The Case Western Reserve University softball team was selected to the 2026 NCAA Division III Softball Championship the association announced during a selection show on Monday afternoon.
The Spartans will be making their fifth consecutive appearance in the national tournament and seventh in program history. In addition to the past four years, CWRU previously made the postseason in 2018 and 2001. The team has advanced to the NCAA Finals in 2018 and 2024, placing as high as fifth in 2018. Case Western Reserve has an all-time record of 22-16 in the NCAA Tournament.
CWRU will be traveling to Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, on the campus of Swarthmore College for the three-day, four-team Regional Round. The Spartans will face Muskingum (29-12), while the host and 15th-ranked Garnet (33-8) will take on Messiah (29-15) in the other matchup on Thursday, May 14. The two winners will face off to start Friday with a pair of elimination games to follow. The regional final will be on Saturday, May 16 at 11 a.m. with Game 7, if necessary, to follow.
Case Western Reserve (27-12) earned an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament after ranking 24th in the final NCAA Power Index. Of the 22 at-large teams selected to the championship, CWRU had the ninth-highest NPI. Last season, the Spartans fell in the regional final, going 2-2 in the first round of competition.
The Fighting Muskies also received an at-large bid after falling to Capital in the Ohio Athletic Conference semifinal. Muskingum, the 2001 national champion, are making their 21st all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament with a record of 57-42. In 2024, the program's most recent appearance, Muskingum reached the Super Regional Round. CWRU split a doubleheader in New Concord, Ohio, earlier this year, dropping the first contest 7-4 before responding with a 7-3 victory. Muskingum leads the all-time series 7-3.
Swarthmore, the champions of the Centennial Conference, are riding a 12-game winning streak into their third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Garnet are 3-4 all-time in NCAA Tournament appearances, reaching the regional final in 2023. CWRU has faced Swarthmore just once, dropping a 4-1 decision in Kissimmee, Florida, on March 12, 2024.
Messiah, who defeated York College twice to win the MAC Commonwealth Tournament Championship, won the national title in 2009 and finished as runner-up in 2016. The Falcons are 29-29 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and are making their 15th appearance on the national stage. Messiah reached the regional final last season. The Spartans and Falcons have never battled on the softball diamond.
The winner of the regional will advance to the Super Regional Round at a site to be determined on Thursday, May 21 and Friday, May 22 against the winner of the Virginia Beach Regional hosted by Virginia Wesleyan.
Regional Schedule
Day 1 – Thursday, May 14
Game 1: #15 Swarthmore vs. Messiah (11 a.m.)
Game 2: CWRU vs. Muskingum (1:30 p.m.)
Day 2 – Friday, May 15
Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 (11 a.m.)
Game 4 (elimination): Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 (1:30 p.m.)
Game 5 (elimination): Winner of Game 4 vs. Loser of Game 3 (4:00 p.m.)
Day 3 – Saturday, May 16
Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5 (11 a.m.)
Game 7 (if necessary): Game 6 Teams (1:30 p.m.)
