Cal State San Marcos will begin its run at the 2011 NAIA Softball National Championships on Thursday, May 19th at 3:30 PM CDT against Asbury University (KY).
The NAIA released the pool play schedule for its 32-team Softball National Championship on Wednesday. The field is broken into 8 pools (labeled “A” through “H”) of four teams each, and the teams are seeded within each pool. All games will be played on the four fields at Gulf Shores Sportsplex in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
With a 40-9 season record and a #4 national ranking, CSUSM is the top seed in Pool D. The Cougars earned one of four at-large bids to Nationals that were awarded on Tuesday.
Joining CSUSM in Pool D is second-seeded Bethel College (IN), who carry a 36-7 record into the tournament. The Pilots are ranked #16 in the NAIA. Third-seeded Morningside College (IA) boasts a 45-9 record, while the Cougars' first opponent, fourth-seeded Asbury University (KY), is 20-10 on the year.
The teams will play each member of their pool once during the pool play round, with the squad with the best record advancing (ties are broken by head-to-head result). CSUSM's schedule for pool play is below. The eight pool winners will form the field for the second round, an 8-team double-elimination bracket tournament to decide the National Champion.
Cal State San Marcos Softball Pool Play Schedule (all times CDT)
Thursday, May 19th vs. Asbury (3:30 PM)
Friday, May 20th vs. Morningside (9:00 AM)
Saturday, May 21st vs. Bethel (4:30 PM)
Should CSUSM emerge from Pool D, bracket play would begin on Monday, May 23rd and culminate with the crowning of a national champion on Tuesday, May 25th.
