MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The NCAA Division II softball postseason has arrived, and with regionals on the horizon, Team 28 is set for the 2026 NCAA DII Central Regional Tournament, which for the Muleriders begins in Joplin, Missouri. During the association's selection show on Monday morning (May 11), Southern Arkansas was tabbed as the region's four-seed, in which the unit will be competing at top-seeded Missouri Southern State (48-7 | 20-4 MIAA), alongside the fifth-seeded St. Cloud State Huskies (46-13 | 26-4 NSIC) and the eighth-seeded Augustana Vikings (30-26 | 19-11 NSIC). To begin the tournament, the Blue and Gold will start play at 5:30 PM on Thursday (May 14) against the fifth-seeded St. Cloud State Huskies.
 
The association announced the 64 teams vying for a chance to take a trip to Frost Stadium at Warner Park in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the site of the 2026 NCAA Division II Softball Championship.

With Pittsburg State (45-9 | 17-7 MIAA) being the regional bracket's number two seed, the second half of the bracket will take place in Pittsburg, Kansas, as the Gorillas play host to fellow MIAA foes (3) Central Oklahoma (42-13 | 18-6 MIAA) and (6) Rogers State (36-19 | 14-10 MIAA) and NSIC opponent (7) Winona State (48-9 | 26-4 NSIC).

The last team standing in both the Joplin and Pittsburg regionals will meet at the site of the highest remaining seed for a best-of-3 Central Region Championship (Super Regional) on Thursday, May 21, and Friday, May 22.
 
Broadcast Information
All broadcasts for the tournament will be streamed on the on HudlTV through the NCAA Championships Pass. To listen to all games involving the Muleriders, listen to 99.1 KVMZ with Dan Gregory calling all the action. All information on the upcoming bracket can be found in the link above.
 
SAU Notables
>>> The Muleriders and the Huskies will be recording the first-ever matchup between the two, as Southern Arkansas makes its tenth appearance in the NCAA DII postseason, while St. Cloud State will be making its 11^th appearance, and first since 2019. The Blue and Gold aim to advance to their first Super Regional since 2023, when the group last played in a Central Regional bracket hosted in Joplin, Missouri. The Muleriders are coming off back-to-back Great American Conference Tournament Championships, as SAU defeated the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns 3-0 in that title game.
 
>>> Southern Arkansas' pitching staff has proven to be one of the nation's best, as the unit led the GAC in staff ERA, at 1.96 (6^th DII).  The unit has been led by the conference's Pitcher of the Year, Emma Duncan, as the Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec, Canada, native has obtained the second-straight yearly pitching honor for the Blue and Gold. Duncan, one of the Central Region's top arms, currently leads the region in earned run average (1.41 | 7^th DII), games started (34 | T-1^st DII), hits allowed per seven innings (4.03 | 2^nd DII), innings pitched (208.2 | 8^th DII), shutouts (10 | 4^th DII), and victories (28 | T-1^st DII). Along with being named the GAC's Pitcher of the Year, Emma was also named one of SAU's five All-GAC First Team members, as well as one of the Muleriders' eight All-GAC members.
 
>>> Team 28's batting has been one of, if not the best, lineups in the Great American Conference this campaign. The unit currently leads the league in batting average (.348 | 9^th DII), hits 503 | 16^th DII), on-base percentage (.443 | 4^th DII), runs batted in (341 | 12^th DII), RBIs per game (6.43 | 9^th DII), total runs (365 | 14^th DII), scoring (6.89 | 13^th DII), doubles (89), triples (12), and slugging percentage (.530). Southern Arkansas houses the GAC's leaders in batting average, runs scored, and RBIs per game, with all three being different players. Atop the batting average leaderboard in the GAC, All-GAC First Teamer Maddie Leal leads the league with her .436 average. Sophia Luetticke is the leader in runs, as the fellow All-GAC First Teamer has scored 60 this season (15^th DII). Leading the team conference in RBIs per game is All-GAC Second Teamer America Rubio, as she averages 1.20 per game (17^th DII).

(5) SCS Notables
>>> The Huskies finished the regular season with a 44-12 record, while having a 26-4 record in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. At the end of the regular season, St. Cloud State was one of the NSIC's co-Regular Season Champions, along with Winona State, which is in the Pittsburg, Kansas Central Regional half of the bracket. St. Cloud State comes off the program's first-ever NSIC championship game, in which they fell to Augustana 6-1.
 
>>> In the NSIC's end-of-the-year awards, St. Cloud State accounted for seven All-NSIC members, which included First Teamers Macey Clark (pitcher), Grace Frechette (shortstop), and Bethany Weiss (catcher). For Second Teamers, the group had five, which included Kaylee Collins (outfielder), Brooke Holmes (third base), Morgan Honeycutt (first base/catcher), and Justyce Porter (pitcher). The unit also had three members added to the league's All-Defensive Team, including Bre Beck, Frechette, and Weiss. Macey Clark was not only a part of the All-NSIC First Team, but she also claimed the league Pitcher of the Year honor.  

Mulerider Softball All-Time in NCAA Central Region Tournament
Italics denote Super Regional

All-time record in NCAA regional play: 19-16
All-time record in NCAA postseason play: 24-20

2025 | Magnolia, Arkansas
W, 3-1 vs. (7) Harding
L, 4-2 vs. (3) Augustana
L, 3-0 vs. (6) Missouri Southern State

2024 | Pittsburg, Kansas
L, 3-4 vs (1) Pittsburg St.
L, 4-8 vs (5) Oklahoma Baptist

2023 | Edmond, Oklahoma
L, 2-5 vs. (1) Central Oklahoma
L, 4-5 vs. (1) Central Oklahoma
W, 8-2 vs. (1) Central Oklahoma
 
2023 | Joplin, Missouri
W, 3-1 vs. (3) Rogers State
W, 5-2 vs. (2) Missouri Southern State
W, 5-0 vs. (3) Rogers State
 
2022 | Edmond, Oklahoma
L, 1-3 vs. (6) Arkansas Tech
L, 2-3 vs. (2) Central Oklahoma

2021 | Edmond, Oklahoma
L, 1-2 vs. (5) Central Missouri
W, 5-4 vs. (3) Central Oklahoma
L, 2-3 (8) vs. (1) Augustana
W, 1-0 vs. (5) Central Missouri

2019 | Edmond, Oklahoma
L, 3-4 vs. (4) Arkansas Tech
W, 3-1 vs. (8) Minnesota Duluth
L, 3-4 vs. (4) Arkansas Tech

2018 | Magnolia, Arkansas
W, 12-3 (5) vs. (4) Minnesota Duluth
W, 1-0 vs. (4) Minnesota Duluth
W, 4-3 vs. (7) Minnesota State
W, 4-1 vs. (3) Augustana
W, 9-1 (6) vs. (7) Minnesota State

2017 | Searcy, Arkansas
L, 3-4 vs. (4) Winona State
L, 2-7 vs. (1) Harding
W, 5-0 vs. (4) Winona State

2016 | Russellville, Arkansas
W, 4-1 vs. (1) Arkansas Tech
W, 2-1 (8) vs. (1) Arkansas Tech

2016 | Magnolia, Arkansas
W, 13-5 (5) vs. (3) Missouri Western
W, 6-0 vs. (3) Missouri Western
W, 2-0 vs. (7) Central Oklahoma

2014 | Winona, Minnesota
L, 0-5 vs. (5) Missouri Western
L, 2-3 vs. (1) Winona State

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