ATHENS - The University of Georgia has been selected as one of 16 regional host sites for the 2012 NCAA Division I Softball Championships, the NCAA announced Sunday night.    

The 2012 NCAA Athens Regional at the Jack Turner Softball Stadium will feature host Georgia (41-15) from the Southeastern Conference, North Carolina (41-13) of the Atlantic Coast Conference, Southern Conference regular-season and tournament champion Georgia Southern (42-18) and Big South Tournament champion Coastal Carolina (43-18).

In addition to earning the top seed for the Athens Regional, Georgia is also the 10th-overall seed. The regional round of play features a four-team double elimination bracket, and the Bulldogs opening round contest will come against Coastal Carolina at 5 p.m., on Friday. North Carolina and Georgia Southern will play in the opening game of the Athens Regional at 2:30 p.m.

A total of 64 teams were selected to the NCAA Tournament with 30 conferences being awarded automatic qualification, while the remaining 34 slots were filled with at-large selections to complete the bracket. The top 16 teams were seeded nationally with Georgia earning the 10th overall seed. The SEC tied a league record by sending a total of nine teams selected for the tournament, with four of those teams earning one of the 16 national seeds and three earning top eight national seeds. Each of the 16 Regional winners will advance to the Super Regional round of play May 25-26. In Super Regionals, eight sites play host to a best-of-three game series with the winners earning one of eight spots in the NCAA Division I Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City May 31-June 6.

2012 NCAA ATHENS REGIONAL SCHEDULE OF GAMES:

Friday, May 18
2:30 p.m.: Georgia Southern vs. North Carolina
5 p.m.: Coastal Carolina vs. Georgia
Saturday, May 19
12 p.m.: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2                                              
2:30 p.m.: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2                           
5 p.m.: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3            
Sunday, May 20
12 p.m.: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5                                        
2:30 p.m.: (If Necessary): Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6            
**All Times Eastern & Subject To Change**