The Linfield Wildcats are one of eight softball programs in contention for a national crown as the NCAA Division III Championship Finals play out in Salem, Virginia, May 28-June 3, at James Moyer Sports Complex.

Action begins Thursday, May 28, and runs as late as Wednesday, June 3, in Salem, a city of about 25,000 located in central Virginia three hours west of the state capital of Richmond. The double-elimination tournament is hosted by the Old Dominion Athletic Conference and Roanoke College.
 
WHAT'S AT STAKE
Linfield is seeking its third national championship since 2007. The Wildcats must navigate the double-elimination format that features two pods of four teams each. The survivors from each pod square off in a best-of-three series to determine the national champion starting Tuesday, June 2.

Linfield (42-6) is the tournament's No. 4 seed and will play fifth-seeded Redlands (43-6) Thursday at 1:30 p.m. EDT/10:30 a.m. PDT.
 
The Linfield/Redlands winner faces the winner of the game pitting No. 8 seed Rowan (44-5) against top-seeded Virginia Wesleyan (50-0) Friday at 11 a.m. EDT/8 a.m. PDT. The loser falls into an elimination game against the Rowan/Virginia Wesleyan loser Friday at 1:30 p.m. EDT/10:30 a.m. PDT.
 
The second pod in the championship bracket includes second-seeded Trine (38-6) taking on No. 7 Belhaven (42-10) and third-seeded Simpson (39-6) opposing sixth-seeded Mount Union (28-14).
 
FOLLOW THE ACTION
The NCAA and Tupuleo-Honey are teaming up to provide live video webcasts of all championship tournament games with Kit McConnico and Genna Rose providing live play-by-play and commentary. Live statistics are also available through the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Tournament results can be tracked on the NCAA Division III interactive bracket.
 
HOW THEY GOT HERE
The Wildcats (42-6), who finished second in the Northwest Conference during the regular season, enter the NCAA Championship Finals having rolled through the postseason with an 8-0 record. The 'Cats won the championships of the NWC Tournament, the McMinnville Regional and McMinnville Super Regional, defeating Lewis & Clark, Pacific Lutheran, Marymount (Va.) and Moravian (Pa.) by a combined score of 64-12 to claim the three tournament titles.
 
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
The Wildcats are making their 10th appearance at the NCAA Championship Finals and are 99-44 all-time in the NCAA Division III softball playoffs, including 26-17 in the Finals. In addition to winning NCAA crowns in 2007 and 2011, Linfield has advanced as far as the Division III championship game in 2010, falling to East Texas Baptist, and 2012, losing to Pacific Lutheran.
 
Linfield's all-time softball record versus Redlands is 36-11, including two victories to open the 2026 season at the Field of Dreams in Redlands, Calif. The Wildcats have won nine of the last 10 matchups against the Bulldogs. In the NCAA playoffs, Linfield owns a record of 11-5 versus Redlands, including defeating the Bulldogs 9-1 in an elimination game at last season's NCAA Finals in Bloomington, Illinois.
 
Against the remaining NCAA Finals teams, Linfield is 1-1 versus Virginia Wesleyan, 0-1 versus Case Western Reserve, 0-0 versus Mount Union, 0-1 versus Rowan, 1-2 versus Trine, 1-3 versus Belhaven, and 0-0 versus Simpson.
   
THURSDAY, MAY 28
Game 1: Rowan 3, Virginia Wesleyan 2
Game 2: Redlands 9, Linfield 7
Game 3: Trine 7, Belhaven 5
Game 4: Simpson 4, Mount Union 3

FRIDAY, MAY 29
Game 5: Redlands 10, Rowan 2, 5 innings
Game 6: Linfield 3, Virginia Wesleyan 2
Game 7: Trine 9, Simpson 1, 5 innings
Game 8: Belhaven vs. Mount Union (elimination game), 6:30 p.m. EDT / 3:30 p.m. PDT
 
SATURDAY, MAY 30
Game 9: Linfield vs. Simpson (elimination game), 11 a.m. EDT / 8 a.m. PDT
Game 10: Winner of Game 8 vs. Rowan (elimination game), 1:30 p.m. EDT / 10:30 a.m. PDT
 
SUNDAY, MAY 31
Game 11: Redlands vs. Winner Game 9, 11 a.m. EDT / 8 a.m. PDT
Game 12: Trine vs. Winner Game 10, 1:30 p.m. EDT / 10:30 a.m. PDT
Game 13: Redlands vs. Winner Game 9, if necessary, 4 p.m. EDT / 1 p.m. PDT
Game 14: Trine vs. Game 10 Winner, if necessary, 6:30 p.m. EDT / 3:30 p.m. PDT
 
MONDAY, JUNE 1
Day of Rest
 
TUESDAY, JUNE 2
Championship Series Game 1: Teams TBA, 11 a.m. EDT / 8 a.m. PDT
 
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3
Championship Series Game 2: Teams TBA, 11 a.m. EDT / 8 a.m. PDT
Championship Series Game 3: Teams TBA, if necessary, 1:30 p.m. EDT / 10:30 a.m. PDT
  VIRGINIA WESLEYAN MARLINS (50-0)
Virginia Wesleyan remains the lone undefeated team in the Division III, outscoring opponents 23-2 in the Regional and Case Western Reserve 25-0 in the Super Regional to advance to the Championship Final. The top-ranked Marlins are the undisputed favorite to claim their second national title in three years after falling to Trine, 8-1 and 3-1, in the 2025 best-of-three series.
 
