It’s tournament time in the NCAA. Georgia Southern has been wildly successful in spring sports in recent years — by mid-major standards — and there’s a lot on the line for the Eagles as spring turns into summer.

A title to defend
The Georgia Southern softball team had high expectations heading into the 2013 season, and in many ways, didn’t disappoint. The defending Southern Conference champs got what they expected from their No. 1 pitcher.
Sarah Purvis was named SoCon pitcher of the year for the second season in a row. She tossed a perfect game against Southern Illinois in an early season tournament, and capped off the season one strike away from a no-hitter against SoCon regular-season champion Appalachian State. It was the fourth time in five years a GSU pitcher was given the league’s top pitcher honor.
The Eagles (30-27, 14-9 SoCon) wound up with the No. 3 seed heading into the conference tournament and began play with a 6-2 win over Chattanooga on Wednesday in Greensboro, N.C., and beat Western Carolina, 6-0, on Thursday.
In tournament time, the team with the best pitcher usually has the best shot, and the Eagles fit that bill.
As usual, the only way to gain a spot in the NCAA tournament is with the league’s automatic bid, so the Eagles can put a regular season in which they barely finished over .500 behind them. An NCAA fixture
Georgia Southern golf coach Larry Mays is no stranger to the NCAA tournament, and 2013 is no exception.
While the Eagles finished a modest fifth in the Southern Conference tournament, their three wins and six top-five finishes during the season were more than enough to garner another at-large bid for the regional tourney, which runs May 16-18 in Columbus, Ohio.
It’s the 10th NCAA bid for Mays and GSU’s 11th in program history. It’s also the fourth in the last five seasons.
The Eagles will be the No. 9 seed in the regional, joined by No. 8 Chattanooga, the SoCon’s champion.
Georgia Southern is led by SoCon golfer of the year Scott Wolfes, a two-time individual tournament winner.  
A lot on the line
The Georgia Southern baseball team (25-23, 13-14 SoCon) has a lot to play for over the final two weeks of the regular season.
First off, nobody in the SoCon has offered a resume worthy of consideration for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, so the Eagles had better get hot before the tournament.
Still, a spot in the eight-team field at the SoCon tournament is not yet a guarantee. Momentum may not be the only thing on the line when GSU faces Charleston on the last weekend of the regular season.
The Eagles have never missed the SoCon tournament since joining the league in 1993. Also, GSU coach Rodney Hennon has never won fewer than 30 games in his 15-year coaching career. That’s in jeopardy too, with only seven games left, including three this weekend against Clemson.
Georgia Southern has as good a shot at winning the 2013 SoCon tournament as just about anybody, but if they’re not careful, the Eagles could make the wrong kind of history this year.

Contact Matt Yogus by email at myogus@statesboroherald.com or by calling 912-489-9408.