INDIANAPOLIS - For the first time in school history the Trine University softball team will be the top seed in the NCAA Division III Regional tournament hosted by Alma College. The Thunder will take on #8 Geneva College at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 10.
After falling in the MIAA Tournament Championship game, the Thunder received an at-large bid to the tournament with an overall record of 37-8 and ranked 13th in the latest NFCA poll.
The Thunder will face Geneva College, the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) tournament champion. The Golden Tornadoes are 30-17 on the season, winning 12 of their last 15 games. It will be the first time Geneva has faced a nationally ranked opponent this season. This is the first year that the school has been eligible for post season competition after being an NCAA provisional member.
The only common opponent the two schools have faced this season is Westminster (PA). The Thunder defeated Westminster 7-1 in their second game of the season during their spring trip while Geneva split with them losing 3-1 and winning 6-1 in conference play, then winning 2-1 in the PAC Tournament.
Trine has already set a single season school record for wins, along with setting several more school and conference single season records. The Thunder will look to use their powerful offense that ranks nationally in the top 20 in home runs, scoring, batting average and slugging percentage to power through the Alma Regional in hopes of securing their first bid to nationals.
The other first round matchups in the region are: #2 Ohio Northern vs. #7 Penn St.-Behrend; #3 Alma vs. #6 Denison; and #4 Chicago vs. #5 John Carroll. This season, Trine has a 4-3 record against schools in the regional (Alma and Ohio Northern).