Sunday, May 16, 2021

INDIANAPOLIS – For just the second time in conference history, the GNAC will be represented by three teams in the NCAA Division II Softball West Regional, which begins on Wednesday at Eagles Field on the campus of Concordia Irvine in Irvine, California.

Northwest Nazarene, Western Washington and Central Washington were selected to the 48-team national championship field that was announced by the NCAA on Sunday night. The GNAC last had three teams in the regional field in 2019.

No. 4 seed Western Washington will face No. 5 seed Hawaii Hilo in the opening game on Wednesday. No. 3 seed Northwest Nazarene will face No. 6 seed and conference rival Central Washington in the second game. This will be the first time that the Nighthawks and Wildcats have played each other this season after the teams’ conference series was canceled due to health and safety protocols.

Concordia Irvine earned the No. 1 seed while Biola received the No. 2 seed.

Earning the region’s No. 3 seed as an at-large selection, Northwest Nazarene was the conference’s regular-season champion and enters the tournament with a 30-12 overall record. The Nighthawks lead the conference and rank 16th nationally with a .334 batting average, tops among all participating tournament teams. Northwest Nazarene also ranks among the Division II top-30 in doubles (78), fielding percentage (.970), home runs (42), on-base percentage (.420), shutouts (12) and slugging percentage (.521).

Senior Brittany Genuardi, the GNAC Player of the Year and one of three First Team NFCA All-West Region selections, enters the tournament with a .541 batting average. Freshman Sidney Booth, the conference Pitcher of the Year and a First Team NFCA All-West Region selection, is second in the GNAC with a 1.76 earned run average and leads the conference with 15 wins and is 22nd in Division II with 163 strikeouts. She also ranks fourth with a .385 batting average.

The tournament’s No. 4 seed, Western Washington earned the GNAC’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championships by winning the GNAC Softball Championships. Entering the regional with a 23-12 overall record, the Vikings lead the conference with a 2.31 earned run average and are 20th in Division II with 10 shutouts.

Senior Anna Kasner, the GNAC Championships MVP and a First Team NFCA All-West Region selection, leads the conference with a 1.62 earned run average while compiling a 13-3 record. She won all three WWU games in the GNAC Championships, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out 38. Junior Tatum Dow, the GNAC Newcomer of the Year and a First Team NFCA All-West Region selection, leads the conference with a .449 batting average.

Central Washington earned the No. 6 seed as an at-large selection. The Wildcats placed second in the GNAC with a 9-7 record and a 17-14 overall mark but were unable to participate in the GNAC Championships due to health and safety protocols. The Wildcats enter the tournament with a .326 batting average, ranking second among the competing regional teams, and lead Division II with 24 triples.

Senior Theresa Moyle, a First Team NFCA All-West Region, leads Central Washington offensively, ranking fifth in the GNAC with a .380 batting average. Sophomore Harlee Carpenter is eighth in the GNAC with a .356 batting average and leads the nation with seven triples on the year. Junior Samantha Stanfield is third in the GNAC with a 2.37 earned run average in 14 appearances and nine starts.

With the reduction of the tournament field from 64 teams to 48 teams due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 NCAA Championships will feature eight regional sites with six teams each. There will be no super regional rounds this year. The winner of each regional will advance to the championships, from May 27-31 in Denver.

NCAA DIVISION II WEST REGIONAL
at Eagles Field, Irvine, California
Wednesday, May 19
Game 1: No. 4 Western Washington vs. No. 5 Hawaii Hilo, Noon
Game 2: No. 3 Northwest Nazarene vs. No. 6 Central Washington, 2:30 p.m.
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 (Elimination Game), 5 p.m.

Thursday, May 20
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. No. 1 Concordia Irvine, Noon
Game 5: Winner Game 2 vs. No. 2 Biola, 2:30 p.m.
Game 6: Loser Game 4 vs. Loser Game 5 (Elimination Game), 5 p.m.

Friday, May 21
Game 7: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, Noon
Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 6 (Elimination Game), 2:30 p.m.
Game 9: Loser Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 (Elimination Game), 5 p.m.

Saturday, May 22
Game 10: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9, Noon
Game 11: Winner Game 10 vs. Loser Game 10 (if necessary), 2:30 p.m.