The complete 62-team field is set for the NCAA Division III Softball Championship, and the Linfield Wildcats will host a familiar foe in the Redlands Bulldogs in a two-team regional tournament May 18-20 at Del Smith Stadium in McMinnville, Oregon.
 
Linfield and Redlands will play a best-of-five series with a trip to the Super Regionals on the line. One of 16 host sites, the McMinnville Regional is the only two-team tournament in the bracket.
 
TICKETS
As this is an NCAA-sponsored event, admission will be charged for all games. It is recommended that fans purchase tickets in advance using the online ticketing platform. Ticket prices are as follows:
Adult General Admission $10 per day or $30 for tournament pass
Senior Citizens $8 per day or $20 for tournament pass
Students with ID $7 per day or $15 for tournament pass
 
FOLLOW THE ACTION LIVE
The Linfield Sports Network will provide live video broadcasts of all games. Joe Stuart will cover play-by-play duties. Linfield will also provide live statistics.
 
WEATHER
The forecast for the tournament is calling for warm temperatures between 78-83 degrees. The sun will be shining on Thursday and Friday, with a few clouds coming out on Saturday for any necessary games.
 
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, MAY 18
Game 1: Linfield 7, Redlands 6 (Linfield leads best-of-5 series 1-0)
 
FRIDAY, MAY 19
Game 2: Linfield 14, Redlands 0, 5 innings
Game 3: Linfield vs. Redlands, 4:30 p.m. (PDT)
 
SATURDAY, MAY 20
Game 4: Linfield vs. Redlands, 1 p.m. (PDT), if necessary
Game 5: Linfield vs. Redlands, 3:30 p.m. (PDT), if necessary
 
LINFIELD WILDCATS (41-4, 27-1 NWC)
Linfield enters the NCAA playoffs for the 18^th time in the last 19 seasons after completing its fifth 40-win season and first since 2012. The Wildcats own a 75-36 postseason record with nine regional championships, one super regional title and two NCAA Division III national championships in 2007 and 2011. 
 
The Wildcats claimed the program's 18^th Northwest Conference regular-season championship. Linfield's 27-1 NWC record matched the best mark in school history. The 'Cats went 4-1 in the NWC Tournament, capping the weekend with two wins over cross-county rival George Fox on Championship Sunday.
 
Fourth-ranked Linfield is captained by Jackson Vaughan, who was named the NWC Coach of the Year for the 13^th time in his 22-year head coaching career. Nine players landed on the All-NWC Team, including five on the First Team. Katie Phillips and Tayah Kelley repeated as the NWC Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively. Phillips' 59 RBI rank third in Division III while teammate Claire Seats is right behind with 58. Kelley's 28 wins in the circle lead the nation while her 218 strikeouts are seventh. Kaili Saathoff is batting .450 with 68 hits and 60 runs scored.
 
REDLANDS BULLDOGS (27-14, 14-7 SCIAC)
Redlands fell to Chapman in Game 1 on Championship Sunday but bounced back to walk it off on the Panthers in 10 innings in Game 2 to claim the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's automatic berth into the NCAA bracket. The SCIAC regular-season co-champions enter the postseason for the second time in three years under head coach Jose Ortega.
 
Five players represented the Bulldogs on the All-SCIAC Team. Katlyn Gandara was selected as the SCIAC Pitcher of the Year. She enters the regional with a 16-7 record, 60 strikeouts and a 1.51 ERA. Alexis Campos is batting .415 and leads the team with 54 hits, including 11 doubles and four home runs. Natalie Horton has scored 36 times while Kalyn Kershner has 30 RBI.
 
THE SERIES
Linfield owns a 26-10 record against Redlands in the all-time series. The longest win streak was 13 straight games between 2007 and 2012. This will be the first meeting between the two schools in McMinnville. The last nine matchups were played in Redlands. The 'Cats won six of those games.
 
Linfield and Redlands split a doubleheader on Feb. 18 in the 'Cats' season-opening California road trip. The 'Cats shut out the Bulldogs 1-0 in the opener, scoring the game-winning run in the eighth inning. The Bulldogs bounced back in Game 2 to squeeze out a 4-3 win in walk-off fashion to even the twinbill.