Regardless of how this ultimately turns out, this has been a season for the ages for USF softball. At a school–and in a media-driven culture–where football and basketball generate the lion’s share of campus sports attention and revenue, it’s softball that’s making the headlines–and history–at USF. No Bulls team in any sport has gone farther than Ken Eriksen’s team. These Bulls are currently in Oklahoma City competing in the Women’s College World Series with seven other teams.
Now they’re playing with house money after surviving regional play. Win or lose, they’ve won. And they could win it all at a school that has never won a national championship in any Division I sport. Go, Bulls.
However, it was disappointing to see the Bulls’ baseball team fall short of earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Again. Last time USF made it was 2002. Frankly it remains unacceptable that the baseball team doesn’t do better in a Big East Conference that is top heavy with northeastern schools. We’re talking BASEBALL. This is FLORIDA. And the Sunshine State was hardly shut out: the University of Florida, Florida State, Miami, Central Florida and Bethune-Cookman all made it to post-season tournament play.
Six-year head Coach Lelo Prado needs to get his Bulls into the 64-team tournament soon. Hopefully before his (extended) contract is up in 2014.