McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team, ranked 22nd nationally, is set to host an NCAA regional for the first time since 2019. The team secured its place in the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament as one of 42 automatic qualifiers among a total of 64 teams announced on May 12.

Illinois Wesleyan will welcome Bethany Lutheran College, Greenville University, and Nebraska Wesleyan University to Inspiration Field from May 15 to May 17. The Titans will start their national tournament play on Thursday, May 15. Game times are yet to be determined, with updates available on iwusports.com.

This marks the Titans' 21st appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They enter with a record of 34-7 after winning the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Regular Season Championship as the league's first-ever 16-0 conference champion. They also claimed the CCIW Tournament Title on May 10. The Green and White are ranked 14th in the national power index (NPI) and sit at number 22 in the latest NFCA Division III Coaches Poll.

The Titans were the only school from CCIW to make it into the tournament field. They have competed against eight other teams in this year's tournament, achieving an overall record of 8-5 against these opponents.

Forty-two conferences received automatic qualification for the tournament, while the remaining teams were selected on an at-large basis from these qualifying conferences.

The winner of this weekend's regional will move forward to compete in the super regional scheduled for May 22-23. The NCAA Division III Softball Championship is planned for May 29-June 4 at Inspiration Field at Carol Willis Park.