Official Championship Page
INDIANAPOLIS – The postseason is coming to Marathon Diamonds in Findlay where the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Softball Championship tournament commences on Thursday morning and runs through Saturday.
Findlay is hosting this year’s championship tournament, which includes eight programs with the best winning percentage compiled throughout the regular season standings this spring.
Anderson and Iriti Fields will be utilized over the course of the three-day double elimination format. Per local guidelines, there is no limit on the number of fans that can be in attendance. The entirety of the event will still be streamed live on the Great Midwest Digital Network with live stats available at both fields.
Field assignments after the completion of the first four games of the tournament bracket are fluid and will be utilized in the order of completion from earlier contests. The all-conference team with individual awards will also be released to the participating teams following the 10 AM ET games on Anderson Field. Graduating seniors will also be recognized at that time with all eight institutions in attendance for the ceremony.
The regular season conference champion was determined on the final day of the regular season, Sunday, as Trevecca Nazarene will go into the tournament with the No. 1 overall seed. The Trojans have been ranked top 10 in the NFCA this season and reeled off a 13-game win streak in the middle of the season.
The Trojans held off Hillsdale and the Chargers are the No. 2 seed after salvaging a tough split against Ohio Dominican on Sunday. Hillsdale has won the previous two conference tournaments as the No. 4 seed in 2018 and the consummate underdog No. 8 seed in 2019. This time, the Chargers are viewed as one of the favorites to win their third straight and have plenty of experience at all positions to make it happen.
The NFCA also announced two finalists for the Top 30 of the Schutt Sports Division II National Player / Pitcher of the Year come straight from the Great Midwest, including Malone’s Bailey Byers and Trevecca Nazarene’s MaKray Odom.
Byers is the league leader by a landslide in two keystone categories, including slugging percentage and on-base percentage. She is also tied for the league lead in batting average with the two-time conference player of the year Odom and is tied for first in home runs (14) with Hillsdale’s Sam Catron.
Both Byers and her sister, Pioneers’ ace Kelsey, have been selected as the NFCA National Player / Pitcher of the Week in 2021, the first time in conference history that has happened in the same season.
Together, they have been the cornerstone of a special season for the No. 3 seed Pioneers. Lexi Betz can flat out mash and has put up her own staggering numbers with a .400+ batting average and double-digit home run totals while leading the conference in RBI (47).
Tiffin is the No. 4 seed after being the No. 3 in the Dragons’ first year as a league member. The Dragons have faced their near rival Findlay in quite a few championship tournaments this year and will meet once again in the opening round.
Ohio Dominican is one of the Great Midwest programs regionally ranked under consideration and the Panthers are looking to strengthen their resume for a deep postseason run. The Panthers have an ace in their pocket with Sydney Long’s sub-2.00 ERA and 116 punchouts.
No. 8 seed Cedarville was a championship finalist in 2019 and the Yellow Jackets have always been tough outs with their pitching and station-to-station base running. Ursuline is the No. 7 seed and the Arrows closed out the regular season on a high note by taking two from Kentucky Wesleyan to cement their playoff status.
The winner of the conference tournament will again receive the automatic qualifier bid in the NCAA Championship Midwest Regional. A handful of programs are also under consideration for potential at-large bids while being ranked by the national committee stacked up against the GLIAC and GLVC regionally.