Bronchos Back in National Tournament

UCO Travels to Pittsburg For Central Regional II Tournament

INDIANAPOLIS – Central Oklahoma earned its seventh straight bid to the NCAA Division II Softball Championship Monday morning, with the Bronchos gaining an at-large berth into the 64-team field.

The No. 12-ranked Bronchos (42-13) are the 3 seed in the eight-team Central Region and will take on sixth-seeded and No. 20-rated Winona State (48-9) at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in Pittsburg, Kansas.

The Central Region is made up of teams from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA), the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and the Great American Conference (GAC), with two four-team sub-regionals set for this weekend.

The two sub-regional winners meet in the best-of-three Central Super Regional May 21-22 at the site of the highest seed. The champion joins seven other regional winners in the Division II Championship Finals May 28-June 3 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Second-seeded and No. 14-ranked Pittsburg State (45-9) will host the Central Regional II Tournament and play No. 7 seed Rogers State (36-19) at 2 p.m. in a battle of MIAA teams in Thursday's other first round game.

The double-elimination tournament continues Friday with games at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday's finals are set for noon, with the "if necessary" game at 2:30 p.m.

"I'm super proud of our team and we're excited about getting back to the national tournament," head coach Sam Maples said. "Our region is so competitive and we know it's going to be a tough challenge, but we're looking forward to it."

No. 7-ranked and MIAA champion Missouri Southern (48-7) is the top seed and will host the Central Regional I Tournament in Joplin, Missouri. The Lions meet eighth-seeded and NSIC Tournament champion Augustana (30-26), while fourth-seeded GAC member Southern Arkansas (46-7) takes on fifth-seeded and No. 25-ranked St. Cloud State (46-13) of the NSIC.

It will be UCO's 18th appearance in the Division II national tournament, including 12 of the last 14 years. The Bronchos have a 50-38 record in the playoffs, winning regional titles in 2006, '12, '13, '23 and '25 in advancing to the Division II Championship Finals and capturing the national championship in 2013.

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