SOFTBALL MISSES QUALIFYING FOR A-10 CHAMPIONSHIP ::

PHILADELPHIA - Any chance of the Temple softball team qualifying for the Atlantic 10 Championships, which the Owls will play host to at Ambler Field starting this Thursday (May 11), ended Sunday when St. Bonaventure swept Rhode Island and Fordham swept George Washington.

The Owls finish their first season under head coach Casey Dickson with a 22-23 record and 12-6 mark in conference play. The team's fifth place finish in the A-10 is an improvement of three places from last year, when the Owls posted a 16-29 record and 4-12 mark in the conference.

In its first season of A-10 play, Charlotte earned the top seed in the 2006 Atlantic 10 Softball Championship. The 49ers and Massachusetts each claimed a share of the A-10 regular season title with identical 17-3 league records, however Charlotte claimed the top seed due to a tiebreaker. Charlotte will face fourth-seeded St. Bonaventure at noon on Thursday with the second game of the doubleheader featuring the Minutewomen versus third-seeded Fordham.

Charlotte and Massachusetts split during head-to-head competition in the regular season but the 49ers swept St. Bonaventure, while the Minutewomen split with the Bonnies to break the tie. Charlotte is making its first appearance in the Atlantic 10 Championship with a 42-11 overall record.

Massachusetts, the defending A-10 champions, is the second seed with a 34-14 overall mark and is looking for its 18th tournament title in the last 21 years.

Fordham is the third seed after finishing 35-21 overall and 13-5 in league play. The Rams are looking for their first Championship title and are 2-6 in Championship play.

St. Bonaventure rounds out the field with a 14-6 mark in league play and a 22-20 ledger overall. The Bonnies are making just their second appearance ever in the Championship after going 1-2 in the 2006 tournament.

After Thursday's opening round, play resumes on Friday, May 12 with the first of three games, starting at noon. The final round of the Atlantic 10 Championship will take place on Saturday, May 13, beginning at noon. The Championship is a round-robin double-elimination tournament.

2006 Atlantic 10 Softball Championship - May 11-13 -- Ambler Complex, Philadelphia, PA

Thursday, May 11
Game 1- #1 Charlotte vs. #4 St. Bonaventure, 12 noon
Game 2- #2 Massachusetts vs. #3 Fordham, 2:00 p.m.

Friday, May 12
Game 3- Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 12 noon
Game 4- Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 2:00 p.m.
Game 5- Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 4:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 13
Game 6- Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5, 12 noon
Game 7- if necessary 30 minutes following Game 6