Will the Linfield Wildcats be playing at home or won't they?
 
That's the major question on the minds of Linfield players, coaches and fans as they await the formal announcement of the full 62-team NCAA Division III softball playoff field.
 
All will learn Linfield's playoff fate by connecting to the live selection show stream Monday, May 15, at 10 a.m. (PDT) on NCAA.com.
 
Most signs appear to point in favor of the Wildcats hosting the regional round at Del Smith Stadium. With a Division III-leading 41 wins and just four defeats, Linfield is rated No. 1 in the most recent Region X regional rankings, which provide crucial evaluation data from which the selection committee bases its choices of tournament entrants and host sites.
 
History, however, has not been kind to Linfield. This spring marks the 18th time in 19 seasons the Wildcats have claimed an NCAA playoff invitation. Yet, McMinnville's Del Smith Stadium played host to a regional tournament just once – in 2018.
 
Linfield is ranked No. 4 in the latest NFCA Top 25 poll, however, those rankings bear no weight in the playoff selection process.
 
The Division III playoff field includes 15 four-team regional tournaments and one two-team regional, all hosted at campus sites.
 
Last spring, Linfield traveled to Marshall, Texas, where the 'Cats went 2-2 against a stacked regional grouping that included three programs ranked among the nation's Top 10.