FIRST PITCH
The University of Minnesota Duluth softball team (40-11 overall, 22-6 NSIC) is set to start its run in the Central Regional of the NCAA Tournament against regional pod host Missouri Southern State on Thursday, May 11 at 2:00 p.m. CT at the Pat Lipira Softball Complex in Joplin, Mo.

THE NCAA TOURNAMENT IN A NUTSHELL
All-together, 64 teams punched their ticket to the Big Dance. This field is split into eight different regional groups: the Atlantic, the Central, the East, the Midwest, the South, the South Central, the Southeast and the West. All of these groups are then split in half to form two "pods" within each Region. One team within each pod earns the honor of hosting a double-elimination tournament composed of the teams within that pod, meaning that the tournament starts with 16 total host sites. These pod regionals span from May 11 to May 13.

The 16 teams that make it out of each of their pods then advance to the Super Regionals, which run from May 18 to May 19. This is split across eight different host sites composed of matchups between just two teams. The Super Regionals take on a best-of-three format. That format sticks in the NCAA Championships, which are composed of the eight Super Regional winners. These final contests will be played from May 25 to May 31 at Frost Stadium at Warner Park in Chattanooga, Tenn.

CENTERING IN ON THE CENTRAL
Eight teams qualified for the Central Regional out of the original pool of 42 teams split across the NSIC, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) and the Great American Conference (GAC) that make up the Central Region. Here's a look at the teams that made the cut, including seeding and initial matchups:

POD ONE
No. 1 Central Oklahoma (MIAA)* vs No. 8 Southeastern Oklahoma (GAC)

No. 4 Harding (GAC) vs No. 5 Oklahoma Baptist (GAC)

POD TWO
No. 2 MSSU (MIAA)* vs No. 7 UMD (NSIC)

No. 3 Rogers State (MIAA) vs No. 6 Southern Arkansas (GAC)

*regional pod host

All-told, the GAC holds the honor of landing the most teams in the tourney with four. The MIAA was close behind with three squads. UMD is the only team out of the NSIC to make it to the Big Dance. 

UMD'S TOURNEY HISTORY
This season marks UMD's tenth appearance on the NCAA Tournament stage, its first since 2019. That 2019 bid was the last of a stretch in which the Bulldogs made the Big Dance in three of four seasons. In 2018, UMD made it all the way to the Super Regionals for the first time in program history. 

LAST TIME OUT
In order to secure a surefire spot in the Big Dance, UMD had to take on a familiar team in the NSIC Tournament Championship: Augustana. For the second time in two days in their tournament run alone, the fourth time in six days dating back to the end of the regular season, the Bulldogs and the Vikings did battle back on May 6. Two-seeded UMD came into the title game without a blemish on its postseason record, meaning it needed just one more win against AU here to claim the championship outright. After suffering a loss the day before against, well, UMD, the Vikings needed to pull off two-consecutive wins to defend their title as NSIC Tournament Champs. The Bulldogs had other plans, defeating AU 9-0 to secure their fifth piece of conference tourney hardware as a program and their first since 2002.

GAME DEBRIEF
-Sidney Zavoral helped open the scoring in the top of the first with a single that brought home Kendal Jenkins
-Kat Burkhardt then rifled her team-best 10th home run to bring in Zavoral and make it 3-0 in the top of the first
-Nicole Schmitt would homer herself in the top of the second to send Elle Potts home and make it 5-0 UMD
-A Kiana Bender double in the top of the fourth scored Schmitt to push the lead to 6-0 Bulldogs in the fourth
-Burkhardt and Julia Gronholz would each single in the seventh to score insurance runs, Burkhardt driving in both Jenkins and Bender and Gronholz sending Zavoral home
-Zavoral went a perfect 4-4 from the plate with two runs and an RBI
-Schmitt closed at 2-4 from the dish with a pair of runs and RBIs
-Burkhardt went 2-4 with a run and a team-high 3 RBIs
-Dixon was stout in her fourth complete game in as many days, allowing no runs, four hits and three walks across 108 pitches of work

GOING THE DISTANCE 
Dixon was unreal for UMD all across its NSIC Tournament run. Quite literally "all across it"- no other Bulldog hit the mound in any of the 28 innings of the successful campaign. In those four complete games of work, Dixon did more than just secure four wins. The NSIC Pitcher of the Year and three-time NSIC Pitcher of the Week allowed just 13 hits, nine walks, and one run. Yep, just a single run in four games. Not only that, but the junior lefty threw two one-hitters in the process. All the while, Dixon amassed 30 more strikeouts to a season (and career) that's already proven legendary for its K's.

