (40-20), and Erskine (44-11) filling out the field.
North Georgia earned the Peach Belt’s automatic bid with a 10-8 win over FMU in Sunday’s tournament title game, while Mount Olive earned the Conference Carolinas’ automatic bid.