The seventh-ranked Case Western Reserve University softball team will be making its second-ever trip to the eight-team NCAA Division III Softball Championship Finals starting on Thursday, May 30 at Bell Park at Taylor Field in Marshall, Texas.

The eight-team championship tournament is broken down into two parts, the double-elimination brackets and the championship series. The two double-elimination brackets will be played from Thursday, May 30 to Sunday, June 2, eliminating teams until only two remain without two losses. Following an off day on Monday, June 3, the two finalists will use a best-of-three series to determine the national champion. The first game is scheduled for Tuesday, June 4 with games two and three (if necessary) on Wednesday, June 5.

Case Western Reserve will play Belhaven in the fourth game of the tournament at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 30. The Spartans will then face off against Rowan or ETBU on Friday at either 5 p.m. ET or 7:30 p.m. ET. The full schedule is below and can be found on the tournament website. 

Spartan fans can purchase tickets HERE for either a single day of competition or the entire tournament. For adults, tickets cost $15 for a single day or $40 for the tournament, while for students and seniors, tickets cost $10 for a single day or $25 for the tournament. Tickets are also available in person. Gates open one hour prior to the first game of each day.

All games will be streamed by the NCAA HERE with live stats available HERE or HERE. Recaps will be posted to the CWRU Athletics website following each day of Spartan competition.

The Spartans (40-7), who are seeded third, advanced to the championship by sweeping Coe College in the best-of-three Super Regional last weekend at Mather Park. To reach the Super Regional, CWRU went 4-1 in the Regional Round the previous week, defeating 25th-ranked Calvin twice on the final day to reach the round of 16. Case Western Reserve tied for fifth during its only other appearance in the finals in 2018, and the team has qualified for the NCAA Tournament five times in program history with an all-time postseason record of 20-12.

The top-seeded team is Linfield University (48-2), who entered the postseason as the top-ranked team in Division III. The Wildcats suffered their first loss of the season in the Regional Round, but still went 3-1 against Redlands to reach the Super Regional. After a series-opening loss to Central, Linfield responded with two wins by double-digit runs to book its eighth all-time trip to the Finals. The Wildcats won the 2007 and 2011 national championships, placed second in 2010 and 2012, and reached the finals in 2006, 2015, and 2022. The program has an 84-40 record in 19 NCAA Tournament appearances. CWRU has never faced Linfield.

East Texas Baptist University (43-2) is seeded second at the championship and ranked second nationally by the NFCA. The Tigers, who are also hosting the finals, are riding a 20-game winning streak, sweeping the American Southwest Conference Tournament, NCAA Regional Round, and NCAA Super Regional Round to reach the national finals. This is the third all-time appearance for ETBU at the finals site with the team winning the national championship in 2010 and tying for fifth in 2014. The Tigers are 39-30 in 17 postseason appearances. Case Western Reserve lost to East Texas Baptist 4-1 this season at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Georgia, and the Spartans also fell to the Tigers in eight innings in 2022 at a neutral site.

The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (44-5) is the number four seed and ranked 12th in the nation. After falling in the first game of the Super Regional, the Titans won twice over fifth-ranked Trine to reach their third NCAA Finals. Oshkosh swept the Regional Round after finishing as the runner-up in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament. The Titans are 26-22 all-time in postseason play, tying for fifth in 2021 and reaching the finals in 1988. CWRU and Oshkosh have never played against each other.

The fifth seed in the tournament is Virginia Wesleyan University (40-8), who is ranked eighth in Division III. The Marlins are three-time national champions, taking home the title in 2017, 2018, and 2021. In its 14th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament, VWU swept both the Regional and Super Regional Rounds to reach the finals for the fourth time in program history. All-time, the Marlins are 51-24 in NCAA postseason play. CWRU defeated Virginia Wesleyan at the NFCA Leadoff Classic 4-2 this season, while VWU won the first meeting between the teams in 2017 at a neutral site.

Seeded sixth is Belhaven University (42-7), ranked 10th in the country by the NFCA. After sweeping their Regional, the Blazers won their first Super Regional Game, fell in the second contest, but prevailed in the winner-take-all third game to reach the finals for the first time in program history. Belhaven is making its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and fourth all-time appearance, compiling a 12-7 record. The Spartans will matchup with the Blazers for the first time in program history.

Rowan University (39-8) is seeded seventh and ranked 15th by the NFCA. Making their 30th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the Profs swept the Regional Round and upset third-ranked Christopher Newport in the Super Regional Round after dropping the first game of the series. Rowan is making its eighth trip to the NCAA Finals and second in as many seasons, placing as high as third in 2016 and finishing fifth last year. The Profs have an 80-64 record in the postseason. The Spartans defeated Rowan 4-1 earlier this season at the Spring Games in Florida, and CWRU also prevailed 2-1 in the only other meeting between the schools at the 2018 NCAA Finals in Oklahoma City.

The eighth seed in the tournament is Tufts University (38-8), who is ranked 17th in the country. Like the Spartans, the Jumbos needed to win twice in the Regional on the final day to advance to the Super Regional. Tufts then swept fourth-ranked Salisbury on the road to punch their eighth-ever ticket to the NCAA Finals. The Jumbos are three-time national champions, capturing the walnut and bronze trophy in 2013, 2014, and 2015, and appeared in the finals in 2000, 2009, 2012, and 2021. All-time, Tufts has an 81-38 record in postseason play, making 22 appearances in the national tournament. CWRU has never faced Tufts in its history.

Schedule (All Times Eastern, Local Time is Central)
Thursday, May 30
12:00 p.m.       Game 1 - #1 Linfield (48-2) vs. #8 Tufts (38-8)
2:30 p.m.         Game 2 - #4 UW-Oshkosh (44-5) vs. #5 Virginia Wesleyan (40-8)
5:00 p.m.         Game 3 - #2 ETBU (43-2) vs. #7 Rowan (39-8)
7:30 p.m.         Game 4 - #3 Case Western Reserve (40-7) vs. #6 Belhaven (42-7)

Friday, May 31
12:00 p.m.       Game 5 – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
2:30 p.m.         Game 6 – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
5:00 p.m.         Game 7 – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4
7:30 p.m.         Game 8 – Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4

Saturday, June 1
12:00 p.m.       Game 9 – Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7
2:30 p.m.         Game 10 – Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 5

Sunday, June 2
12:00 p.m.       Game 11 – Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 9  
2:30 p.m.         Game 12 – Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 10
*5:00 p.m.       Game 13 (if necessary) 
*7:30 p.m.       Game 14 (if necessary) 

*If only one "if necessary" game is needed, it will be played 45 minutes following Game 12.

Tuesday, June 4
12:00 p.m.       Game 15 (Championship Series Game 1)

Wednesday, June 5
12:00 p.m.       Game 16 (Championship Series Game 2)
2:30 p.m.         Game 17 (Championship Series Game 3 - if necessary)

*subject to change due to inclement weather