The Liberty softball team defeated Western Kentucky on Saturday in the 2024 CUSA Softball Championship to claim the league’s automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Division I Softball Championship.

During Sunday evening’s selection show, the Lady Flames learned they will travel to Athens, Georgia to compete in the Athens Regional. To begin regional play on Friday, the Flames will take on Charlotte at 3 pm on ESPN+. No. 11 overall seed Georgia, who is the regional host, will play UNC Wilmington on Friday.

The 49ers enter regional play as champions of the American Athletic Conference, defeating Wichita State on Saturday, 10-1 in 5 innings, to claim the title. Charlotte dominated the AAC this season with a 21-6 record in conference play. They are 38-16 overall. The Flames and 49ers met earlier this season in Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty got the win, 6-5, on March 20 thanks to a three run fifth inning which proved to be the difference.

The Lady Flames will be competing in a fourth straight NCAA Tournament. In 2021, Liberty was the 2-seed in the Knoxville Regional where the Lady Flames defeated the host Tennessee who was the No. 9 national seed in an elimination game. Liberty lost two games in the Regional, including the Regional Final, to eventual Women’s College World Series participant James Madison. In 2022, Liberty defeated Georgia to open play in the Durham Regional. The Lady Flames would go on to lose their next two games, falling to Regional host Duke and Georgia to be eliminated.

Last year, the Lady Flames defeated No. 2 national seed UCLA and also Grand Canyon but were eliminated in the regional final by San Diego State.

This will be the seventh time in program history in which Liberty will compete in a Regional. The Lady Flames won conference tournament titles in 2002, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2022, and this year. Liberty received an at-large bid last season.

FRIDAY, MAY 17

Game 1: (2) Liberty (36-23) vs (3) Charlotte (38-16), 3 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 2: (1) Georgia (39-16) vs (4) UNC Wilmington (33-21), 5:30 p.m. (ESPN+)

SATURDAY, MAY 18

Game 3: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 1 p.m.
Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs Loser Game 2, 3:30 p.m.
Game 5: Winner Game 4 vs Loser Game 3, 6 p.m.

SUNDAY, MAY 19

Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5, TBD
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs Loser Game 6, TBD (if necessary)