By the end of the NSIC Tournament, Dixon sat at first amongst the tourney field in both innings pitched and strikeouts. She finished second in opposing batting average, holding hitters to just a 1.37 mark. Despite her workload, Dixon was still fifth in cumulative ERA with a mark of .25.

QUITE A SWAN SONG
For Zavoral, the NSIC Tournament proved to be quite the senior send-off from conference action. That 4-4 effort in the championship game was just the cherry on top of an altogether memorable effort from the Cottage Grove, Minn. native. Zavoral closed the tournament at second in total hits with eight, third in batting average (.667) and fourth in on base percentage (.714).

WORKING WELL ON TOURNAMENT TIME
Dixon and Zavoral joined Bender, Burkhardt, and Corrie Weise as the Bulldogs to make the NSIC All-Tournament Team. UMD's five total representatives were the most any single team had on the All-Tourney squad.

ALL-NSIC BULLDOGS
 Five different UMD players found themselves on NSIC All-Conference Teams when the squads were revealed last Tuesday. Dixon landed on the First Team, alongside Zavoral and Schmitt. Bender and Burkhardt scored All-Conference Second Team nods.

COUNTRY-WIDE RECOGNITION FOR DIXON
When the NFCA DII All-Region Teams were announced on Wednesday, it was revealed that Dixon had landed on the Central Region First Team. Check out the full release here.

STATS STATUS REPORT
Bender is the Bulldog that leads the team in the most offensive categories heading into the NCAA tourney. The junior infielder holds UMD-highs in slugging (.675), hits (54), runs scored (48), doubles (16) and triples (seven). Burkhardt leads the way in both RBIs (41) and home runs (10). Schmitt has UMD's highest batting average at .385.

On the hill, Dixon's having a season to remember. The junior's seventh in the entire nation in shutouts with 11 and 10th in both total strikeouts (219) and strikeouts per seven innings (9.5). The NSIC Pitcher of the Year (understandably) leads the conference in all of those categories as well as ERA (1.48), hits per seven innings (4.51) and complete games/wins (21).  She's doing all of this while holding opposing hitters to a .178 batting average. 

DIXIE MAKES HISTORY
In UMD's very first game of postseason action this year against Minot State on May 3 , Dixon made the occasion even more special by setting the UMD program record for career strikeouts at 548. Since then, the junior's packed on 28 more, leaving the school touchstone at 576 and counting.

A PEAK AT THE REST OF THE POD:

NO. 2 MISSOURI SOUTHERN STATE
THE ROAD TO THE TOURNAMENT 
The Lions put up one of the best resumes in a loaded MIAA field. MSSU finished second in conference in the regular season with a 21-5 mark in MIAA play that made up much of its 40-13 overall record. The Lions found similar success in the conference tournament, making it all the way to the championship game despite an early loss against Rogers State. MSSU came up just short of MIAA Tournament gold, losing to top-seeded Central Oklahoma 11-4.

NATIONALLY NOTED
The fact that MSSU isn't the top seed in the Central Regional speaks to the type of season that the region's pull together as a whole. In the latest NFCA Coaches Poll, the Lions clocked in all the way at No. 13.

WITHERS & VARGAS, LIONS THAT BALL
Two Lions combine to lead most of their team's major offensive categories. One is Tazmin Vargas, who holds MSSU-bests in batting average (.419), runs (41) and hits (57). If power's what you're after, then Leighton Withers is the name to know. The senior infielder leads the pack in slugging (.747), home runs (11), doubles (14) en route to a 27-base lead in the total bases department (109) and the team-high in RBIs (46).

