FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Tarleton Softball season is not over yet.
The Texans have become the first team in Tarleton State University’s Division I era to receive a national postseason invitation. The softball team was selected as one of 12 teams in the 2022 National Invitational Softball Championships, a postseason event that includes four Power 5 programs and eight mid-majors with action set to begin Friday, May 20.
All games will take place at the TC Colorado Field, just outside the offices of Triple Crown Sports in Fort Collins, CO. The NISC began in 2017 and ran through 2019 before a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19.
The top four seeds have a first-round bye and will start on Saturday, May 21; the No. 1 seed for the 2022 NISC is Virginia (27-24). Baylor (28-24) is the No. 2 seed, UNLV (38-13) is seeded third and No. 4 is Central Arkansas (35-20). Here’s the rest of the field:
No. 5 George Washington (36-15)
No. 6 North Alabama (38-18)
No. 7 Rutgers (25-28)
No. 8 Stephen F. Austin (31-25)
No. 9 Bowling Green (32-19)
No. 10 UC San Diego (27-26)
No. 11 Tarleton (29-23)
No. 12 Kansas (16-34)
Teams had to have an RPI in the national top 100 or have a winning record if its RPI was greater than 100. Conference record, results against the RPI Top 50, last 10 games, notable wins, upset losses and player injuries also were taken into consideration.
This year’s NISC features a double-elimination format. Here’s the schedule for the first two rounds (home team listed second):
Friday, May 20 (all times Mountain):
Bowling Green vs. Stephen F. Austin, 8:30 a.m.
Kansas vs. George Washington, 11 a.m.
UC San Diego vs. Rutgers, 1:30 p.m.
Tarleton vs. North Alabama, 4 p.m.
Saturday, May 21
TBA vs. Virginia, 8:30 a.m.
TBA vs. Central Arkansas, 11 a.m.
TBA vs. Baylor, 1:30 p.m.
TBA vs. UNLV, 4 p.m.
The event concludes with the Championship Round on May 25-26, with the last four teams competing for the title.
“We’ve been waiting to get this back on the calendar; it’s the last Triple Crown event to return after the pandemic. The NISC will deliver a terrific group of teams, all making a highly competitive push to earn a national championship,” said event director and Triple Crown founder David King. “We’re super excited for the opportunity to help grow the sport even more.”
The 2017 NISC was won by Liberty; the 2018 crown went to Loyola Marymount, and the 2019 title went to UT Arlington.
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