DAHLONEGA – The Peach Belt Conference has announced the bracket and game times for the 2024 PBC Softball Tournament hosted by North Georgia at Haines & Carolyn Hill Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park. After a 43-8 regular season which included a 21-3 record in conference play and its tenth consecutive PBC regular season title, the No. 8 University of North Georgia softball team has earned the top seed in the conference tournament.

Out of the eight PBC teams that made the tournament, only four will play in Dahlonega as the other quarter final pod is being hosted by second-seeded Columbus State. The first, fourth, fifth and eight seeds will participate in the quarter final games at UNG.

The tournament begins at The Hill on Friday, Apr. 26 as the Nighthawks kick things off with a 2 p.m. game against eighth-seeded Augusta. Following that is a 4:30 p.m. matchup between fourth-seeded Flagler and fifth-seeded USC Aiken.

The full bracket and schedule for the quarterfinals is as follows:

Hosted by North Georgia – Dahlonega, Ga.

Game 1: 2 p.m. - #8 Augusta vs. #1 North Georgia
Game 2: 4:30 p.m. - #5 USC Aiken vs. #4 Flagler

Game 3: 12 p.m. - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Game 4: 2:30 p.m. - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
Game 5: 5 p.m. - Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4

Game 6: 12 p.m. - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5
Game 7: 2:30 p.m. - If Necessary

Hosted by Columbus State – Columbus, Ga.

Game 1: 2 p.m. - #7 Georgia Southwestern vs. #2 Columbus State
Game 2: 5 p.m. - #6 GCSU vs. #3 Lander

Game 3: 12 p.m. - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Game 4: 3 p.m. - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
Game 5: 6 p.m. - Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4

Game 6: 12. p.m. - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5
Game 7: If Necessary - 40 minutes following Game 6

With the bracket announced and the matchups set, head coach Mike Davenport's team has begun preparing to face the Jaguars of Augusta.

The last time the Nighthawks and Jaguars saw each other was during the peak of UNG's season. With a series sweep over Augusta, the Nighthawks extended their win streak to 16 straight games at the time. 

Senior pitcher Kristen Davis had two dazzling outings in the three-game series. In game one she allowed just two hits and no walks while striking out four hitters on the way to a 12-0, five inning shutout. In the series finale, Davis was a buzz saw through the Jaguar lineup. She gave up six scattered hits and a pair of runs but struck out a career-high 12 batters en route to a 6-2 win. In total, UNG outscored Augusta 28-7 in the series. 

Davenport's team is searching for its tenth consecutive PBC Tournament title. Last year, the Nighthawks beat out Columbus State in the championship series.