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DENTON, Texas -- Louisiana Tech head coach Mark Montgomery might give a history lesson on the bus ride to Texas on Tuesday as his Lady Techsters prepare for the start of the Conference USA Tournament in Denton.

Tech (31-20) is the No. 4 seed in the four-day, eight-team event and will face the winner of the No. 5 seed Marshall vs. the No. 8 seed UTSA on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the North Texas Softball Complex. The game can be heard on the LA Tech Sports Network on ESPN 97.7 FM with the pregame show set for 4:45 p.m. Fans can also listen to a free audio stream at www.espn977.com.

Montgomery knows a thing about history, earning his bachelor's in the subject from Eastern Kentucky in 1992. Although versed in plenty of areas of American history, this lesson would center the 2008 Lady Techster team and their magical run through the Western Athletic Conference Tournament.

Just eight years ago, Louisiana Tech entered that event as the No. 4 seed -- just like this season -- and no one gave that team a chance. However, behind solid pitching from a deep staff, timely hitting and stellar defense, the Lady Techsters won four games in four days against Top 25 ranked conference foes to earn an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

And although this year's players were still in elementary or junior high school at that time, the message could still hit home.

"Every year is new and every team is different," Montgomery said. "However, our players can take something away from what the 2008 team did here. They were underdogs. People didn't give them a chance. However, they believed in one another and were the best team on the field for those four days. That's what our mentality has to be this week."

LA Tech is 12-17 all-time in conference tournaments, but eight of its 12 wins have come against top three seeds, proof that the program has played some of its best softball against the league's top teams in the postseason.

"Although it's a cliché, it's true," Montgomery said. "Everyone is 0-0 at this point. We are all beginning at the same starting line and we are all focused on the same finish line. I'm proud of what this group has accomplished, especially after getting off to such a slow start in conference play. I am confident in this team."

Three weeks into the conference season, Louisiana Tech found itself in a deep hole. The Lady Techsters had seen three home games against WKU -- a team that didn't qualify for the league tournament -- lost to Mother Nature because of the floods in the state in early March. Tech then literally lost five of the next six C-USA games on the road against UTEP and eventual league champion Florida Atlantic.

Montgomery and Co. found themselves sitting in last place out of 12 teams with only five weeks remaining, knowing only the top eight teams qualified. It would take a strong finish to make the tournament.

Tech responded with an historic finish. The Lady Techsters won five straight conference series in a row for the first time in program history, recording an 11-4 record along the way. It finished just percentage points behind both UAB and Southern Miss for the West Division crown as the three rain outs against WKU came back to play a part in the final standings.

However, not only did the Lady Techsters qualify, but they earned a bye in the first round of the tournament. Thus, instead of having to win two games (like seeds 5-8 will have to do), Tech only has to win one game on Wednesday's opening round to advance into the double elimination portion of the tournament which starts Thursday.

"We were so close to getting the No. 2 seed and earning a bye all the way to Thursday," Montgomery said. "That part stings a little. However, for the players to do what they did over the last five weeks of the season with so much pressure on them, I couldn't be prouder. The single bye is big. It doesn't guarantee us anything except we don't have to win two games to get to Thursday. We will still have to beat a very good team in either Marshall or UTSA on Wednesday, but it's better than having to win two games."

Tech has won 30-plus for the second straight year, the first time that has been accomplished since 1998 and 1999. The Lady Techsters have done it with offense, ranking first in C-USA in home runs (60), runs scored (301), RBI (268), total bases (659), slugging percentage (.483), and walks (200). All of those are program single season highs.

Tech has also done it with pitching and defense. The Lady Techsters boast the fourth best ERA in the league (3.12) while ranking No. 1 in saves (9) and No. 2 in shutouts (16). Defensively, Tech ranks among the nation's leaders in double plays turned with 27.

"I think we have a well-rounded team," Montgomery said. "I think we have found different ways to beat people this year. We have a senior laden group and a great mix of newcomers who have really contributed."

Tech also has one other thing on its side. It proved it has the ability to beat the league's best this year. Florida Atlantic enters the tournament ranked in the top 25 in the country with a record of 47-7, including a league mark of 22-2. However, the Owls last loss came more than a month ago at the hands of the Lady Techsters.

If Tech wins its Wednesday game, it would play Florida Atlantic Thursday.

"We will have our hands full with whoever we play Wednesday between Marshall and UTSA," Montgomery said. "However, the knowledge and confidence that we beat Florida Atlantic once and took them to extra innings in a second game could mean a lot if we can get to the second day of the tournament."

Can history repeat itself? Only the next few days will tell for sure. However, the 2016 version of the Lady Techster softball program would sure like to take a page out of the history books from the 2008 team.