Mankato, Minn. --- The Minnesota State softball team (38-10) earned the third seed in the NCAA Division II Central 2 Region Tournament and will host the subregional tournament this weekend.

The double-elimination regional tournament, which will be held at The Diamond at Gage Towers, is scheduled to run May 10-12. The winner of the Central 2 Region will compete in the NCAA Super Regional Tournament May 17-18. This marks the fifth time in program history that MSU has hosted postseason play joining the 1987, 2007, 2011 and 2012 squads.

The Mavericks will host second-seeded Southeastern Oklahoma State (44-7), sixth-seeded Augustana (33-14) and seventh-seeded Winona State (34-12). MSU split with Augustana in their two meetings, on Apr. 20, winning game one 4-3 but fell in game two 9-8. MSU fell to Southeast Oklahoma State 6-4 in their only match-up this season on Feb. 26 and split with Winona State on Apr. 16 taking game one 7-3 but falling in game two 3-0.

What Just Happened: The Mavericks earned their second-consecutive NSIC Tournament title this past weekend as they posted four wins on the weekend, begining with a 5-0 decision over St. Cloud State during the first day of the tournament. MSU then downed Minot State 2-1 and Minnesota Duluth 3-1 on day two of the tournament and returned to the diamond to do battle with Minot State in the championship round, where the Mavericks downed the Beavers 2-1.

Freshman first basemen Tatum Klein recorded a solid tournament at the plate, sheposted a .455 batting average while recording two runs  on five hits in 11 at bats, including two doubles while tallying seven total bases. Junior third basemen Kelly Wood finished the weekend with a .250 batting average, but boasts a .750 slugging percentage while recording two runs on three hits in 12 at bats including back-to-back homeruns against Minnesota Duluth.

Senior pitcher Courtney McKelvogue was credited with all four wins improving her record to 23-7 on the season. McKelvogue made three starts and pitched three complete games giving up two runs on nine hits in 23 innings of work while striking out 18 batters and walking five.

Four Mavericks earned all-tournament honors including senior pitcher Courtney McKelvogue, senior designated player Jenna Peterson, senior outfielder Lauryn Morris and junior infielder Kelly Wood.

Clean Sweep: The Minnesota State University softball team won a share of the NSIC regular season crown and this past weekend tallied four wins at the NSIC Softball Tournament, winning the tournament, marking the second consecutive year the Purple and Gold have one the regular season title and the tournament title.

National Rankings: The Mavericks reentered the NFCA Top 25 Poll this past week after a nine week hiatus. MSU began the season ranked No. 6 and after posting a 38-10 overall record and a mark of 19-5 in league action have returned to the poll, now ranked No. 23.

Regionally Speaking: MSU earned the third seed in the NCAA Division II Central 2 Region tournament and will host the subregional action. The region is now comprised of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), and the Great American Conference (GAC).

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To go to the NCAA Division II Central 2 Region Tournament page, click HERE