This weekend, the University of Kentucky softball team will get back in action as the Wildcats host their first NCAA Regional in school history. UK earned the No. 12 national seed in the tournament and will square off with Marshall on Friday evening at approximately 7:30 p.m. ET at John Cropp Stadium. No. 2 seed Notre Dame and No. 3 seed Virginia Tech will kick off the four-team regional at 5:00 p.m. on Friday.Kentucky (38-18) played a tough non-conference schedule to go along with its difficult Southeastern Conference slate of games. To put in perspective how competitive the league is, the SEC had a NCAA-record 11 teams make the field of 64.After wrapping up the regular season and SEC Tournament last weekend, the Wildcats are ecstatic to get the postseason underway and be rewarded for a year of hard work.”It’s huge for us, we’ve never hosted a regional and we have never been a national seed here at UK,” junior Lauren Cumbess said. “It’s great for the program and we have worked really hard for it so it’s exciting.”For UK, it’s a shot at redemption after being ousted in the first round of the SEC Tournament by South Carolina last Wednesday. The Wildcats had high hopes going into the weekend as they were hosting their first conference tourney in school history. Kentucky came out a little slow and found itself in a hole, trailing the Gamecocks, 6-1. UK made an attempted rally in the seventh but the deficit was too much to overcome in a 6-3 defeat. The Wildcats didn’t swing the bats well and freshman pitcher Kelsey Nunley wasn’t as dominant as she had been in the second half of the season. Having five freshman starters playing for the first time on a postseason stage didn’t help matters.The result didn’t go in the Cats’ favor, but UK has a rare chance to make up for the loss and give the Big Blue Nation a more deserving performance.”I think they were shocked,” Lawson said. “Last week was the first time we had played in that setting here so I think that was a great experience for our younger kids and I don’t think they knew what to expect. I think they understood and I think they were very disappointed in their performance last week and they are looking for another opportunity to prove that they are one of the best teams in the country.”UK has had all week to prepare for the regional this weekend and players can go through several mood changes in a week’s time. Coming off the loss to USC, one might think the Wildcats are questioning themselves, but Cumbess in confident that’s no issue.”We were all real excited when we found out we were going to host,” Cumbess said. “Practice has been really upbeat and everybody is trying to get better and improve the little things each day. Everybody has been in a really good mood and we are having fun. We play our best when we are having fun.”The Lexington Regional is regarded as one of the toughest regions in the country. Marshall, the Conference USA Tournament champion, is no slouch as the No. 4 seed. The Thundering Herd gave the Cats all they could handle back on April 4 in Lexington in a game UK would rally to win, 4-3, on a walk-off hit from junior Ginny Carroll. It starts in the circle for Marshall, where senior Andi Williamson (32-16) has a 2.01 earned-run average with an astonishing 344 strikeouts in 296 innings pitched.If UK is fortunate enough to get past Marshall, the Cats will face the winner of Notre Dame and Virginia Tech. The Fighting Irish are making their 18th NCAA appearance and enter the game having won 17 of 20 games. Virginia Tech is also an experienced bunch that is playing in its sixth NCAA Tournament and second straight.With such a tough region, it’s going to be very important for Kentucky to play as few games as possible this weekend by staying in the winner’s bracket of the double-elimination tournament.”It’s crucial to come out strong,” Lawson said. “Certainly teams can come from behind, that has definitely happened before, but anytime you can stay in the winner’s bracket, that means your pitchers are fresh and that keeps the crowd coming back and that’s more of a confidence booster.”Senior Kara Dill has played sparingly for Kentucky due to a broken hand, but has seen at bats in the last two games, delivering a pinch hit against Alabama and filling in as designated player vs. South Carolina. Dill, who has been UK’s leading hitter over the last couple of seasons, batted in the eight-hole against the Gamecocks and Lawson says with more repetitions this week she is considering inserting her back into the top of the order, which would help jumpstart Kentucky’s offense.The Wildcats’ want to make a different impression on their fans this time around and as the host and the favorite of the regional, their goal is to make it to super regionals. The recipe for success for the Cats is simple.”We are going to have to do a good job offensively and we are going to have to attack good pitches,” Lawson said. “We have to execute, put the ball in play, hit behind runners, bunt and do all those things you need to do because every pitcher is good. Then I think we have to have a strong showing on the mound by both Nunley and Cumbess. I think in order for us to go further it has to start with those two things.”