From University of Chicago Athletics
UAA champion Washington University will be joined by University of Chicago in the field of the 2017 NCAA Division III Softball Championship.
2017 NCAA Division III Softball Championship Bracket
The Bears will play in the four-team Regional Friday-Sunday, May 12-14, at Central College in Pella, Iowa. This marks the fifth time in school history WashU has been sent to Central College for NCAA play – 2004, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2017.
The second-seeded Bears, who finished the regular season with a 26-12 record, takes on No. 3 seed and 20th-ranked Coe College (29-9) at 1 p.m. on Friday. Top-seeded and No. 10-ranked Central College (32-8) hosts No. 4 seed and No. 17-ranked University of St. Thomas (34-9) in the other first round matchup on Friday at 3:30 p.m. in the double-elimination regional.
WashU owns an all-time postseason record of 25-27 (.481) in 14 previous trips to the NCAA Tournament. The Bears won the school's lone Regional Championship in 2007, and advanced to the College World Series before falling in the national championship game.
WashU defeated Coe 5-4 on March 24 in the only meeting between the two teams this season. The Bears and Kohawks have split 14 all-time meetings, including a pair of NCAA contests in 2008 and 2013.
The Bears posted 9-6 win over St. Thomas on March 4 in the only meeting this season. St. Thomas has won three out of five all-time meetings with WashU, including a 3-1 mark in NCAA contests.
Central leads the all-time series with WashU 12-5, and the teams split a series a year ago. The Dutch have won two out of three contests in the NCAA Tournament against the Bears.
Four teams will compete at 14 regional sites and three teams will compete at two regional sites. The team advancing from each regional will compete in the super regional round May 19-20. The finals, hosted by the University of Central Oklahoma and the Oklahoma City All-Sports Association, will be held May 25-30 at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. All rounds will use a double elimination format.
The winner of the Central Regional meets the winner of the Luther College in the Super Regional Friday-Saturday, May 19-20, at a site to be determined.
The Maroons compiled a 25-12 record this season and have won nine of their last 10 games. They earned an at-large bid to gain entrance into the 62-team national bracket.
UChicago will travel to Decorah, Iowa for a four-team regional hosted by Luther College (39-3 record). College of St. Scholastica (24-15) and St. Catherine University (32-11) will also be participating in the regional. Games will occur Friday-Sunday, May 12-14.
UChicago softball has reached the NCAA postseason 11 times in program history since the 2000 season. Head Coach Ruth Kmak is making her 10th postseason appearance in her 18th year leading the Maroons.
The last time UChicago received consecutive NCAA bids occurred in the 2006 and 2007 seasons. In 2016, the Maroons posted a 27-10 record and advanced to the regional championship, hosted at Trine University.