Posted: May 04, 2015
The Red Dragons (35-11) will be the top seed and will open versus fourth-seeded DeSales University (Pa.) (17-13) Friday at 3:30 p.m. The double-elimination regional will open with second-seeded Heidelberg University (Ohio) (30-8) against third-seeded Neumann University (Pa.) (30-7) Friday at 1 p.m.
Play will continue with three games Saturday, starting at 11 a.m., and the championship round (possible two games) Sunday at noon.
The winner of the regional will advance to a two-team, best-of-three "super regional" May 15-16 versus the winner of the Alfred (N.Y.) Regional at a site to be determined. NCAA Div. III softball changed its tournament format to a regional/super-regional set-up in 2014. The eight super-regional winners will play in the NCAA Div. III World Series May 21-26 in Salem, Va.
Cortland will be making its 20th NCAA appearance, including its eighth in nine years and 14th total under 21st-year head coach Julie Lenhart. The Red Dragons have advanced to the World Series seven times during Lenhart's tenure – 1998, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2013 – and eight times overall. The Red Dragons were the 2013 national runner-up and finished fourth nationally in 2011.
Cortland won the SUNYAC regular-season title and then captured the league's postseason tournament crown this past weekend at home. The Red Dragons won their first two SUNYAC tournament games before losing to Geneseo, 8-5. Cortland fought back through the loser's bracket and won its final three contests, capped by a 9-2 win over Geneseo in Sunday's title game.
Cortland and DeSales have met once previously, with Cortland winning, 8-0, on a neutral field in 2012. Cortland has won two of three previous meetings with Heidelberg, but the teams have not played since the 1999 season. Cortland and Neumann met for the first time last year and split a doubleheader at Neumann.
NCAA Selection Announcement
Printable Bracket (National Bracket Assignments)