Head coach Brandon Elliott is in his 20th season at the helm of the Marlins softball program, boasting a 721-158-2 record. The top offense in Division III enters with a .410 team batting average, while the pitching staff ranks No. 1 in team earned run average (0.59). Senior Emma Adams and sophomore Hannah Hearl are two of the best pitchers in the country, proving to be nearly unhittable throughout the season. Hearl tossed a perfect game in Game 1 of the Super Regional, defeating Case Western Reserve, 10-0.
 
This season, 28 Virginia Wesleyan's 50 games have come by way of shutout as the Marlins have outscored their opponents 491-41 and have allowed more than two runs in a game just three times. At the plate, sophomore catcher/outfielder Morgan Tucker was honored as the ODAC's Player of the Year, batting .517 with 11 home runs and 74 RBIs while striking out just four times in the regular season. Senior infielder/outfielder Laci Campbell is a threat on the basepaths, executing on 55 of 60 stolen base attempts.
 
TRINE THUNDER (38-6)
The defending national champions enter the Championship Finals as the No. 2 seed, bouncing back from an 8-2 loss to Muhlenberg in Game 1 of the Super Regional before winning the next two 12-1 and 3-1 to advance.
 
Senior Debbie Hill is one of Trine's seven NFCA All-Region honorees, earning the third First Team recognition of her career. She enters the Finals with a .436 batting average and is one of three Thunder players with 16 home runs. Inside the circle, Hill holds a 1.53 ERA in 18 appearances, going 12-1. The Thunder's pitching ace is junior Sydney Adolfson (14-1) who brings a 2.50 ERA over 100 innings pitched.
 
Senior outfielder Emma Lee earned the MIAA's Most Valuable Player award and enters the week with a .430 batting average with 16 home runs and 17 stolen bases. She struck out just seven times.
 
Thunder head coach Donnie Danklefsen is in his 22nd season and comes into the tournament with a 722-212 record.
 
SIMPSON STORM (39-6)
The Storm claimed the Indianola Iowa Regional after knocking off the College of Saint Benedict in the elimination game, 4-3, before upsetting Saint Mary's (Minn.) in the Winona Minnesota Super Regional in two games, 8-3 and 8-5.
 
Brent Matthias is in his 10th season as head coach of the Storm and has amassed a 208-144 record during his tenure.
 
Senior outfielder Ashlyn Steen, American Rivers Conference Position Player of the Year, is one of four Storm players named to the ARC first team. Steen joins senior infielder Megan Heidelbauer as the Storm's back-to-back ARC Position Players of the Year. Steen is batting over .500 this season, driving in 30 runs and stealing a team-high 44 bases.
 
In 24 starts in the circle, senior Emma LaFave (18-3) has posted a 2.58 ERA with 13 complete games. Sophomore Marina Cronin (17-2) is arguably the most impressive pitcher for the Storm, leading the team with a 2.04 ERA with 112 strikeouts, 33 walks and four saves.
 
LINFIELD WILDCATS (42-6)
Linfield enters the Championship Finals as one of two teams to have claimed four consecutive Super Regional titles since the NCAA moved to the Super Regional format, joining the eighth-seeded Rowan Profs. The Wildcats' East Coast trip comes with a 12-game winning streak, a span during which they've outscored opponents 113-18.
 
Wildcats head coach Jackson Vaughan is in his 25th season and brings a career record of 936-212-2. He eclipsed the 900-win mark early this season, earning him the title of the fastest Division III head coach to reach 900 wins while also being the fifth-winningest coach among active head coaches across all three levels of NCAA softball.
 
Senior catcher Ashlyn Aven carded First Team All-Northwest Conference honors while continuously leading Division III in home runs (24) and RBIs (88). Junior outfielder Meara Sain also earned All-NWC First Team honors while leading the nation in doubles with 32. Freshman utility player McKenna Parmelee was named the conference's Rookie of the Year, entering the national tournament finals with a .357 batting average, playing in all 48 games as a freshman.
 
Junior Tyler McNeley, the 2024 NFCA Division III Freshman of the Year, has found her stride inside the circle during the Wildcats' postseason run. McNeley has won each of her last nine starts, allowing just 16 runs over 55 innings during that span. She leads the nation in wins with 27.
 
