Salisbury Headed Back to Division III NCAA Softball Championship
The Salisbury softball team is set to compete in the NCAA Division III Championship for the second straight year, beginning on Thursday in Tyler, Texas. The fourth-ranked Sea Gulls will open the eight-team national tournament against 13th-ranked St. Thomas (Minn.) Thursday at 2:30 p.m. ET.
This will mark Salisbury's eighth appearance at the Division III Championship, and makes it back-to-back appearances for the Sea Gulls after a third-place finish in 2013.
The University of Texas at Tyler will serve as host for the 2014 national championship from Thursday, May 22 to Monday, May 26 at Suddenlink Field.
In addition to Salisbury and St. Thomas, the eight competing teams include East Texas Baptist, Montclair St., Rochester, Trine, Tufts and Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Salisbury (40-3), winner's of seven straight, captured its Super Regional title with a pair of close wins over CAC rival Christopher Newport. The Sea Gulls feature the nation's sixth-best team ERA (1.04), and rank fourth in team batting average (.377).
The Saint Thomas Tommies (42-6) are in the NCAA postseason for the 15th time in the last 16 years, and are the only multiple National Championship winners in the tournament, securing the 2004 and 2005 titles.
St. Thomas has one of the nation's top offenses, ranking second in team average (.387), sixth in homeruns per game with 1.07, and third overall in total homeruns with 49.
Tufts (42-3) is the defending National Champions, and has the highest winning-percentage in the nation this season, winning 93-percent of its games this season.