Diamond Sports Complex - Claremore, Okla.
May 13-15, 2013
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PRE-TOURNAMENT STORIES
Central Methodist earns No. 2 seed in Rogers State Bracket
Central Methodist holds practice Sunday before start of National Championship Opening Round
ROGERS STATE BRACKET INFORMATION
Website |
Bracket | 
(918) 343-7578A tournament pass for adults is $25, while the cost for students with school ID is $15. Single-day passes are $10 for adults and $6 for students with ID. Admission is free for children six and under.
No. 1 Williams Baptist (Ark.)
No. 2 Central Methodidst
No. 3 Rogers State (Okla.)
No. 4 Morningside (Iowa)
TEAM QUICK FACTS (2013 record entering Rogers State Bracket)
Williams Baptist Quick Facts
National Rank: No. 6
Mascot: Eagles
Location: Walnut Ridge, Ark.
Conference: American Midwest
2013 Record: 40-6
Last time in NAIA National Championship: 2012
All-time appearances/record in NAIA Championship: 2/2-1
How they qualified: American Midwest regular-season champion
Head Coach: Eric Newell
Players to Watch: 3B/RHP Shelby Anderson, RHP Karisa Hendrix
Central Methodist Quick Facts
Mascot: Eagles
Location: Fayette, Mo.
Conference: Heart of America Athletic
2013 Record: 34-10-1
Last time in NAIA National Championship: 2012
All-time appearances/record in NAIA Championship: 3/2-4
How they qualified: Heart of America Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champions
Head Coach: Pat Reardon
Players to Watch: RHP Aubrey Utley, 1B Lauren Geringer
Rogers State Quick Facts
Mascot: Hillcats
Location: Claremore, Okla.
Conference: Sooner Athletic
2013 Record: 38-17
Last time in NAIA National Championship: N/A
All-time appearances/record in NAIA Championship: 1/0-0
How they qualified: At-Large host
Head Coach: Mark Dicus
Players to Watch: CF Candice Monigold
Morningside Quick Facts
Mascot: Mustangs
Location: Sioux City, Iowa
Conference: Great Plains Athletic
2013 Record:31-14
Last time in NAIA National Championship: 2012
All-time appearances/record in NAIA Championship: 6/4-11
How they qualified:�Great Plains Athletic Conference Tournament champion
Head Coach: Jessica Jones-Sitzmann
Players to Watch: C Mackenzie Neely, RF Kirsten Dargy
2013 NAIA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION
Pre-Tournament
� Thirty-one teams earned automatic berths to the Opening Round field by placing first or second at their respective conference/independent/unaffiliated group tournaments or by winning a regular-season championship. An additional five at-large host berth selections and four at-large berths complete the list of qualifiers. The at-large berths were determined by the final Coaches' Top 25 Poll announced May 7.
� Pairings for the Opening Round are based upon the following prioritized criteria: geographical location of teams, financial consideration and the final rating from the NAIA Softball Coaches' Top 25 Poll released May 7. Every attempt is made to not pair Conference/Association of Independent Institutions/Unaffiliated Group teams, but this may be unavoidable.
� This Opening Round championship format is the first time in the history of the sport, which spans back to 1981. From 2005-12, the championship format included pool play and pool play champions advanced to double-elimination action.
� Ten teams will meet up in Columbus, Ga., at the South Commons Complex for a seven day, double-elimination national championship starting May 24. There are four games during the first three days (Sunday is off day); three games on May 28; two games on May 29; championship final on May 30 (if necessary game to follow).
� This is the first time the NAIA Softball National Championship final site will be hosted in the state of Georgia. Two cities in Alabama (Gulf Shores, Decatur) have hosted the event since 2000.
� The last five national championship finals have been one-run contests, including a 9-inning affair last year.
� Each of the past four seasons has seen a different national champion � this year's event is guaranteed to do be the same as the 2012 champion is no longer in NAIA membership (Shorter (Ga.)).
� There has been parity in recent national championship action, as a new champion has been crowned in each of the past seven events.
� Currently, 197 NAIA schools sponsor a varsity softball program among a membership of nearly 300 colleges, universities and conferences.
Day One Notes
�� In the inaugural Day 1 of the NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round, 20 games played out at 10 different locations. Forty schools participated in the double-elimination tournament.
� The 10 host schools went a combined 9-1 today in Day 1 of the Opening Rounds. The lone program to drop a contest on home soil was No. 3 Concordia (Ore.), 16-8, in 6 innings against No. 2 Corban (Ore.).
� The top seeds of each four-team tournament went 10-0 today. Those 10 games were won by a combined score of 81-18.
� Three games are scheduled at each site Tuesday with two of the four teams being eliminated at each tournament. The championship game(s) will be played out Wednesday.
�
Overall Records
No. 1 seeds: 10-0
No. 2 seeds: 7-3
No. 3 seeds: 3-7
No. 4 seeds: 0-10
�
Conference Overall Records
American Midwest Conference: 2-1
Appalachian Athletic Conference: 1-1
Association of Independent Institutions: 1-2
Cascade Collegiate Conference: 2-1
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference: 2-0
Crossroads League: 0-2
Great Plains Athletic Conference: 0-2
Heart of America Athletic Conference: 0-2
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference: 1-1
Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference: 0-1
Mid-South Conference: 1-1
Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference: 1-0
Midwest Collegiate Conference: 0-1
Red River Athletic Conference: 0-1
Sooner Athletic Conference: 3-1
Southern States Athletic Conference: 4-0
The Sun Conference: 1-0
Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference: 0-1
Unaffiliated Group (Cal Pacific / Golden State): 1-0
Unaffiliated Group (Gulf Coast / TranSouth): 0-1
Unaffiliated Group (Independents / Frontier): 0-1
CENTRAL METHODIST'S OPENING ROUND SCHEDULE:
May 13: #2 Central Methodist (34-10-1) vs. #3 Rogers State (38-17), L, 2-0 - Recap
May 14: #2 Central Methodist (34-11-1) vs. #4 Morningside (31-15), W, 9-5 - Recap
May 14: #2 Central Methodist (35-11-1) vs. #1 Williams Baptist (41-7), L, 7-4
Sunday | Monday | Tuesday