REDLANDS BULLDOGS (43-6)
Redlands enters its second consecutive Championship Finals after prevailing on the road in both the Regional and Super Regional tournaments. The Bulldogs claimed the Waverly Iowa Regional, taking down Illinois Wesleyan in the final elimination game, 6-4, before heading to Texas Lutheran for the Seguin Texas Super Regional. Redlands overcame a 5-3 loss in Game 1, defeating Texas Lutheran 3-1 and 5-4 in a doubleheader to advance to Salem.
 
Head coach Jose Ortega is in his eighth season with the Bulldogs, leading the team to a program-record 43 wins in 2026. Ortega and his staff were named the SCIAC's 2026 Coaching Staff of the Year, the fourth such honor for Ortega's staff.
 
Katlyn Gandara claimed the SCIAC's Softball Athlete of the Year honors for the third time in her career, having also won the conference's Pitcher of the Year as a freshman in 2023. In 2026, Gandara holds a .444 batting average, leading the team with 17 doubles and a .520 on-base percentage. In the circle, the senior is 22-2 in 31 appearances and 29 starts, tossing eight complete games with three shutouts.
 
Caitlynn Griffith was named SCIAC Newcomer of the Year, entering the week with an impressive 1.24 ERA in 28 appearances. She's held batters to just a .162 batting average, leading the Bulldogs with 70 strikeouts and seven saves.
 
MOUNT UNION PURPLE RAIDERS (35-7)
Mount Union hosted its first NCAA Regional and Super Regional Tournaments in 2026, taking down Christopher Newport 6-1 in the elimination game of the Regional, before surpassing UMass Dartmouth in the best-of-three series Super Regional, 5-2 and 4-1. Their inclusion in this week's tournament marks the Purple Raiders' first appearance in the Division III Finals in program history.
 
Senior Kendyll Cahill earned First Team All-OAC honors, entering the week with a .385 batting average and team-high 1.118 OPS. Cahill also serves as the Raiders ace, holding a 1.81 ERA in 26 starts, tossing 13 complete games and four shutouts. She's struck out 108 batters on her way to a 24-2 record. Sophomore Allison Jones was also one of five Raiders named All-OAC First Team, she leads the team with a .429 batting average as a utility player, also going 11-12 on stolen base attempts.
 
Meghan Simons is in her 10th season as the head coach of the Purple Raiders. She enters the week with a 283-146-2 record. This season marks Mount Union's fourth consecutive NCAA playoff appearance. The Purple Raiders' 35 wins are the second-most wins in a season during Simons' tenure. Simons' staff was tabbed the OAC Coaching Staff of the Year after going 15-1 in the OAC.
 
BELHAVEN BLAZERS (42-10)
The Blazers hosted each the Jackson Mississippi Regional and Super Regional tournaments, downing Emory in a winner-take-all regional championship, 4-0, then cruising past Wisconsin-Oshkosh in two games, 5-1 and 10-2.
 
In 16 seasons as Blazers head coach, Kevin Griffin has compiled a career record of 764-233. Griffin was named CCS Coach of the Year for the second time as the Blazers coach. In 2024, he led the Blazers to the brink of a national title, falling to eventual NCAA champion East Texas Baptist in the championship series.
 
Freshman AR Sharp was tabbed the CCS's Rookie Pitcher of the Year, entering with a 9-0 record and 2.95 ERA. Juniors Macy Funderburk and Karley Rouse have split starting duties for the Blazers inside the circle, with Funderburk leading the trio with a 1.91 ERA, 124 strikeouts and just 27 walks.
 
Juniors Maryanna Guy and Melissa Lopera each enter the Finals with batting averages north of the .400 mark. Guy leads with a team-high 11 homers, and 16 doubles, boasting an OPS of 1.243. As a team, the Blazers lead the nation in doubles with 116 this season.
 
ROWAN PROFS (42-9)
Joining Linfield as one of the only two programs to win four-straight Super Regional titles, Rowan escaped the Marshall Texas, Regional by upsetting the host East Texas Baptist in consecutive games, 2-1 and 2-0. The Profs then hosted Colby in the Glassboro New Jersey Super Regional, advancing in two games, 1-0 and 3-0.
 
Head coach Kim Wilson in in her 30th season at Rowan and continues to be one of the winningest coaches in Division III softball history with a 1,010-316-2 record while with the Profs (1,074-373-2 overall). This season marks Wilson's seventh trip to the Championship Finals.
 
The Profs had a program-record nine All-NJAC honorees, including five named to the First Team. Rowan's top-notch pitching staff has towed the line in their return to the Finals, boasting a team ERA of 1.34, led by senior Emily McCutcheon (21-5) and sophomore BethAnne Doderer (20-4). McCutcheon enters with a 0.99 ERA in 27 starts, striking out 99 batters and allowing just 14 walks. Doderer isn't far behind with a 1.30 ERA in 22 starts, striking out 99 batters of her own. The two have combined to allow just five home runs this season.
 
Six of nine starters have appeared in all 51 games for the Profs. Sophomore Ava Fisher leads the team with a .373 batting average and is the only hitter with an OPS over 1.000. Fisher paces the team with nine home runs and 42 RBI while slugging .627.