Overview
- Belmont opens the Tuscaloosa Regional against Southeastern Louisiana, with a likely path to face No. 1 overall seed Alabama if both teams advance.
- Maya Johnson leads Division I with a 0.66 ERA and 381 strikeouts and also tops the nation in complete games, shutouts, and strikeout-to-walk ratio.
- Johnson told reporters at Rhoads Stadium she is 100% confident in Belmont and said she thrives on proving doubters wrong.
- Belmont’s upset case rests on results already in hand, as Johnson threw complete-game wins over SEC foes Georgia and Mississippi State with 25 strikeouts and one run allowed combined.
- Johnson has managed lupus throughout her career, including 10 weeks of chemotherapy before this season, and she left Pitt after not being cleared to play.