Sunday, April 28, 2019

PORTLAND, Ore. – After a regular season that saw Central Washington roll through the conference schedule, the Wildcats will be the team to beat at the 2019 GNAC Softball Championships, which commence on Thursday at Porter Park on the campus of Concordia University.

Central Washington secured its fourth consecutive GNAC regular-season championship and the No. 1 seed in the tournament on Saturday thanks to a doubleheader sweep of Concordia. The Wildcats had secured their playoff spot the week before, winning three games of a four-game series against Saint Martin’s.

The Wildcats enter the GNAC Championships with a 30-16 overall record and were 21-7 in conference play. This is Central Washington’s sixth GNAC Championships appearance.

The remaining three teams in the field were not assured of their spots in the tournament until the final weekend of the season. Western Oregon secured the No. 2 seed by winning the final six games of the regular season, including doubleheader sweeps of Saint Martin’s on Saturday and Central Washington on Sunday. The Wolves finished the regular season at 31-14, 19-9 GNAC, and are making their seventh consecutive GNAC Championships appearance.

Concordia, the No. 3 seed, returns to the GNAC Championships for the first time since 2016. The Cavaliers needed the final day of the season to lock up a tournament berth, doing so with two wins over Saint Martin’s on Sunday. Concordia enters the tournament at 28-21 overall, 18-10 GNAC.

The preseason favorite in the coaches preseason poll, Northwest Nazarene used a surge over the final two weeks of the season to secure the No. 4 seed. After going 10-10 through the first 20 games of conference play, the Nighthawks proceeded to win six of their final eight games of the regular season. A split with Western Washington in the final weekend tied the two teams at 16-12, with the Nighthawks advancing to the Championships via tiebreaker. This is Northwest Nazarene’s second consecutive GNAC Championships appearance.

The GNAC Softball Championships begin on Thursday with No. 2 Western Oregon facing No. 3 Concordia at noon. No. 4 Northwest Nazarene will play No. 1 Central Washington at 2:30 p.m. The double-elimination tournament will conclude with the championship game on Saturday at noon. If necessary, a second game will be played at approximately 2:30 p.m.

Tickets for the GNAC Softball Championships can be purchased in advance by visiting GNACTickets.com.

GNAC SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
May 2-4 at Porter Park, Concordia University, Portland, Ore.

Thurs., May 2
Game 1: No. 3 Concordia vs. No. 2 Western Oregon, Noon
Game 2: No. 4 Northwest Nazarene vs. No. 1 Central Washington, 2:30 p.m.

Fri., May 3
Game 3: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 10 a.m.
Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 12:30 p.m. (Elimination Game)
Game 5: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3, 3 p.m. (Elimination Game)

Sat., May 4
Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5, Noon
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6, 2:30 p.m. (If Necessary)