ANGOLA, Ind. -- The NCAA has released the field and bracket for the 2022 NCAA Division III Softball Championship World Series, revealing the opening round matchup for the Trine University softball team.
The Thunder will start the finals with a rematch against Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) on Thursday, May 26 at 6:30 p.m. Their game will take place on Friday, May 27 against either Salisbury University or Millikin University depending on the results of day one.
The eight final teams have been split into two four-team double elimination pods with the winner of each pod advancing to a best of three series. Trine enters the weekend as the sixth seed after the committee reseeded following the completion of the super regional round. For the full field of competition view the NCAA's official bracket.
The Thunder faced off with the Warriors early in the season and came up short of the now third-seeded team. ECSU plated four runs in the second inning of that matchup to gain the lead. Trine senior Ashley Swartout (Westfield, Ind. / Westfield) would put the team back in the contest with a three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to make the score 4-3. The Warriors would strike last with a pair of runs in the seventh to finish with a 6-3 win.
ECSU will face a different team than that first matchup. Trine is currently one of the hottest teams in the final field, they head to Salem with a 17-game winning streak and have yet to drop a contest in postseason play.