Simpson earns NCAA Regional host bid, faces Greenville in opener
INDIANOLA, Iowa – For the first time in 16 years, the road to the NCAA Division III Softball Championship will start in Indianola as Simpson has been selected to host a regional round of the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament on May 14-16.
Simpson (34-5) will open tournament play against Greenville (30-11) on Thursday at 11 a.m. The Storm are making their 18th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and will host a regional for the first time since 2010. Simpson earned the program's first-ever American Rivers Conference automatic bid after capturing the conference tournament title with a 5-4 victory over Coe and a 6-1 win against Loras in the championship game.
Greenville secured its third straight St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament championship after defeating Spalding 8-7 in the if-necessary title game on Saturday.
Saint Benedict (33-9) and Central (29-12) will also travel to Indianola and meet in Thursday's second first-round matchup at 1:30 p.m. Saint Benedict claimed the automatic qualifier out of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, while Central received an at-large berth into the national tournament field after falling in the opening round of the A-R-C Tournament. The Bennies enter NCAA play with a 22-game winning streak and are making their fourth NCAA postseason appearance since 2018. The Dutch qualify for the fourth straight season and 34th time in program history.
The winners of Thursday's opening-round contests will meet Friday at 11 a.m., while the losing teams will face off in an elimination game Friday at 1:30 p.m.
To view the entire 64-team bracket, click here. To view the full tournament page, click here.
Schedule (Central Time)
Thursday, May 14
Game 1 - Simpson vs Greenville, 11 a.m.
Game 2 - Saint Benedict vs Central, 1:30 p.m.
Friday, May 15
Game 3 - Game 1 winner vs Game 2 winner, 11 a.m.
Game 4 - Game 1 loser vs Game 2 loser, 1:30 p.m.
Game 5 - Game 4 winner vs Game 3 loser, 4 p.m.
Saturday, May 16
Game 6 - Game 3 winner vs Game 5 winner, 11 a.m.
Game 7 - Game 6 winner vs Game 6 loser, 1:30 p.m. (if necessary)
Team Hitting Conference Ranks
1. Batting Average (.357)
1. On-Base Percentage (.421)
1. Slugging (.581)
1. Home Runs (35)
1. Doubles (85)
1. Triples (22)
2. Runs Scored (293)
2. Hits (375)
2. RBIs (265)
3. Stolen Bases (99)
Team Pitching Conference Ranks
1. ERA (2.42)
1. Wins (34)
2. Shutouts (10)
2. Walks Allowed (77)
2. Strikeouts (196)
Individual Top-Ten Hitting Conference Leaders
Batting Average
1. Ashlyn Steen (.516)
4. Megan Heidelbauer (.415)
5. Katie Shaner (.408)
On-Base Percentage
1. Ashlyn Steen (.600)
Slugging Percentage
1. Ashlyn Steen (.869)
2. Megan Heidelbauer (.762)
6. Brielyn Ginnaty (.671)
8. Addison Gookin (.658)
10. Gracie Bruening (.639)
Hits
1. Ashlyn Steen (63)
6. Megan Heidelbauer (54)
RBIs
1. Megan Heidelbauer (61)
Runs Scored
1. Ashlyn Steen (61)
7. Megan Heidelbauer (41)
Home Runs
4. Megan Heidelbauer (7)
4. Brielyn Ginnaty (7)
6. Ashlyn Steen (5)
6. Katie Shaner (5)
6. Addison Gookin (5)
Individual Top-Ten Pitching Conference Leaders
ERA
1. Marina Cronin (1.80)
4. Emma LaFave (2.47)
Opposing Batting Average
2. Marina Cronin (.199)
5. Emma LaFave (.227)
Innings Pitched
6. Emma LaFave (107.2)
7. Marina Cronin (101.0)
Strikeouts
2. Marina Cronin (101)
3. Emma LaFave (84)
Wins
1. Emma LaFave (15)
1. Marina Cronin (15)
