Softball | 5/16/2025 9:43:29 AM

NORFOLK, Va., May 16, 2025 – The Howard University softball team opens play in the 2025 NCAA Softball Tournament on Friday, May 16, facing No. 14 national seed Duke University in the Durham Regional. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. at Duke Softball Field in Durham, N.C., with the game airing live on the ACC Network.
 
The Lady Bison earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after capturing the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championship with a 6-1 victory over South Carolina State. The title marked Howard’s second in four years and third in program history.
 
Howard enters the regional with a 31-18 overall record, including a dominant 20-1 mark in MEAC play. The Lady Bison and Blue Devils are no strangers, having met earlier this season at the Mary Nutter Classic, where Duke came away with a 13-1 win.
 
Howard’s postseason run is fueled by a roster featuring 11 All-MEAC honorees, including MEAC Rookie of the Year Lauryn Jones. Graduate utility player Ameenah Ballenger was named the MEAC Tournament’s Outstanding Performer, while Head Coach Tori Tyson earned Outstanding Coach honors after guiding the program to the title.
 
Duke, which earned an at-large bid after reaching the ACC semifinals, boasts a formidable lineup led by ACC Defensive Player of the Year Thessa Malau'ulu and four All-ACC selections: Dani Drogemuller, Ana Gold, Aminah Vega, and D’Auna Jennings.
 
The winner of Friday’s matchup will advance to face the winner of Coastal Carolina vs. Georgia in the next round of the double-elimination regional.