Saturday, April 23, 2016

PORTLAND, Ore. – It came right down to the final weekend and the final games, but the field for the 2016 GNAC Softball Championships is now set.

Central Washington, Western Oregon, Concordia and Saint Martin’s form the field for the double-elimination tournament, which begins on Thursday at the Saint Martin’s softball field in Lacey, Wash. Western Oregon, the No. 2 seed, and Concordia, the No. 3 seed, will open the tournament at noon with No. 1 Central Washington and No. 4 Saint Martin’s squaring off at 2:30 p.m.

Central Washington will be the No. 1 seed and secured the GNAC regular season championship on Saturday by virtue of its record-setting 19-1, five-inning win in its second game at Simon Fraser on Saturday to finish at 18-10, 34-13 overall. Picked to finish fifth in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll, the Wildcats claimed their first regular season title since 2011.

Western Oregon is will be the No. 2 seed. The Wolves wrapped up their regular season on Thursday as they took three of four games from Concordia in their final series of the season to finish at 17-11, 29-22 overall. The Wolves went on a tear in April to secure their playoff spot, winning 13 of their final 18 conference games.

Concordia tied the Wolves for second place in the GNAC at 17-11, but the Wolves earned the No. 2 seed by virtue of taking three of four games in their series. The Cavaliers, in their first GNAC season, sewed up their tournament spot with a pair of eight-run, five-inning mercy rule wins at Simon Fraser on Sunday, 16-6 and 10-1.

Saint Martin’s, the tournament host, is the No. 4 seed. The Saints finished the regular season at 16-12, 33-18 overall. The Saints made their way into the tournament despite struggling over the final two weeks of the season. They secured their berth on Friday with a 9-1, five-inning win over Simon Fraser.

Advanced ticket sales for the GNAC Championships are open now until Wed., Apr. 27. Tickets can be purchased online at the GNAC’s EventBrite page.