Cortland Softball to Face Westfield State to Open May 14-16 NCAA Regional at Moravian
Cortland Sports Information Department
The Cortland softball team has earned a berth into the 64-team NCAA Division III tournament and will travel to Moravian University in Bethlehem, Pa., for a four-team, double-elimination regional Thursday through Saturday, May 14-16.
Cortland (25-15) will face top-seeded and nationally 21st-ranked Westfield State (Mass.) (38-1) Thursday at 11 a.m., followed by second-seeded and host Moravian (32-10) versus third-seeded Bowdoin (27-9) at 1:30 p.m. Action continues with three games on Friday and the championship round (possible two games) on Saturday. The regional winner will advance to a two-team, best-of-three "super regional" May 21-22 versus the winner of the regional hosted by Linfield (Ore.) at a site to be determined. The eight super regional winners will play in the NCAA Division III World Series May 28-June 3 in Salem, Va.
Cortland earned an NCAA automatic berth after repeating as the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) tournament champion this past weekend. The Red Dragons were the second seed in the tournament and won all three of their games in the tournament, capped by a 6-1 win over Buffalo State in the first game of the championship round.
Cortland will be making its 25th NCAA appearance. The NCAA showing is the second in a row for the Red Dragons under head coach Molly O'Donnell, who took over the helm of the program in 2020. Last season, Cortland finished second with a 2-2 record, including wins over RPI and Tufts, at a regional hosted by Rowan University
Cortland has advanced to the World Series eight times, including a national runner-up finish in 2013 and fourth-place showing in 2011. Cortland also won a regional title in 2017 before losing in the super regional round.
Cortland started off the season 1-5 in six games at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Georgia. The Red Dragons bounced back to go 5-0 at The Spring Games in Florida, and the team posted a 13-5 record in SUNYAC play during the regular season.
Westfield State earned an automatic berth into the NCAA playoffs as the champion of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) after defeating Worcester State, 1-0 in nine innings, in the league tournament championship round. The Owls will be making their third-ever NCAA appearance, but first since 1983.
Moravian won the Landmark Conference tournament and earned an NCAA automatic berth after defeating Catholic University, 4-2, in the winner-take-all game of the league tournament. The Greyhounds are making their fourth straight NCAA tournament appearance and 22nd overall. Moravian has advanced to Division III World Series four times (2004, 2007, 2010 and 2023).
Bowdoin earned an NCAA at-large berth after falling in the quarterfinal round of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) tournament. The Polar Bears are making their second-ever NCAA appearance; their first national trip came in 2010.
Cortland is 1-0 lifetime versus Westfield State, having beaten the Owls during a regular-season game in Florida in 2011. The Red Dragons also are 1-0 against Moravian with a win at home in the 2011 NCAA regionals, and Cortland is 2-0 against Bowdoin with victories in Florida in 2011 and 2024.
