INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA Division III Softball Committee has announced the 44 teams that will compete in the Division III Softball Championship.
Five teams will compete at four first-round sites and six teams will compete at four other first-round sites for a total of eight first-round sites. All first-rounds will use a double-elimination format.
The five-team first-rounds will be held May 7-9 on the campuses of competing institutions, with the rain date being May 10. The six-team first-rounds will be held May 7-10, on the campuses of competing institutions, with the rain date being May 10. The finals, hosted by the City of Salem, Virginia and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, will be held May 14-18 at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Virginia.
Thirty-four conferences have been granted automatic qualification and eight independents were selected for the 2004 championship. The two remaining teams were selected on an at-large basis from automatic qualifying conferences and the remaining independent institutions.
The conferences and teams that received automatic qualification were:
American Southwest - East Texas Baptist
AWCC - Mary Baldwin
Centennial - McDaniel
CUNYAC - Staten Island
CCIW - Augustana (Illinois)
Commonwealth - Moravian
Commonwealth Coast - Endicott
Empire 8 - Ithaca
Freedom - King's (Pennsylvania)
Great Northeast - Western New England
Heartland Collegiate - Defiance
Iowa Intercollegiate - Central (Iowa)
Lake Michigan - Edgewood
Little East - Western Connecticut State
MASCAC - Bridgewater State
Michigan Intercollegiate - Alma
Midwest - Lake Forest
MIAC - St. Thomas (Minnesota)
NESCAC - Williams
NEWMAC - Wheaton (Massachusetts)
NJAC - Rutgers-Camden
North Coast - Allegheny
Northern Illinois-Iowa - Clarke
Northwest - Linfield
OAC - Muskingum
Old Dominion - Roanoke
PAC - Cabrini
SLIAC - Maryville (Missouri)
Skyline - Merchant Marine
SCIAC - LaVerne
Southern Collegiate - Sewanne (University of the South)
SUNYAC - Oneonta State
USA South - Averett
Wisconsin Intercollegiate - Wisconsin-Superior
SITES:
*Indicates host institution
Seed No. 1 - Winner of first round at Orange, California.
1. East Texas Baptist (40-3)
2. *Chapman (32-8)
3. Cal State Hayward (28-6-1)
4. La Verne (27-12)
5. Linfield (33-7)
Seed No. 2 - Winner of first round at Pella, Iowa. 1. St. Thomas (Minnesota) (39-4)
2. Washington (Missouri) (31-3)
3. *Central (Iowa) (32-7)
4. Wisconsin-Superior (32-8)
5. Maryville (Missouri) (24-15)
6. Clarke (21-18)
Seed No. 3 - Winner of first round at Salem, Virginia. 1. Muskingum (38-5)
2. *Roanoke (32-10)
3. Emory (34-10)
4. Bethany (West Virginia) (28-13)
5. Averett (20-20)
6. Sewanee (University of the South) (19-19)
Seed No. 4 - Winner of first round at Salisbury, Maryland. 1. *Salisbury (35-5)
2. King's (Pennsylvania) (37-8)
3. Rutgers-Camden (32-9)
4. Cabrini (32-11)
5. McDaniel (27-9)
6. Mary Baldwin (21-17)
Seed No. 5 - Winner of first round at Alma, Michigan. 1. *Alma (35-6)
2. Augustana (Illinois) (34-7)
3. Chicago (26-9)
4. Lake Forest (26-11)
5. Defiance (22-17-1)
6. Edgewood (22-16)
Seed No. 6 - Winner of first round at Norton, Massachusetts. 1. *Wheaton (Massachusetts) (29-10-1)
2. Williams (29-8)
3. Western Connecticut State (25-14)
4. Endicott (28-8-1)
5. Bridgewater State (24-16)
Seed No. 7 - Winner of first round at Ithaca, New York. 1. Western New England (32-9)
2. Cortland State (34-7)
3. *Ithaca (24-13)
4. Oneonta State (26-15)
5. Merchant Marine (28-14-1)
Seed No. 8 - Winner of first round at Mahwah, New Jersey. 1. Moravian (34-4)
2. *Ramapo (32-6)
3. Allegheny (22-14)
4. Union (New York) (21-3)
5. Staten Island (18-12-1)
Central College (Iowa) won the 2003 NCAA Division III Softball Championship by defeating Salisbury University in last year's championship game.
For more information about the Division III Softball Championship, log on to www.ncaasports.com.
