Lake Forest captured the Midwest Conference's regular season and tournament title and will travel to Pella, Iowa, this weekend for the regional round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Ticket prices are $10 for adults; $8 for seniors, students, and veterans; and $5 for children under age 12.
The Foresters will be making their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last six seasons and 10th since 2002. The team is 22-19 all-time in the national playoffs play and reached the title game in their first trip to the tournament in 2002. Lake Forest also won a regional tournament in 2015 and has been the runner-up on that stage four other times.
After winning all three of their games while hosting the 2019 MWC Tournament, the Foresters are 24-15 overall on the year. They also repeated as the league's regular season champion with a 14-4 record in conference play.
Lake Forest will take on host Central College in the opening round of the double-elimination regional tourney this Friday at 4:30 p.m. The Dutch are 26-8 on the season and ranked 22nd in the nation by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. Like the Foresters, they were their league's regular season and tournament champions, posting a 12-4 record in the American Rivers Conference and claiming the tourney title on their own field.
Friday's other semifinal features the College of Saint Benedict (27-13) and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (25-17). La Crosse tied for third place at 8-6 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings but won last weekend's WIAC Tournament to earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tourney. St. Benedict was 14-8 and in fifth place in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, failing to qualify for the league tournament.
Saturday's schedule includes match-ups between Friday's winners and losers, as well as an additional contest between the two teams with 1-1 records at that point in the tounament. The championship round, which could include two contests if necessary, will be played on Sunday. The regional tournament champion will take on the winner from the St. Paul, Minnesota, regional tournament in next weekend's super regional round.
The Foresters have never played against Central and their only game against St. Benedict was a 3-2 loss in last year's NCAA Regional Tournament. Lake Forest and La Crosse have not met since Spring Break of 2001.
NCAA Division III Softball Tournament Bracket (pdf)
Division III Softball on NCAA.com
Central College | College of St. Benedict | University of Wisconsin-La Crosse