Baylor heads to Utah for NCAA softball tournament

The Baylor Bears softball team was selected into the NCAA tournament. They will head to Utah for the first round.

There was excitement and incredible energy at the Letterwinners Lounge in McLane Stadium as the Bears gathered together to watch the NCAA Selection show to find out where they will be placed.

There were discussions that Baylor had a chance to host and that possibility brought more excitement on Sunday. The announcement was made that Utah, who finished the regular season with a 37-13 record, made the 15th seed. They will be taking on Southern Illinois, while the Baylor Bears will be taking on the Ole Miss Rebels.

A roar took over the Letterwinners Lounge as there was nothing but excitement from the team. After the selection show, Head Coach Glenn Moore spoke on the expectations the team has going into the tournament.

"If you look around Getterman Stadium, there's a lot of banners that we've hung over the years and we didn't go to those Regionals or those World Series just happy to be there to get a t-shirt," Moore said. "You want to advance and you got to be prepared to work hard, and we will," he said.

Playing in the Beehive State brings its own challenge as the altitude changes. It's an obstacle that the Bears understand will be tough to face.

"It will be a little bit of an adjustment for I guess the three other teams that, so we will have to deal with that," Moore said. "It's not much of a cardio challenge, I think we'll handle that just fine," he added.

The Bears will begin Regional play against the Rebels. First pitch is scheduled for Friday at 12 pm on ESPNU.