MARSHALL, TX -- #13 Rowan opens play on Thursday against #2 East Texas Baptist in the 2024 Division III Softball Championship Series with a first pitch scheduled for 4:00 p.m. CT/5:00 p.m. ET. The action takes place in Marshall, Texas at the Jason Bell Park at Taylor Field with East Texas Baptist serving as the host institution.
The Profs punched its second-straight ticket to Texas with a thrilling three-game Super Regional victory over Christopher Newport last weekend. The weekend prior, Rowan took care of business in the NCAA Regional, going 3-0 to advance to the next round. It was the first time in program history the Profs hosted both regional and super regional rounds at home.
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Rowan is the #7 seed in the tournament, facing off against the #2 seeded Tigers. Other first-round matchups on Thursday include #1 Linfield battling #8 Tufts, #4 Wisconsin-Oshkosh against #5Â Virginia Wesleyan, and #3 Case Western Reserve taking on #6 Belhaven. This year's field features a slew of former national champions in Linfield (2011), Virginia Wesleyan (2021, 2018, 2017), Tufts (2015, 2014, 2013), and the host ETBU (2010).
This is the eighth time in program history the Profs have played in the championship finals. Last season's squad placed fifth overall defeating the eventual national champion Trine in its first game, before falling to Coe and Salisbury.
The Profs (39-8), winners of the New Jersey Athletic Conference, have won 15 of its last 16 games en route in capturing the NJAC title for the 12th time in team history and its wins in the NCAA Tournament so far. The team is led by all-conference and all-region selections
Payton MacNair,
Cat Thomas,
Kaitlyn Riggs,
Rylee Lutz,
Liz McCaffery, and
Emily McCutcheon.
The Tigers (43-2) won its 12th American Southwest Conference and back-to-back crowns after taking down Concordia in the ASC Tournament Finals. ETBU then defeated Simmons and Texas Lutheran in the NCAA Regional before defeating Williams in two games in the Super Regional. The Tigers have made 17 NCAA Tournament appearances including the last 11 in a row.
The schedule of games is listed below and available on the "Tournament Homepage" linked above:
2024 NCAA Division III Softball National Championship Schedule (all times are Central)
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| Thursday, May 30 |
|
| 11:00 a.m. |
Game 1 - #1 Linfield (48-2) vs. #8 Tufts (38-8) |
| 1:30 p.m. |
Game 2 - #4 UW-Oshkosh (44-5) vs. #5 Virginia Wesleyan (40-8) |
| 4:00 p.m. |
Game 3 - #2 ETBU (43-2) vs. #7 Rowan (39-8) |
| 6:30 p.m. |
Game 4 - #3 Case Western Reserve (40-7) vs. #6 Belhaven (42-7) |
|
|
| Friday, May 31 |
|
| 11:00 a.m. |
Game 5 – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 |
| 1:30 p.m. |
Game 6 – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 |
| 4:00 p.m. |
Game 7 – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 |
| 6:30 p.m. |
Game 8 – Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 |
|
|
| Saturday, June 1 |
|
| 11:00 a.m. |
Game 9 – Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7 |
| 1:30 p.m. |
Game 10 – Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 5 |
|
|
| Sunday, June 2 |
|
| 11:00 a.m. |
Game 11 – Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 9  |
| 1:30 p.m. |
Game 12 – Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 10 |
| 4:00 p.m. |
Game 13 (if necessary)Â |
| 6:30 p.m. |
Game 14 (if necessary) |
|
|
| Tuesday, June 4 |
|
| 11:00 a.m. |
Game 15 (Championship Series Game 1) |
|
|
| Wednesday, June 5 |
|
| 11:00 a.m. |
Game 16 (Championship Series Game 2) |
| 1:30 p.m. |
Game 17 (Championship Series Game 3 - if necessary) |
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