Hosted by Linfield University
The NCAA Division III softball playoff field has been whittled down to 16 regional champions and this week moves to the Super Regional round. Linfield has been designated as one of eight Super Regional host sites.
The Wildcats (40-6) square off against the Moravian Greyounds (35-10) in a best-of-three Super Regional Thursday and Friday, May 21-22, at Del Smith Stadium in McMinnville, Ore.
It's the first time the two successful softball programs will meet in the postseason with a berth to the NCAA Division III Championship Finals riding on the outcome.
TICKETS
As this is an NCAA-sponsored event, admission will be charged for all games. Tickets may be purchased using cash and credit card at the stadium ticket tent on game day.
Ticket prices are as follows:
Adult General Admission $15
Senior Citizens and Military $10
Students with ID $5
FOLLOW THE ACTION LIVE
Linfield is providing
live video broadcasts of all games with Joe Stuart handling play-by-play duties and members of the Linfield Sports Communications staff providing support. The Linfield Sports Communications team will also provide
live statistics.
WEATHER
The forecast is calling for mostly sunny skies Thursday and Friday with temperatures in McMinnville in the mid- to upper-70s.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, MAY 21
Game 1: Linfield vs. Moravian, 2 p.m. (PDT)
FRIDAY, MAY 22
Game 2: Moravian vs. Linfield, 1 p.m. (PDT)
Game 3: Linfield vs. Moravian*, 3:30 p.m. (PDT), if necessary
*The designated home team is listed second for Games 1 and 2. The designated home team for Game 3 will be determined by a coin flip.
TEAM PREVIEW
LINFIELD WILDCATS (40-6)
Breanna Bartek
•Linfield is making its fourth consecutive and overall fifth appearance in the Super Regionals after going 3-0 in the McMinnville Oregon Regional last week, outscoring its opponents 42-1. Junior outfielder Meara Sain was the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Junior pitcher Tyler McNeley went 3-0, striking out 22 batters, while allowing just two extra-base hits and posting a 0.50 ERA.
•In three games at the McMinnville Regional, Linfield batted a collective .557. Emily Foytack (.833), Sophie Pappas (.750), Meara Sain (.700), Ashlyn Aven (.556), Kaia Young (.556), Lexiss Antle (.500) and Breanna Bartek (.500) all hit .500 or better.
•The Wildcats did not commit a single fielding error in 55 fielding opportunities at the McMinnville Regional.
•Linfield is seeking a fourth straight and ninth overall trip to the NCAA Finals.
•Meara Sain is enjoying her best season, batting .494 with a school-record and Division III-leading 31 doubles, adding 71 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. She is closing in on the Division III doubles record of 33 set by Kim Sears of Wheaton (Mass.) in 1998.
•Ashlyn Aven leads Division III in home runs with 23 and is nearing the Division III record of 29 set by former Linfield All-American Emily Lepp in 2011.
•Ashlyn Aven and Meara Sain were recently named to the NFCA All-Region first team, Tyler McNeley and Cydney Hess were accorded All-Region second team honors, and Breanna Bartek earned All-Region third team recognition.
•The Wildcats feature one of Division III's top offenses, ranking second in home runs (62), and third in both doubles (102) and slugging percentage (.594).
•In 25 seasons as Linfield coach, Jackson Vaughan has compiled a record of 934-212-2, including a mark of 97-44 in the NCAA playoffs and Division III titles in 2007 and 2011.
MORAVIAN GREYHOUNDS (35-10)
Sarah DeStefano
•The Greyhounds captured their eighth regional title and the third in four seasons, earning their spot in the Super Regional after sweeping the Bethlehem (Pa.) Regional on their home field and prevailing in three of four games at the Landmark Conference Tournament, also on their home field.
•Monrovia blanked SUNY-Cortland 7-0 in the title game of the Bethlehem Regional, marking its second-highest scoring output in a regional championship game.
•For the third time in four seasons, senior Sarah DeStefano was selected as the Bethlehem Regional Most Outstanding Player. In addition to hitting .349, DeStefano owns a 17-6 pitching record with a 1.25 ERA, 125 strikeouts and five shutouts.
•Junior Kyra Holtje leads Moravian with a .399 batting average to rank third in the Landmark Conference. She has amassed 15 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 36 RBIs to go along with 16 stolen bases. Holtje also has 12 wins in 20 pitching appearances with 57 strikeouts, five shutouts and a 1.84 ERA.
•Senior Sydney Andrews is hitting .383 with a team-high 42 runs scored. She's added 11 doubles, four triples, three home runs and 33 RBIs with 10 stolen bases.
•Junior Shayla Morgan has 20 stolen bases this spring and 57 over three seasons.
•Moravian has won 19 of its last 20 games and 29 of its last 31 contests.
•The Greyhounds are making their fifth Super Regional appearance (2015, 2018, 2023, 2025 and 2026). The 2023 squad won Monrovia's first and only Super Regional.
•The Hounds advanced to the Division III Championship Finals four times in 2004, 2007, 2010, and 2023 and are now 60-47 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
•Fourth-year Greyhounds coach Josh Baltz has a career record of 144-41.
ABOUT MORAVIAN UNIVERSITY
Linfield and Moravian will be squaring off for the first time in any team sport. Founded in 1742, Moravian is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and is recognized as the sixth-oldest college in the country. It is also recognized as the first college in the country to educate women. Moravian officially transitioned from College to University status during the summer of 2021 with the addition of Doctorate programs in Athletic Training and Physical Therapy. Enrollment is approximately 2,000 undergraduates.
Approximately one-quarter of Moravian’s student body participates in intercollegiate athletics every year, and many more compete in club sports and intramurals. Moravian continues to expand its athletic offerings with men’s and women’s swimming becoming varsity sports in 2021-22, and women’s golf starting the fall semester of 2023-24. Moravian’s student-athletes excel academically. A total of 56 Greyhounds have received College Sports Communicators Academic All-America awards while more than 150 student-athletes have typically earn spots on the conference Academic Honor Rolls yearly.