TALLMAN'S A TALL TASK
MSSU's ace at the mound has been Avery Tallman. As just a sophomore, she's having a season to remember. Tallman's 19-3 record has been built off of a 2.22 ERA and an opposing batting average of .244 across 126.1 innings of work.


NO. 3 ROGERS STATE
THE ROAD TO THE TOURNAMENT
The Hillcats put up a commendable effort in the MIAA in their own right. RSU went 43-12 overall and 18-8 in conference play, good for a third place finish. The Hillcats proceeded to be a tough out in the postseason, even picking up a 4-1 win against MSSU early in their tournament run. The Lions would have the last laugh, though, handing RSU its second loss of the tourney by a score of 4-3 to eliminate the Hillcats and advance to the title game.

HIGH-CLIMBING HILLCATS 
Again… the MIAA has been no joke this year. Even as just the third seed in the Central Regional, the Hillcats landed at No. 14 in the most recent NFCA Coaches Poll.

WATCHING THE THRONE
Another thing to know about the Hillcats: they've been there and done that. RSU enters this tournament as the reigning NCAA DII Softball Champions. The Hillcats lost just a single game to a familiar name in Minnesota State in their initial four-team pod before sweeping the rest of their tournament slate, including their best of three championship bout with Cal State Dominguez Hills.

THE RSU OFFENSE
There are three main names to know when scouting the Hillcats offensively. One is Callie Yellin, who leads the club in both batting average (.366) and slugging (.667). Paxton Donaldson holds team highs in runs (58) and doubles (49). Last but not least is Bridgett Morales, who's leading the way in hits (43), RBIs (49) and home runs (10)

THE SPOTLIGHT'S ON SARA
The primary cat on the hill for RSU this season's been Sara Llamas-Howell. In fact, the junior's impact has extended far beyond Claremore, Okla. Llamas-Howell was crowned the MIAA Pitcher of the Year. The righty posted an ERA of 1.32 while holding opposing hitting to a mere .194 batting average across 149 innings en route to a nearly unblemished 21-2 record. 


NO. 6 SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
THE ROAD TO THE TOURNAMENT
The Muleriders are the lone GAC representative in this four-team pod, and they sure do represent their conference well. SAU finished third in the GAC with a 25-8 conference mark that helped build a 41-13 overall record. The Muleriders then came just a few runs shy of being GAC Tournament Champions, losing in the title game to Southeastern Oklahoma State 3-2.

A BALANCED ATTACK
There are several Muleriders that stick out across the group's offensive ranks. Jaxynn Dyson holds the honor of leading the way in the most statistical categories, posting team-highs in slugging (.623) and runs (40) while sitting at a tie for the lead in home runs at nine. Kamryn Moctezuma's on the other end of that split with nine homers of her own and leads in the RBI department by herself with 44. Ariana Rolle holds the team's best batting average at .391. Alyssa Miller's on top of things when it comes to pure hits with 67 on the season thus far.

BEWARE OF WARD
Sydney Ward's gotten the most work at the mound for the Muleriders this year with 169.2 innings pitched. The sophomore rocks an ERA of 2.23 while holding the opposition to a batting average of .217. These numbers have helped lead Ward to a 21-6 overall record. She walks into the tournament with 145 strikeouts to her name.

THE BROADCAST
Catch the postseason action live and free of charge through the NSIC Network by clicking the link below:
vs No. 2 Missouri Southern State (Thursday, May 11 @ 2:00 p.m. CT): bit.ly/3pvZzmz

UP NEXT
Should UMD win against MSSU on Thursday, the Bulldogs would advance to play whoever wins the Thursday matchup between RSU and SAU on Friday, May 12 at 2:30 p.m. CT. A loss against MSSU would not end UMD's chances in this double-elimination format. Instead, the Bulldogs would drop to the loser's bracket to play whoever's on the wrong side of that RSU/SAU bout on Friday, May 12 at 5:00 p.m. CT