NEWPORT NEWS, Va.- The Charlotte 49ers softball team (28-24; 10-10 Atlantic 10) has claimed the fifth seed in the 2012 Atlantic 10 Tournament and will face four-seed George Washington (22-28; 11-9 A10) in the first game of the championship. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. (2:00 p.m. EST) Wednesday.

 All 11 games of the double-elimination tournament will be played at Saint Louis University's Billiken Sports Center, with the tournament slated to begin Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. CT. The Championship game is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. CT.

The winner of the GW-Charlotte game advances to face top-seed Massachusetts at 1:00 p.m. CT on Thursday.

UMass (35-11; 19-0 A10), which went a perfect 19-0 in conference play, will be the number one seed for the tournament, which begins Wednesday at Saint Louis. Fordham (30-24; 14-6 A10), the second seed, claims the other first round bye.

Three-seed Temple (27-20; 12-6 A10) and six-seed Saint Joseph's (20-27-1; 9-10-1 A10) will face off Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. CT, with the winner advancing to take on Fordham at 3:30 p.m. CT Thursday.

Each day of the championship except Saturday features three games. Wednesday and Thursday each have an elimination game in the consolation bracket scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CT. Friday will feature two elimination games at 3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

The "if necessary" championship game will be played Saturday 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first championship game. The winner of the 2012 Softball Championship will earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Softball Tournament.