SAN FRANCISCO - For the first time since 2006, the San Francisco State softball team is headed to the NCAA Tournament. The Gators will open up NCAA Regional action this Thursday at Eagles Field in Irvine, California against the Western Oregon Wolves at 11 a.m.

The Gators enter the three-day, double-elimination tournament as the West's No. 4 seed. Concordia - Irvine, who is the top-ranked team in the West and No. 10 in the NCAA, will host and go up against Concordia - Portland on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. 

Last weekend SF State reached the CCAA Tournament for the first time in 12 seasons. The Gators eliminated the top-seeded No. 13 UC San Diego Tritons, 3-0, to advance to the semifinals. The victory was the fifth win over a ranked team this year, and SF State broke and set a new program record for hits in a season with 506.

The Gators are hitting .325 this 2019 campaign, which leads the CCAA and 28th-best in the nation. SF State also leads the conference in on-base percentage at a .405 clip and are averaging 5.84 runs a game.

CCAA Freshman of the Year Brylynn Vallejos has taken the country by storm, leading the conference with a stellar .459 batting average that is the 17th-highest in the country. This past weekend the Reno, Nevada native set a new program record for doubles in a season with 18, and also owns the program record for runs with 54 and hits with 94, which is currently the third most in the nation. 

Vallejos was named to the All-CCAA First Team along with Michelle Castro and Nina Revoir, who earned Second-Team honors. Castro is hitting .337 this season and is fourth in the conference with 63 hits, both of which are career bests for the junior. Revoir is one of just two freshmen on the All-CCAA Second Team and is clubbing .331 with 55 hits and 35 batted in. 

The Gators and Wolves squared off earlier this year at the Tournament of Champions, with Western Oregon taking the contest 4-2. Historically SF State is a perfect 3-0 in NCAA Tournament openers, and look to continue this trend on Thursday. 

Be sure to check back this week on www.sfstategators.com for updates and more tournament information, and be sure to follow us on Twitter @SFState_SB for additional updates.