INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The St. Olaf College softball team earned an at-large bid into the 2021 NCAA Division III Softball Championships and will be the No. 1 seed at the six-team regional in Waverly, Iowa, as the NCAA Division III Softball Committee announced the 48-team field for the national tournament on Monday afternoon.

St. Olaf (24-6) earned one of seven at-large bids after winning the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) regular-season title and will take on No. 6 seed UW-Superior at 10 a.m. on Friday in the first game of the regional. The NCAA Tournament berth is the third in program history (1985, 1996, 2021) for the Oles and the first since 1996.

Friday's other two opening-round games are between No. 2 seed St. Thomas and No. 5 seed Webster (12 p.m.) and No. 3 seed MSOE and No. 4 seed Coe (2 p.m.). The Tommies (MIAC), Gorlocks (SLIAC), Raiders (NACC), and Kohawks (A-R-C) all earned automatic bids into the field.

The regional in Waverly will run from May 21-23 at Lynes Field on the campus of Wartburg College. Fans will be allowed at the regional in Waverly and tickets will be available at a daily rate of $8 for adults and $5 for seniors, students, and youth. The winner of the six-team regional will advance to the eight-team finals site in Salem, Va. held May 27 – June 1.

Live video and live statistics will be available throughout the regional. More information, including a preview of the regional, will be posted in the coming days.