Miami Softball to face Kentucky in NCAA Tournament

OXFORD, Ohio — A day after the Miami RedHawks softball team defeated Bowling Green 11-0 in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship game, the RedHawks know where they will be playing in the NCAA Regionals.

The RedHawks are headed to the Blacksburg Regional hosted by Virginia Tech who is the No. 1 team in the region. The Blacksburg Region is made up of four teams — Virginia Tech, Kentucky, Miami and St. Francis (Pa.).

“I think we are very well prepared for this. We like playing big schools,” said Allie Cummins, senior infielder and Lakota West grad.

Miami was ranked 30th in toughest non-conference schedule this season.

Kate Kobayashi, a sophomore outfielder for the RedHawks isn’t worried about the competition.

“We are going to go into this regional and it is not going to be anything new, we are used to this competition,” Kobayashi said. “We thrive in it.”

The RedHawks will face two teams they have played this year — Kentucky and Virginia Tech. The RedHawks defeated Kentucky 7-5, but lost to Virginia Tech 8-0.

“It’s exciting to be able to face top teams and show them what we can do,” said Miami Head Coach Kirin Kumar.

Kumar was assistant coach with Virginia Tech for two seasons before being named head coach of Miami ahead of the 2021 season. Since Kumar joined, the RedHawks have compiled a 85-25-1 record and two MAC Titles.

“They are just ready to get after it,” Kumar said.

Miami is looking to get out of the regional tournament for the first time in program history. The school has been to the tournament five times prior to this year.

Miami will head to Blacksburg and face Kentucky on Friday, May 20 at 4:30 p.m.

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