The Kentucky softball team gathered together Sunday night at a local restaurant to watch the 2013 NCAA Division I Softball Selection Show. With players, coaches and a large portion of the UK athletics department in attendance, there was a feel that the night would be special for the softball program.As each regional was being revealed, eyes throughout the restaurant were glued to the big-screen televisions. With anticipation rising, the Wildcats popped on the screen as the No. 12 overall seed and the host of the Lexington Regional.The selection marks the first time UK has been awarded a host site in school history and is another example of how far the program has come under sixth-year head coach Rachel Lawson.”It’s great to see in such a short time how Kentucky has improved in softball,” Lawson said. “To be able to be one of the 16 teams to host a regional is really an honor.”The moment was extra special for senior Alice O’Brien, who has another chance to play at home in front of the Big Blue Nation.”I don’t think I have ever been more excited,” O’Brien said. “This is awesome. We have worked really hard for this and we are really excited to play at home and in front of our fans.”The regional will begin on Friday at John Cropp Stadium with No. 2 seeded Notre Dame (43-13) taking on No. 3 seeded Virginia Tech (35-19) at 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, with the nightcap featuring the No. 1 seeded Wildcats (38-18) vs. No. 4 seeded Marshall (35-20) at 7:30 p.m. ET. ESPN3.com will televise all games played at the regional.Marshall is a familiar foe for UK with the Wildcats having played the Thundering Herd back on April 9. The game was a tight one as the Cats used a walk-off hit from junior Ginny Carroll in comeback fashion in Lexington, 4-3. Notre Dame and Virginia Tech will be new opponents for UK to prepare for this season but offer strong competition for what is regarded as a tough overall regional.”I think we have a good regional and I think the teams in it are excellent,” Lawson said. “We played Marshall before and it was a good game and both Virginia Tech and Notre Dame have had good seasons. It’s going to be a tough region and I think it’s going to be a really exciting time in Lexington.”Kentucky played one of the most strenuous schedules in the entire country this year and a large part of that has to do with the conference in which the Wildcats compete. The SEC had an incredible 11 of its 13 teams selected into the NCAA Tournament last night, including seven as regional hosts.The season has been a grind for the Cats and it will be a breath of fresh air to see a few new teams and face some different pitchers.”Anytime you are out of SEC play its fun for a short amount of time because they know you so well and they have played you so many times,” Lawson said. “With that said, I think all the teams I the region are outstanding so we are going to have to play as well against them as we would against any top-notch SEC team.”Last weekend UK hosted its first ever SEC Tournament. The event set an attendance record with more than 12,000 fans making their way to John Cropp Stadium over the weekend. The Wildcats are hoping for more of that same love from the Big Blue Nation this weekend. With the Cats losing to South Carolina in the first round of the conference tournament last Wednesday, they are glad they get to experience the true atmosphere of what they missed out on last week.”I hope they come out like they did at the SEC Tournament,” O’Brien said. “I’m sure they will and we are looking forward to playing in front of our fans. We didn’t really get the chance to last weekend so we are really excited about it.”