Softball, Ole Miss to Open Lubbock Regional Friday on ESPNU

Friday, May 15

Lubbock, Texas

2 PM ET

Boston University

Ole Miss – NCAA Lubbock Regional

BU softball team poses for group photo at Texas Tech

Photo by: Dan Koerner

Softball, Ole Miss to Open Lubbock Regional Friday on ESPNU

May 14, 2026 | Softball

Watch Live Stats Lubbock Regional Central Regional Notes

LUBBOCK, Texas – Making its 15th NCAA tournament appearance, the third-seeded Boston University softball team is set to open the Lubbock Regional against two-seeded Ole Miss with first pitch slated for 2 p.m. ET on ESPNU. Ranked as high as third nationally with the 11th overall seed, Host Texas Tech will follow at 4:30 p.m. ET against Marist.

Both the Terriers (Patriot League) and Marist (MAAC) claimed their conference's regular season and tournament titles to reach the NCAA tournament. Finishing runner-up in the Women's College World Series last season, Texas Tech won the Big 12 regular season title and earned an at-large bid alongside Ole Miss.

NCAA REGIONAL HISTORY

BU has reached the regional finals twice in its previous 14 NCAA appearances, first in 1996 and most recently in 2009.
The Terriers' last NCAA win came against Horizon League champion Cleveland State (8-0) in 2024.
The Terriers are 1-7 all-time against the SEC in the NCAA tournament following last year's loss at OU. They came up just short to Mississippi State (3-1) in 2021 following a 10-8 back-and-forth clash against Missouri in 2018. BU was also one out away from eliminating LSU in 2014 and dropped a tightly-contested 3-2 decision to Arkansas (2012) with the lone win (5-0) coming against Auburn in 2009.
BU is 1-0 against the MAAC with a 4-3 win in 13 innings over Iona out west at the 2012 Berkeley Regional and 0-1 against the Big 12 with 1-0 loss to Oklahoma State at Cal State Fullerton in 2003.
BU will be visiting West South Central, an official Census Bureau division that includes Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana, for the sixth time in eight NCAA appearances under head coach Ashley Waters following a visit to Louisiana-Lafayette in 2016, three trips to OU (2018, 24, 25) and a 2021 journey to Oklahoma State. The other two flights were to Gainesville, Florida (2019) and Athens, Georgia (2023).
BU is 9-28 (.243) all-time in the NCAA tournament with an 0-14 record in the opening matchup. Last year, the Terriers went 0-2 at the Norman Regional with an 8-0 (5) loss to No. 2 national seed Oklahoma and a 3-1 defeat to Omaha.

TERRIER TIDBITS

The Terriers are 0-2 this season against the SEC following two losses at then-No. 16 South Carolina (6-2, 6-1) and will be seeking their first victory against the conference since earning a 6-1 win at then-No. 13 Georgia in 2022. The Terriers though have wins against Power 4 schools in No. 12 national seed Duke (2x), Northwestern and Ohio State.
BU ranks in the top 50 nationally in 22 categories and top 100 in 26 categories, including 24th in batting average (.337), seventh in walks earned (263) and fifth in shutouts (17).
After delivering a solo homer and grand slam in the 12-1 (5) Patriot League championship clinching win over Colgate, 2026 PL Player of the Year and junior Kylie Doherty (.396 avg.) ranks fifth nationally with 26 homers to help BU rank 50th at 64 homers, one shy of tying the program record.
Doherty has scored 63 runs, second most in program history, with fellow NFCA All-Reigon First Team honoree Brooke Deppiesse (.375) currently owning the lead at 65 runs scored.
Senior Megan Coyle (.333, 56 RBIs) and junior Kyomi Apalit (.355, 46 RBIs) have combined for 20 homers while matching Deppiesse at 11 doubles apiece, one behind Doherty.
Three-time PL Pitcher of the Year and two-time PL Tournament MVP Kasey Ricard leads the nation with 32 wins along with 13 shutouts thanks to 230 strikeouts over 234.0 innings of work, while classmate Haley Ganino (8-2) has 28 strikeouts in 71.0 innings.
Overall, BU is batting .337 and holding opponents to .239 with 170-99 lead in extra-base hits.

SERIES HISTORY

BU has never faced Ole Miss in softball or any other sport.
Texas Tech won the lone meeting against BU, 4-0, back in 2011.
The Terriers are 2-4 against Marist, winning the last contest, 2-0, during a 2020 regular season event hosted by Arkansas.

UP NEXT

The Lubbock Regional victor will advance to the Super Regional on May 21-24 against the winner of the Gainesville Regional hosted by No. 6 national-seeded Florida.