Thursday, May 9
Winona, MN
1:30 p.m.
St. Cloud State
at
Winona State University
Photo by: Kelsey Whaley
Softball takes on WSU to open NCAA Regional
5/7/2019 10:30:00 AM | Softball
WINONA, MINN. – It's been a while, but the St. Cloud State University softball team is back in the NCAA Tournament. For the first time since 2004, the Huskies will compete in an NCAA Regional and will head to Winona, Minnesota to square off with the Winona State University Warriors at 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 9.
St. Cloud State earned the No. 7 seed in the final Central Rankings to earn the honor of playing the No. 2 seeded Warriors in the opening round of the Winona Regional. Joining the Huskies and Warriors is another team from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), No. 3 seeded Augustana University, while Missouri Western University will make the journey from St. Joseph, Missouri as the lone school in the region from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Conference (MIAA).
The Winona Regional is one of 16 different regionals taking place May 9-11. The winner of the regional will advance to the Super Regional, which is slated to take place May 16-17 in yet to be determined locations. The winner of the Winona Regional specifically will face either Central Oklahoma, Arkansas Tech, Southern Arkansas or Minnesota-Duluth in the super regional, while finals will be held May 23-27 at the Regency Athletic Complex in Denver, Colorado.
Single day tickets for the Regional will cost $5 for adults and $3 for both students and children. The ticket booth and pass gate will open 60 minutes prior to first pitch of the first game of each session, as will the stadium itself. More information regarding tickets, parking and facilities can be found on the official Winona Regional website.
Live stats and video will be available for those fans who can't make the trek to Winona, Minnesota for the weekend, and score updates can be found on St. Cloud State softball's official Twitter page (@SCSUHUSKIES_SB).
Here are the five things to know before the NCAA Regional
¾ - Three of the four teams in the Winona Regional received at-large bids to the Division II NCAA Tournament, including the Huskies, the host Warriors and the Griffins. In fact, the only team in the Regional with an automatic bid was the Vikings, who defeated Winona State 8-1 in the NSIC Championship game to earn their spot in the NCAA Tournament. The other three teams received their bids after being one of eight teams ranked in the Central Region, as Winona State earned the No. 2 seed, Missouri Western the No. 6 seed and St. Cloud State the No. 7 seed.
4 – This will be the fourth time the Warriors and Huskies have squared off in this season. So far, Winona State has come out on top in the previous three meetings, as the nationally ranked Warriors swept the Huskies during the regular season and won a close contest in an elimination game in the NSIC Tournament. However, St. Cloud State has had Winona State's number when it comes to the NCAA Tournament, as the team has been victorious in its two meetings against the current host and No. 6 team in the nation.
15 – The Huskies are no stranger to NCAA Tournament success, as they've played in an NCAA Regional eight other times throughout the team's history. However, it's been 15 years since St. Cloud State last appeared in the NCAA Tournament, as the team last qualified during the 2004 season. That was a highly successful year for the Huskies, though, as they not only made a casual appearance in the tournament, but won their regional, advanced to the Championship Round and took third place overall.
2004 – In case you're wondering, times were very different back in 2004, the last time St. Cloud State appeared in the NCAA Tournament. Shrek 2 was the top grossing movie at the box office that year, while Usher's "Yeah!" was the top tune on the radio. During their playoff run, the Huskies would have missed out on the premiere of Mean Girls, but at least Facebook and Twitter weren't around to spoil the endings.
.525 – St. Cloud State has posted an impressive record of 21-19 (.525) in NCAA Tournament play with one appearance in the Division II Softball Championship (the aforementioned 2004 year) in an eight-year time span. The Huskies qualified for the tournament six out of seven years from 1998-2004 and also made appearances in 1989 and 1991.
Additional Notes:
Listen to interviews with Head Coach Paula U'Ren and players Kylie Thomsen (Elk Grove Village, Ill. / Elk Grove), Bradi Yost (Parkersburg, Iowa / Aplington-Parkersburg) and Alexis Jacobs (Woodbury, Minn. / Woodbury).
Check out the official NCAA Division II Softball Tournament program.
Tournament Schedule:
Listen to interviews with Head Coach Paula U'Ren and players Kylie Thomsen (Elk Grove Village, Ill. / Elk Grove), Bradi Yost (Parkersburg, Iowa / Aplington-Parkersburg) and Alexis Jacobs (Woodbury, Minn. / Woodbury).
