INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Trine University softball team has received an at-large bid to the 2019 NCAA Division III Softball Championship. They will face off with Maryville (Tenn.) College in the opening round of a regional hosted by DePauw University.
The Thunder finished the regular season by securing their ninth Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) regular season title on the back of a 14-2 conference record. Overall the team finished the season 30-4. After an exit from the MIAA Softball Tournament Trine was pushed into contention for one of 20 at-large selections to the NCAA tournament.
Trine will face off with the Maryville (Tenn.) College in their opening game of the regional. The Scots enter the regional having received an automatic bid following their victory in the USA South Athletic Conference Tournament, their second straight. The team is paced by a balanced offense with a team batting average of .323 and an on-base percentage of .388. In the circle, sophomore Katlyn Smith leads the way for the team finishing the season with 147 innings pitched including 178 strikeouts. She boasts a 1.33 ERA.
Host DePauw University is a familiar face for the Thunder with this being the fourth time the team will travel there for regional action. The Tigers enter the tournament as both regular season and tournament champions of the North Coast Athletic Conference. They finished the season with a 31-12 overall record.
Rounding out the regional is Saint Vincent College who enters the tournament as the winners of the 2019 Presidents' Athletic Conference Softball Championship Tournament. The team hosted the event having takin the conference regular season title as well. They enter with a 29-14 record.
The time for the Thunder's opening round contest has yet to be released but the game is scheduled to take place on Friday, May 10.