Boston University softball coach Ashley Waters has nine good reasons to believe the Terriers will make a fine showing in the NCAA Tournament and they are all either graduate students or seniors.

The Terriers (52-4-1) drew the No. 2 seed in the Norman Regional and will engage No. 3 Oregon (28-19) of the Pac-12 in the opener (5:30) on Friday night at Love Field in Norman, Okla.

The No. 1 seed Oklahoma Sooners (49-6), the No. 2 overall seed, will host No. 4 Cleveland State (22-24) in the nightcap with an estimated start time of 8.

“I think for us we are just led by a lot of seniors and there are going to be nine walking out the door,” said Waters, who is in her ninth season on Commonwealth Avenue. “I think for us, we have experience and we have been on this stage before.”

The Terriers earned an automatic berth by winning their fifth Patriot League title in the last six years with a 1-0 victory over Lehigh in the conference title game.

BU became the first PL program since 2005 to go unbeaten in regular season (18-0) and tournament (3-0) play and advanced to its 12th NCAA appearance, the fifth on coach Waters’ watch. BU took the opener in the 2023 Athens Regional with a win over NC Central but was eliminated in back-to-back losses to Virginia Tech.

“Last year we were a little disappointed on how it finished up and we should have done better,” said Waters. “We have kind had our eyes on the prize all year to get back and see what we can do at this platform.”

BU led the nation in winning percentage (.921) and shutouts (28), but what sticks out from a quick glance as the schedule was the Terriers’ ability to close out one and two-run games.

The Terriers had a .325 team batting average, produced 344 runs with 36 home runs, 20 triples and 85 doubles. But it was pitching and fielding that put the Terriers over the top in close encounters.

“My brother said it the other day, he was like, ‘You guys just wear people down’ to the point where there is a mistake or we finally break through,” said Waters.

“Our pitching is true fast pitch softball where we just have to generate a run or two runs and we can be difficult to score off of. With great pitching and defense, you have an opportunity to win a lot of softball games.”

Two of the Terriers four defeats were against ranked opponents, a 4-2 loss at No. 7 Duke and a 3-0 setback at No. 23 South Carolina. The ACC champion Blue Devils entered the tournament the No. 3 overall seed. BU’s signature non-league victories were over Michigan State, Minnesota and a series sweep at Coastal Carolina. Waters would like to add Oregon to that list.

“They have a lot of speed, they have power and they play in an incredible conference,” said Waters. “The Pac-12 is the history of our sport and we know they are going to come out and be ready to go.”

Player(s) of the Year

Three Terriers have won the last four PL Player of the Year honors and they are all in the starting lineup that will face Oregon.

Graduate infielder Caitlan Coker took the prize in 2021, senior infielder Kayla Roncin won it in 2022 and 2023, and senior center fielder Lauren Keleher of Abington was the 2024 recipient.

“We’ve had four Players of the Year and three Pitchers of the Year and that is so special,” said Waters. “But I think it shows you the depth and talent that we have and our sport in really difficult. It is incredibly hard to do it back-to-back and Kayla Roncin was able to do it.”

Keleher batted .407 from the leadoff spot with 79 hits, 52 runs, eight home runs, three triples, 17 doubles, 41 RBI with 20 walks and 10 strikeouts. She is followed in the batting order by Coker and Roncin.

“I think it is pretty special to have three Players of the Year on one roster,” said Keleher. “I think it shows a lot about what our team is and who is on our team. But you don’t have to throw to one or two players, you have to throw to all nine.”

Mighty Kasey

Sophomore right-handed hurler Kasey Ricard of Littleton vaulted to the top of the Terriers’ rotation in a fashion similar to what Keleher did in the batting order.

Ricard started 29 games and finished 27-3 with a 1.20 ERA over 204.2 innings. She allowed 100 hits, 35 earned runs with 261 strikeouts and 47 walks to earn PL Pitcher of the Year Award.

That was an amazing feat considering Allison Boaz, the 2022 and 2023 PL Pitcher of the Year, is the second option in Waters’ rotation. Boaz went 17-1 in 23 starts with a 1.41 ERA while Lizzy Avery was 8-0 with a 1.09 ERA in 17 appearances and five starts. The one constant is catcher Audrey Sellers, who has handled every pitch in consecutive seasons.

“Me, Lizzy and AB have a great relationship since last year,” said Ricard. “They took me under their wing and were preparing me all season for regionals last year and this year we have all just been working together.”