TUCSON — Pima Community College softball is heading back to the NJCAA Division II World Series as the No. 8 seed after claiming its third straight Region I/West District Championship.
The Aztecs, 47-8 overall, will open tournament play against No. 9 seed Des Moines Area Community College on Wednesday, May 20 at 11 a.m. ET, 8 a.m. Tucson time, at Tyger River Park in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
The two programs have history.
Pima defeated the Bears 9-1 in the consolation bracket at last year's NJCAA Division II World Series.
Head coach Rebekah Quiroz described that matchup as "a great battle" and said the seeding does not change the team's mindset heading into the 20-team double elimination tournament.
"We're excited… doesn't matter what seed it is, we gotta go and we have to do a job," Quiroz said.
While the Aztecs were hoping for a top-five seed, Quiroz said her sophomore class has been the driving force behind the team's resilience and accountability this season.
"They've kind of set the tone early on and that's the atmosphere, that's the environment they like and so our freshmen, I think they enjoy it and they really jump on that," Quiroz said. "So our sophomores, they know what they're doing and us as a coaching staff, we trust them completely."
Pima finished 25-2 at Aztec Field and 22-6 on the road this season. The Aztecs secured their region title with a 1-0 win over South Mountain Community College on Saturday at the West Campus Aztec Field.
The complete tournament bracket is available on the NJCAA website.
