WINONA, Minn. – The 64-team field for the 2025 NCAA Division III Softball Tournament was unveiled during a selection show on NCAA.com on May 12th and guess who is staying home?
Your 2025 MIAC Softball Champions, the Saint Mary’s Cardinals, are making history as the official host of the NCAA Regional round for the first time ever!
This year’s tournament features two selection pools: automatic bids awarded to conference champions and at-large selections.
The NCAA Regionals are right around the corner, with games kicking off this Thursday, May 15, and running through Saturday, May 17—a quick turnaround for teams and fans alike!
Three teams will be coming to town this week: Husson University from Maine, who the Cardinals will face in the first game of the regional; Simpson College from Iowa; and DePauw University from Indiana, a team the Cardinals are very familiar with.
Here’s how the schedule shapes up in Winona:
Thursday, May 15th
o Game 1: No. 1 Saint Mary’s (MN) vs. No. 4 Husson | 11 a.m.
o Game 2: No. 2 Simpson vs. No. 3 DePauw | 1:30 p.m.
Friday, May 16th
o Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner | 11 a.m.
o Game 4: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser | 1:30 p.m.
loser eliminated
o Game 5: Game 4 winner vs. Game 3 loser | 4 p.m.
loser eliminated
Saturday May 17
o Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner | 11 a.m.
o Game 7 (if necessary): Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser | 1:30 p.m.
Saint Mary’s University had a dominant season, finishing a perfect 22-0 in conference play for the first time since 1998.
The Cardinals clinched back-to-back conference regular season and conference champions titles and showcased excellence across the board.
Sophomore infielder Makayla Steffes put together a historic season, leading the conference in stolen bases (35 — a program record), home runs (9), hits (60), runs scored (59), slugging percentage (.794), and batting average (.458).
As a team, SMU topped the conference in every major statistical category — batting (.361), pitching (1.79 ERA), and fielding (.977).
“It’s a great opportunity to play in front of our fans, always a big advantage,” said Saint Mary’s Head Softball Coach John Tschida. “I’m so happy for my girls to get this opportunity; it’s always fun to compete at the next level.”
The Cardinals are entering the tournament on a remarkable 29-game win streak.
Coach Tschida credits the team’s success to a collective effort.
“We have so many players contributing to the team’s success, it has never been just one player.”
The Cardinals have plenty of work ahead to keep their historic season going.
