ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University softball team will travel to Tyler, Texas to compete in their third NCAA Division III Softball Championship starting Thursday, May 23.
The final eight teams in the championship field have been split into two four-team pods which will compete in a double elimination format. The winners of the two pods will then face off in a best of three series to determine the national champion.
The Thunder come into the final rounds as the seventh seed and will face off with number two seed Illinois Wesleyan University in their first game. The Titans currently boast a 38-8 record and are making their fourth straight appearance at the final round of the championship. The team finished last year's trip as the national runner up.
This season Illinois Wesleyan boasts the country's most dominant pitching staff, boasting a nationwide low team ERA of 0.98 and the best strikeout-to-walk ratio as well (7.13). The staff is paced by junior Ally Wiegand who leads Division III pitchers with a 0.40 ERA and has racked up 23 wins so far this season.
Joining the Thunder and their opening opponent are Emory University and Randolph-Macon College.
Emory comes in as the number three seed after compiling a 36-12 overall record. The Eagles are making their fifth-ever appearance in the Championships and their first since 2016. Randolph-Macon enters as the number six seed with a 30-15 record.
Trine's game against Illinois Wesleyan is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. EDT / 4 p.m. CDT. They will then play their second game on Friday, May 24 with time and opponent to be decided.
Every game of the NCAA Division III Softball Championship in Tyler, Texas, will be broadcast for free on NCAA.com. The broadcasts can also be accessed via the NCAA Sports app and on smart TVs with a free account via the Bleacher Report Live app.
For the full championship schedule view the championship bracket.