DAHLONEGA | The No. 6 University of North Georgia softball team is set to host its sixth NCAA Division II Softball Regional this weekend at Hill Stadium in Dahlonega. The four-team field also includes No. 25 Anderson (S.C.) and Catawba of the South Atlantic Conference and Conference Carolinas champion, Limestone. Opening round action will begin Friday, May 8 at 4 p.m., with fifth-seeded Anderson taking on fourth-seeded Catawba. North Georgia, the top seed in the Southeast Region, will face off with eighth-seeded Limestone at 6:30 p.m.
 
Tickets for the Friday-Saturday-Sunday tournament can be purchased at the gate of Hill Stadium. Tournament passes will also sold at a discounted price. For more information on ticketing, parking and directions, please visit the Tournament Central website.
 
The Nighthawks enter the NCAA Tournament with a 44-7 record after clinching the Peach Belt Conference's automatic bid by winning the conference tournament. UNG also won the regular season title by starting conference play 21-0 to clinch the team's fifth conference crown in the past seven years. North Georgia is led by two top-10 finalists for the Schutt Sports/NFCA National Player of the Year award, in senior Kim McMillan and junior Courtney Poole. The duo was named PBC Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively and is among the nation's best at the plate and in the circle. Poole leads the NCAA – in all divisions – in victories with 37 wins on the season.
 
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION

Anderson (SC): Finished the regular season with a second-place finish in the South Atlantic Conference standings, just a game behind conference champ Carson-Newman. The Trojans were edged out by Catawba in the SAC Tournament championship game. Anderson is led at the plate by Cailah Niles, a top-10 finalists for NFCA DII National Player of the Year, who has carried a big stick this year, ranking second in the nation in home runs with 22 on the season. Her 69 RBI ranks fourth best in the nation and led the SAC. Lauren Rudesheim has been the go-to pitcher for the Trojans this season with a team-best 2.11 ERA and an 18-7 record. Rudesheim has struck out 111 in 159.0 innings pitched, giving up nearly a hit per inning with 156 allowed on the year. Chelsea Jones has also seen a good bit of work this year with a 14-5 record and 2.39 ERA in 117.1 innings pitched, she has struck out 115 while only allowing 20 walks.
 
Catawba: After a third-place finish in the South Atlantic Conference regular season standings, the Indians swept their way to the SAC Tournament championship. Natalie Naturile leads the team in batting average (.419), slugging percentage (.641) and on-base percentage (.478) among eligible players. Taylor Adams is the leading run producer for Catawba with 27 RBI. SAC Pitcher of the Year, Carley Tysinger is the ace for the Indians. Tysinger enters the NCAA Tournament with a 25-9 record with a 1.54 earned run average. She ranks sixth nationally in strikeouts with 307 on the year while allowing 65 walks. Opponents have only hit .194 against the junior from Lexington, N.C.
 
Limestone: The Saints won their second consecutive Conference Carolinas regular season crown this season with a 13-3 mark in the league and went on to when the conference tournament title as well, defeating North Greenville for the league's automatic bid and the team's first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. Limestone is the only team from the Southeast Region to make the big dance without being regionally ranked. The Saints are led at the plate by speedster Bailie Maybry with a team-best .407 batting average and .465 on-base percentage. Maybry has 11 doubles of the year and is 21-25 in stolen base attempts. Limestone is not known for its power at the plate with just two players having more than two home runs on the year, Emma Swearingen leads the team with five dingers and along with Erika Hansen has a team-high 28 RBI. Josie Weber has shouldered most of the load in the circle for the Saints with a 1.87 ERA and a 17-3 record. She has struckout 126 in 116.0 innings pitched and opponents have only hit .194 against her this season.
 
SERIES HISTORY

Anderson (SC): The Nighthawks enjoy a 20-3 all-time advantage over the Trojans, however the last time the two teams met was one of Anderson's three wins. The Trojans handed North Georgia a 7-2 loss in the first round of the 2013 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional II in Hickory, N.C. The only time UNG has gone two-and-out in the NCAA Tournament. The last win for North Georgia came in the last meeting before the 2013 Regional, a doubleheader at Anderson on March 28, 2006, a 19-7 victory in the second game for UNG. The two teams met four times that season with North Georgia taking all four.
 
Catawba: UNG is 5-2 in the all-time series with the Indians with the most recent meeting coming earlier this year, a 3-1 victory for the Nighthawks. Prince, Heyer and May provided the three RBIs for North Georgia against the highly touted Carley Tysinger. Poole earned the win for UNG throwing a complete game four-hitter with four strikeouts.
 
Limestone: North Georgia won the only previous meeting between the two teams when UNG took down the Saints in Gaffney, S.C., 10-1 in six innings, with three home runs and a strong performance in the circle by Jessica Coan, who picked up the complete game win.