St. Cloud State earned the No. 7 seed in the final Central Rankings to earn the honor of playing the No. 2 seeded Warriors in the opening round of the Winona Regional. Joining the Huskies and Warriors is another team from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), No. 3 seeded Augustana University, while Missouri Western University will make the journey from St. Joseph, Missouri as the lone school in the region from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Conference (MIAA).
The Winona Regional is one of 16 different regionals taking place May 9-11. The winner of the regional will advance to the Super Regional, which is slated to take place May 16-17 in yet to be determined locations. The winner of the Winona Regional specifically will face either Central Oklahoma, Arkansas Tech, Southern Arkansas or Minnesota-Duluth in the super regional, while finals will be held May 23-27 at the Regency Athletic Complex in Denver, Colorado.
Single day tickets for the Regional will cost $5 for adults and $3 for both students and children. The ticket booth and pass gate will open 60 minutes prior to first pitch of the first game of each session, as will the stadium itself. More information regarding tickets, parking and facilities can be found on the official Winona Regional website.
Live stats and video will be available for those fans who can't make the trek to Winona, Minnesota for the weekend, and score updates can be found on St. Cloud State softball's official Twitter page (@SCSUHUSKIES_SB).
Here are the five things to know before the NCAA Regional
¾ - Three of the four teams in the Winona Regional received at-large bids to the Division II NCAA Tournament, including the Huskies, the host Warriors and the Griffins. In fact, the only team in the Regional with an automatic bid was the Vikings, who defeated Winona State 8-1 in the NSIC Championship game to earn their spot in the NCAA Tournament. The other three teams received their bids after being one of eight teams ranked in the Central Region, as Winona State earned the No. 2 seed, Missouri Western the No. 6 seed and St. Cloud State the No. 7 seed.
4 – This will be the fourth time the Warriors and Huskies have squared off in this season. So far, Winona State has come out on top in the previous three meetings, as the nationally ranked Warriors swept the Huskies during the regular season and won a close contest in an elimination game in the NSIC Tournament. However, St. Cloud State has had Winona State's number when it comes to the NCAA Tournament, as the team has been victorious in its two meetings against the current host and No. 6 team in the nation.
15 – The Huskies are no stranger to NCAA Tournament success, as they've played in an NCAA Regional eight other times throughout the team's history. However, it's been 15 years since St. Cloud State last appeared in the NCAA Tournament, as the team last qualified during the 2004 season. That was a highly successful year for the Huskies, though, as they not only made a casual appearance in the tournament, but won their regional, advanced to the Championship Round and took third place overall.
2004 – In case you're wondering, times were very different back in 2004, the last time St. Cloud State appeared in the NCAA Tournament. Shrek 2 was the top grossing movie at the box office that year, while Usher's "Yeah!" was the top tune on the radio. During their playoff run, the Huskies would have missed out on the premiere of Mean Girls, but at least Facebook and Twitter weren't around to spoil the endings.
.525 – St. Cloud State has posted an impressive record of 21-19 (.525) in NCAA Tournament play with one appearance in the Division II Softball Championship (the aforementioned 2004 year) in an eight-year time span. The Huskies qualified for the tournament six out of seven years from 1998-2004 and also made appearances in 1989 and 1991.
Additional Notes:
Listen to interviews with Head Coach Paula U'Ren and players Kylie Thomsen (Elk Grove Village, Ill. / Elk Grove), Bradi Yost (Parkersburg, Iowa / Aplington-Parkersburg) and Alexis Jacobs (Woodbury, Minn. / Woodbury).
Check out the official NCAA Division II Softball Tournament program.
Tournament Schedule:
| Thursday, May 9 | Time | Teams - Results | Video/Live Stats |
| Game 1 | 1 p.m. | No. 2 Winona State vs. No. 7 St. Cloud State | Video Live Stats |
| Game 2 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 3 Augustana vs. No. 6 Missouri Western | Video Live Stats |
| Friday, May 10 | |||
| Game 3 | 1 p.m. | Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner | Video Live Stats |
| Game 4 | 3:30 p.m. | Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser | Video Live Stats |
| Game 5 | 6 p.m. | Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner | Video Live Stats |
| Saturday, May 11 | |||
| Game 6 | 1 p.m. | Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner | Video Live Stats |
| Game 7 (if necessary) | 3:30 p.m. | Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser | Video Live Stats |
Listen to interviews with Head Coach Paula U'Ren and players Kylie Thomsen (Elk Grove Village, Ill. / Elk Grove), Bradi Yost (Parkersburg, Iowa / Aplington-Parkersburg) and Alexis Jacobs (Woodbury, Minn. / Woodbury).
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