Illinois and Missouri have long-standing rivalries in basketball and football, but their softball teams will meet for the first time ever in the opening round of play at the Columbia, Mo. regional Friday at Audrey Walton Stadium.

The No. 3 seed Illini are making their first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2004. First pitch between Illinois and Missouri is slated for 5 p.m.

"Obviously, we're excited for our team and for the university," Illinois coach Terri Sullivan said. "We have a great group of kids that will represent the best of Illinois. We're glad to be playing close to home and we know about the rivalry between Missouri and Illinois (in other sports), so we'll have to create one of our own. There's no better time to do that than now."

DePaul (37-12) is the top seed in Columbia. The Blue Demons will open with fourth-seeded Bradley (25-26).

Second-seeded Missouri (45-9) won the Big 12 Conference tournament Sunday with a 5-0 win against Oklahoma. Illinois finished fifth in the Big Ten with a 12-7 record.

Illinois lost to DePaul twice this season – once at a neutral site in Bloomington and again at home in Urbana – and beat Bradley 4-0 in April at Eichelberger Field.