Softball Draws Christopher Newport in 2021 NCAA Tournament Berth

BOSTON, Mass. - The Emmanuel College softball team, who captured the 2021 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship last Saturday afternoon, will play Christopher Newport University in their first game of the Regional Round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The Saints looked on in anticipation during the team's viewing party, as each of the 48 teams in the bracket were revealed Monday in a selection show on NCAA.com.

Texas Lutheran University, located in Seguin, Texas, will host the Regional Round from May 21-23 at Ed Kruse Stadium. The Bulldogs won the 2019 NCAA Division III National Championship and are the top seed in the regional which features six teams in a double-elimination format throughout the weekend.

The Regional Field

#1 Texas Lutheran (28-4) – Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) AQ – Seguin, Texas

• The 2019 National Champs are currently ranked No. 1 in the country in the last NFCA Coaches' Poll and have won 20 straight entering NCAA tournament play.

#2 Emory & Henry (26-7) – At Large Poll C Berth - Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) – Emory, Va.

• The Wasps are currently ranked No. 9 in the nation in the latest NFCA Coaches' Poll and were upset by Lynchburg in the ODAC final in game 3 of the best-of-three series.

#3 Christopher Newport (28-12) – At Large Pool C Berth – Coast to Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) – Newport News, Va.

• The Captains garner the No. 12 ranking in the current NFCA Coaches' Poll after going 2-2 in the C2C Championship tournament, falling twice to C2C champ Salisbury.

#4 Emmanuel (20-4) – Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) AQ – Boston, Mass.

• The Saints captured the program's first-ever GNAC Championship with a sweep over Johnson & Wales and enter the tournament ranked No. 6 in the New England Regional Rankings.

#5 Bridgewater State (17-9) – Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) AQ – Bridgewater, Mass.

• Upset MASCAC favorite Framingham State to punch its NCAA tourney ticket and are making the program's 23^rd appearance and first since 2014.

#6 Cedar Crest (17-3) – Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) AQ – Allentown, Pa.

• The Falcons captured the CSAC Championship over Wilson College and enter the NCAA tourney ranked second in the nation with a .425 overall team batting average.

The NCAA Tournament

The regional round will be held May 20-23.  Six teams will compete at eight regional sites.  The finals, hosted by Old Dominion Athletic Conference and city of Salem, will be held May 27-June 1 at Moyer Park in Salem, Virginia.  All rounds will use a double-elimination format.

Forty-one conferences received an automatic qualification (Pool A).  One institution was selected from Pool B, which includes independent institutions and schools from conferences that do not meet the automatic qualification criteria.  The six remaining teams were selected on an at-large basis from automatic qualifying conferences and the remaining institutions in Pool B.

Click to view the 2021 NCAA Division III Softball Regional Brackets