“Just another game — another opponent that we’ve got to beat to accomplish our goal,” Miami first-year coach Mandy Gardner-Colgate said. “Obviously, with the history with the coaching staff and some of the players, that can be kind of a big deal.
“But we’re just really going to try and focus on ourselves, focus on our process, our game plan. And like I’ve told them many times, we’re not always playing our opponent, we’re playing ourselves. And when we play our best ball, we can beat anybody.”
Miami (35-24) is joined by host and No. 7 Tennessee (40-14), along with Ohio State (43-12-1) and North Carolina (40-15).
The Buckeyes are led by former RedHawks coach Kirin Kumar and players Hadley Parisien and Sami Bewick. Former Miami star Karli Spaid is a graduate assistant at Tennessee.
“I’m really excited,” said Gardner-Colegate, the MAC Co-Coach of the Year. “I think it’s a challenging regional, but definitely a regional we can compete in. So, I am really excited. We’re one of the few regionals with three Power Fours. But we love a challenge. We’ve risen to the occasion multiple times this year, and we’re ready to do it again this weekend.
“We’re having a blast, honestly,” Gardner-Colegate added. “We’ve hit valleys, we’ve hit peaks. But right now, we’re just nice and steady. We’re really connected. We’re playing our best ball. We’re just excited to be back in the regional and to spend another week together practicing.
“We’re one of 64 teams that get to come out and practice this week. We’re just going to be where our feet are. We’re just blessed and grateful to spend another week together.”
Miami makes its fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and faces Tennessee at 1:30 p.m. Friday to open up double-elimination regional play.
The RedHawks beat the Ohio Bobcats twice in the MAC title game to receive an automatic bid into the postseason.
A lot of that had to do with the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and senior Chloe Parks.
“I’m excited,” Parks said. “A draw in any regional is an exciting feeling. It doesn’t really matter where we go. So, it was just a really exciting feeling to have that name called up there and go back to a familiar place that we’ve been at before.”
The RedHawks beat Ball State 6-3 in their conference tournament opener before losing to Ohio 5-2.
Léa Chevrier pitched a no-hitter to propel Miami past Ball State 8-0 in the loser’s bracket to set up a rematch against Ohio in the championship game.
The RedHawks beat the Bobcats 6-0 and 8-2 to claim their fourth-straight MAC Tournament championship.
“The past couple of days have been very exciting,” Parks said. “I think we grew a lot as a team these past couple days. Obviously, we had that loss, and we learned how to bounce back. We got way closer than what we were before.
“The preparation we had leading up to this — that’s all the fall, all the spring, all the work we’ve been putting in — it’s finally starting to show. We’re meshing, we’re gelling, and it’s looking good. It’s feeling good.”
The RedHawks had two All-MAC First Team selections in Parks and pitcher Madilyn Reeves, and two All-MAC Second Team selections in Mckenna Campbell and Shelby Kunkel. Parks was joined on the MAC Tournament team by Chevrier and Kaylee Oh.
“It’s their grit, honestly,” Gardner-Colgate said of what has stood out the most regarding her team. “Their teamwork, their passion for genuinely wanting the next person to do really good.
“We’re just having a blast on the field,” Gardner-Colegate added. “Their energy in the dugout is electric, and just from pitch one, they’re coming out competing their butts off. Just really proud of everything.
“We’re pitching the ball really well. We’re playing defense really well and obviously hitting the cover off the ball. Put all three things together, we’re pretty unstoppable.”
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