The Stanford softball team travels to the Amherst Regional at the University of Massachusetts this weekend to take part in the three-day double elimination first round of the NCAA tournament.

Despite being the top seed in the region and the 12th overall seed in the tournament, the Cardinal (46-12) was forced to travel cross-country to try and prolong its season.

The other three teams in the region are the second-seeded University of Massachusetts, the third-seeded Princeton Tigers and the fourth-seeded Lehigh Mountain Hawks.

Stanford opens play today against the Mountain Hawks.

The Cardinal enters the weekend with a 46-12 record on the year but in a bit of a rut of late, having lost the last two games of the season to Arizona by a combined score of 14-1.

These losses not only dropped the Cardinal into fourth place in the Pacific-10 Conference but also likely prevented Stanford from hosting a regional.

Nonetheless, head coach John Rittman is excited about traveling across the country for the regional.

“This is a great opportunity to see a different part of the country and play teams we don’t typically get to play,” he said.

Of the three other teams in the tournament, the Cardinal has only faced Princeton this season, beating them 10-0 in five innings in March as part of the Stanford Invitational II.

The team has yet to face the Mountain Hawks, who earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament by winning the Patriot League. They enter the game with a 38-15-1 record on the season and are led by Lisa Sweeney, who is both their ace pitcher and best hitter.

Sweeney holds a 25-4 record in the circle with a 1.54 ERA. She also is hitting .416 with 13 homeruns and 36 RBIs.

If the Cardinal defeats Lehigh it will move into the winner’s side of the bracket and take on the victor of the UMass and Princeton match-up for a chance to get to the regional title game.

The Minutemen — the champions of the Atlantic-10 conference — earned an automatic bid to the tournament. They enter the regional with a prolific 29-game winning streak. The Minutemen are certainly a dangerous team, as they upset then-No. 2 Texas A&M earlier in the year.

Brandice Balschmi has been dominant in the circle all year for UMass. She has overpowered hitters to the tune of a 28-6 record and a miniscule 0.54 ERA on the year.

UMass’s opening round opponent, Princeton, is the champion and automatic qualifier from the Ivy League. The Tigers enter the tournament with a 25-22 record on the year.

Princeton is led by a trio of hitters: Kelsey Quist who is hitting .358 with 13 homeruns and 37 RBIs, Jamie Lettire who is hitting .352 with 14 homeruns and 40 RBIs and Kathryn Welch who is hitting .345 with 13 homeruns and 35 RBIs.

Despite the traveling and the strength of the region, anything but a championship this weekend would be disappointing for the Cardinal, who has its eyes set on a much bigger prize: the national championship.

“We’re definitely in a position to make it to the World Series, as long as we play our game. When it comes to winning a national championship, at some point you’re going to have to play and beat some very good teams,” senior third baseman Michelle Smith told GoStanford.com.

“You’re going to have to beat quality opponents, you’re going to have to win on the road,” said Rittman. “It starts right here in the UMass Regional.”