HARRISONBURG, Va. - The Towson softball team will open up play at the 2015 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Softball Championship on Wednesday against nationally-ranked James Madison.

The fourth-seeded Tigers (35-20, 10-11 CAA) and top-seeded Dukes (44-16, 19-0 CAA) will meet at 12 noon on Wednesday and be followed by second-seeded Hofstra taking on third-seeded Elon.

The double-elimination tournament runs from May 6-8 at JMU's Veterans Memorial Park. The winning team earns the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Towson enters the tournament hot, having won 24 of its last 29 games. The Tigers' 35 wins this season are their most since posting 37 wins in 2008. Towson has hit 48 home runs this season, setting a new single-season school record.

The only hotter team in the league may be the Dukes, who have won 35 straight games and are currently ranked No. 19 in the latest NFCA Poll. James Madison used a pair of seventh-inning rallies to sweep a three-game series from the Tigers earlier this season.

The opening-round winners play at noon on Thursday for a spot in the championship game, followed by an elimination game between the two first-round losers at 2:30 p.m. At 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, the winner of the elimination game faces the loser from the winner's bracket contest. The conference title game, which will be broadcast live on the American Sports Network (ASN) for the first time, is set for noon on Friday, with a second game to follow if necessary.

Below is pertinent information for the CAA Softball Championship and will be updated as more information becomes available.
 
Dates/Venue: The Championship will be held May 6-8 at Veterans Memorial Park in Harrisonburg, Virginia. May 9 will be used as a rain date should inclement weather postpone games earlier in the tournament.
 
Tickets: Single-day and full tournament passes are on sale now through the JMU Athletics Ticket Office.  Tickets can be purchased in person inside Entrance D of the JMU Convocation Center, over the phone at 540-568-DUKE(3853), as well as online here. Single-day tickets are $7 each while the entire tournament book is $16 (Children 5 & under are free). Students from a participating CAA institution will be admitted for free with a valid student ID card. Gates will open one hour prior to first pitch on each day. The stadium does allow re-entry for ticketed patrons. For more information regarding tournament tickets, call (540) 568-3853.
 
How to Watch (Webstream/TV): Every game will be streamed live on CAA.TV, free of charge, and the championship game will be televised on the American Sports Network.
 
Tournament Schedule (times subject to change):
Wednesday, May 6
Game 1: No. 1 James Madison vs. No. 4 Towson – Noon
Game 2: No. 2 Hofstra vs. No. 3 Elon – 3 p.m.
 
Thursday, May 7
Game 3: Winner G1 vs. Winner G2 – Noon
Game 4: Loser G1 vs. Loser G2 – 2:30 p.m.
Game 5: Loser G3 vs. Winner G4 – 5 p.m.
 
Friday, May 8
Game 6: Winner G3 vs. Winner G5 – Noon (ASN)
Game 7: If necessary – 30 minutes following G6
 
Saturday, May 9
Rain Date if necessary


-TowsonTigers.com-