Simmons Texas Bound for NCAA Softball Regional at No. 2 East Texas Baptist
NCAA RELEASE
INTERACTIVE BRACKET
INDIANAPOLIS – 2024 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Softball Champion Simmons will travel to East Texas Baptist to compete in the 2024 NCAA Division III Softball Championship Regional as announced during the NCAA.com Selection Show on Monday (May 13) morning. The Sharks will play the hosts on the opening day of regional action on Thursday, May 16 at 1 p.m.
The Sharks were one of 62 teams selected into this year's field and one of 41 programs that earned their championship berth by winning their league's automatic qualifier. One institution was selected from Pool B, which included independent institutions and schools from conferences without an automatic qualifier, and the remaining teams selected as at-large entries.
The GNAC Champions, which currently sit at 18-23 (9-7 GNAC), had to fight their way through the GNAC Tournament this year as the No. 3 North seed. However, once in the tournament, the Sharks put themselves in the driver's seat winning games against No. 2 North seed Emmanuel and No. 1 South seed Lasell to be the undefeated team in their GNAC Tournament Pod. They got the best of the Lasers again in the Pod Finals to advance to the GNAC Championship Series. After dropping the opening game of the best-of-three series to No. 1 North seed Saint Joseph's (Maine), the Sharks bounced back in a big way, winning two games on Championship Saturday to punch their ticket into the national tournament.
Simmons' opening day opponent, East Texas Baptist, is currently ranked No. 2 nationally in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Tigers come in sporting a 38-2 overall (22-1 ASC) record and are the automatic qualifier out of the American Southwest Conference (ASC). They were the No. 1 seed in the ASC Championship Tournament, besting Concordia Texas to claim the conference crown.
The other two teams playing in the four-team regional are No. 9 Texas Lutheran (31-1, 19-2 SCAC), the automatic qualifier out of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) and Chapman (26-14, 15-6 SCIAC), which was one of the 21 at-large selections.
Texas Lutheran was the No. 1 seed in the SCAC Tournament and cruised their way through the bracket, winning all three games it played in, including the championship clincher against No. 2 seed Trinity (Texas).
Chapman, on the other hand, left their NCAA Championship fate in the hands of the national committee after missing out on the AQ from the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). The Panthers were the No. 2 seed in the SCIAC Championship Tournament and advanced all the way to the championship round, but fell to the University of Redlands, 6-0.
East Texas Baptist is one of 15 regional sites hosting four-team pods from Thursday, May 16 to Saturday, May 18 with one site hosting a two-team regional. The regional winners will advance to the Super Regional round, which will be held Thursday-Friday, May 23-24. The finals, hosted by East Texas Baptist, will be held Thursday-Wednesday, May 30 -June 5 at Bell Park at Taylor Field in Marshall, Texas. All rounds will use a double-elimination format, and the two-team regional will play a best-of-five series.
2024 NCAA Division III Softball Championship Schedule
*Times listed as EDT
Regional Day 1 – Thursday, May 16
(Hosted by East Texas Baptist – Marshall, Texas.)
Game 1 - Simmons vs. No. 2 East Texas Baptist, 1 p.m.
Game 2 - Chapman vs. No. 9 Texas Lutheran, 3:30 p.m.
Regional Day 2 – Friday, May 17
(Hosted by East Texas Baptist – Marshall, Texas.)
Game 3 - Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner, Noon
Game 4 - Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser, 2:30 p.m.
Game 5 - Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner, 5 p.m.
Regional Day 3 – Saturday, May 18
(Hosted by East Texas Baptist – Marshall, Texas.)
Game 6 - Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner, Noon
Game 7 - If necessary
ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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