Province first BIG EAST Championship berth

The Providence College softball team finished seventh in the BIG EAST Conference standings and earned a spot in the eight-team Conference Championship. As the seventh seed, Providence (22-27, 10-12 BIG EAST) will play second seed Notre Dame (44-9, 18-3 BIG EAST) on Thursday, May 13 at 4:00 p.m. at Ulmer Stadium in Louisville, Ky. Notre Dame shared the regular season title with DePaul, but the Blue Demons took the No. 1 seed because they won the season series against the Fighting Irish.

In all, the Friars have reached the BIG EAST Championship nine times (1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2006, 2008, 2010), including three times in the last five seasons under head coach Kerri Jacklets. Providence captured its only BIG EAST Championship crown in 1994.

Providence is 0-2 all-time against Notre Dame in the BIG EAST Championship. The last time the two teams met in the league tournament was in 2006 when the Fighting Irish earned a 4-1 victory in the quarterfinals in Notre Dame, Ind. The two teams did not face each other this season, but they did play in the 2009 campaign as the Fighting Irish swept doubleheader in Providence.