ATHENS — Georgia is headed for a familiar postseason path in the NCAA Softball Tournament, opening regional play at Duke.

It’s the 23rd consecutive year the Bulldogs have earned a place in the NCAA Softball Tournament bracket.

The SEC has seven of the top eight seeds — including No. 1 seed Texas A&M — and qualified 14 of the 15 schools that participate in softball.

Georgia (31-20), No. 25 in the RPI rankings, opens play at 2:30 p.m. on Friday against Sun Belt Conference Tournament champ Coastal Carolina (41-17).

It’s a Coastal Carolina team that beat Kentucky 3-1, and topped Georgia Tech twice, 9-3, 4-3, in Atlanta earlier this season.

Duke, the No. 14 overall seed in the NCAA tourney, plays Howard in the other NCAA regional game in Durham, N.C., on Friday.

The challenge is clear for Baldwin and his young team.

Georgia has not won an NCAA Softball Tournament Regional on the road since 2009, when it won at North Carolina. UGA has been eliminated in the past four NCAA regionals it has traveled to play in.

The winner of the Durham regional will play the winner of the NCAA tourney regional hosted by No. 3 overall seed Florida in a NCAA Super Regional series. The winner of that best-of-three series advances to the eight-team Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.

Georgia has gone through these teams before, back in 2021 when it beat Duke in NCAA regional play in Athens and then went on to beat the Gators in Gainesville to advance to the WCWS in coach Lu Harris-Champer’s 21st and final season at the helm.

Coach Tony Baldwin faced Duke on the road in NCAA regional play the next season, 2022 — his first running the program — when the Bulldogs were eliminated in the opening round of tourney play.

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This Georgia team — like the 2021 version — won seven conference games and is looking to peak at the right time.

There were signs of that happening in the SEC Softball Tournament in Athens last week when the Bulldogs run-ruled Kentucky, 8-0, on the opening day and outplayed red-hot Arkansas before the Razorbacks exploded for four runs in the final inning.

“We’re excited for another opportunity to play, we never take it for granted,” Baldwin said in the UGA release. “It (Duke) is a great field, and we’re excited to go compete.

“Coastal Carolina has had a great season and an exciting run in their conference tournament.”

Baldwin and Georgia bring confidence into the postseason with left-handed pitchers Lilli Backes (14-9, 3.40 ERA) and Randi Roelling (9-8, 3.50 ERA) coming off impressive outings in the SEC tourney.

The top of the batting order has heated up, too, particularly veterans Dallis Goodnight (.358 average, 28-of-32 stolen bases) and Jaydyn Goodwin (.343, 10 home runs, 44 RBIs).

Here’s a look at Georgia hitters, with batting average (avg.) an on-base percentage (obp) entering the postseason:

Dallis Goodnight, .358 avg, .440 obp

Jaydyn Goodwin, .343 avg., .381 obp

Sarah Gordon, .335 avg., .393 obp

Marisa Miller, .312 avg., .371 obp

Tyler Ellison, .306 avg., .416 obp

Emily Digby, .272 avg., .338 obp

Lyndi Rae Davis, .268 avg., .458 obp

Emma Castorri, .268 avg., .362 obp

Paislie Allen, .254 avg., .324 obp

Mua Williams, .220 avg., .296 obp

Esther White, .193 avg., .370 obp