Six Teams Vie For Only Ticket To NAIA Opening Round With Start of CCAC Softball Tournament
CROWN POINT, Ind. --- Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season co-champions Saint Xavier University and University of St. Francis are the two favorites entering the league tournament, which takes on an added importance in 2024.
Unlike one year ago when both the CCAC regular-season and tournament champions earned bids to the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round, all the eggs fall into the league tournament basket this spring due to the conference dipping below the ten-team criteria to gain two bids.
No. 3 seed Roosevelt University (16-20) joins top-seeded Saint Xavier (24-12) and No. 2 St. Francis (26-12) in the favorite mix considering the Lakers finished just one game behind the co-champions in the league standings. You should not count No. 4 Trinity Christian College (22-24) or No. 5 St. Ambrose University (19-25) out of the mix, either, considering they each beat at least one of the co-champions during the regular season. No. 6 Olivet Nazarene (12-24) rounds out the six-team field.
Tournament action begins with a pair of games at 3 pm Thursday. That is when Trinity Christian and St. Ambrose square off as well as Roosevelt and Olivet Nazarene. The winners of those two games go up against Saint Xavier and St. Francis, respectively, at 5 pm on Thursday.
The double-elimination tournament runs through Saturday with the championship game slated for 3 pm. An if-necessary game would follow at 5 pm. The Crown Points Sportsplex and Calumet College of St. Joseph will again serve as this year's tournament hosts.
The winner advances to the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round May 13-16 at one of ten sites.
For the complete tournament bracket, go to Bracket.
The complete schedule follows:
Thursday, May 4, 2023
Game #1: No. 5 St. Ambrose (19-25) vs. No. 4 Trinity Christian (22-24) --- 3 pm
Game #2: No. 6 Olivet Nazarene (12-24) vs. No. 3 Roosevelt (16-20) --- 3 pm
Game #3: Winner-Game #1 vs. No. 1 seed Saint Xavier (24-12) --- 5 pm
Game #4: Winner-Game #2 vs. No. 2 seed St. Francis (26-12) --- 5 pm
Friday, May 5, 2023
Game #5: Loser-Game #2 vs. Loser-Game #3 --- 3 pm
Game #6: Loser-Game #1 vs. Loser-Game #4 --- 3 pm
Game #7: Winner-Game #3 vs. Winner-Game #4 --- 5 pm
Game #8: Winner-Game #5 vs. Winner-Game #6 --- 5 pm
Saturday, May 6, 2023
Game #9: Loser-Game #7 vs. Winner-Game #8 --- 1 pm
Game #10: Winner-Game #7 vs. Winner-Game #9 --- 3 pm (Championship)
Game #11: Winner-Game #10 vs. Loser-Game #10 --- 5 pm (If necessary)