NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College softball team has earned the No. 3 seed in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoffs and will host No. 6 seed Saint Mary's University (Minn.) on the opening day of the tournament on Thursday.

St. Olaf (20-19, 14-7 MIAC) secured the No. 3 seed with a game-one victory over the College of St. Scholastica on Monday and will welcome Saint Mary's (21-17, 13-9 MIAC) to Mabel Shirley Field for a 4:30 p.m. start on Thursday, May 11. The appearance in the MIAC Playoffs is the fifth in a row for the Oles under head coach Kayla Hatting.

Per MIAC policy, admission will be charged for the MIAC Softball Playoffs. Ticket prices are $10 for general admission and $2 for students with ID. Children five and under get in free. MIAC passes are accepted but no other passes/discounts are valid/available. The St. Olaf College Athletic Department will cover the cost of tickets for St. Olaf students (with ID). Live video and live statistics will be available for those unable to attend in-person.

The winner of the matchup between the Oles and Cardinals will advance to take on the second-seeded College of Saint Benedict at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 13 at Bethel University. Thursday's other matchup sees fourth-seeded Gustavus Adolphus College host fifth-seeded St. Catherine University at 4:30 p.m. in St. Peter, with the winner advancing to take on the top-seeded and host Royals at 11 a.m. on Saturday. The championship game will be held at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

St. Olaf is making its seventh overall appearance – fifth in a row – in the MIAC Playoffs, having previously qualified in 2010, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022. The Oles are 7-11 all-time in the tournament and have won at least one game in each of their last five appearances. St. Olaf has been one of the final two teams remaining in the tournament in each of the last two seasons.

Saint Mary's qualified for the MIAC Playoffs for the first time in 10 years this season and is in the field for the seventh time overall. The Cardinals are 5-12 all-time in the tournament, having previously competed in the tournament in three-straight seasons from 2005-07 and 2011-13. Saint Mary's was one of the last two remaining teams in the tournament in both 2005 and 2007, falling to the University of St. Thomas in the championship game both times.

Thursday's encounter is the first meeting between the Oles and Cardinals in the MIAC Playoffs. In the regular season, St. Olaf swept Saint Mary's in Winona by scores of 5-3 and 9-3 on April 11. The Oles have won the last eight meetings between the two programs since 2018.