KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Not done yet. Stillman College Softball made history May 7 when the NAIA announced the Tigers as one of the 16 at-large bids to the NAIA Softball Opening Round in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is the first national postseason bid for Stillman softball and the first at-large bid for a historical black college and university (HBCU) under the current format. 

"We're excited. I thought we had a good shot. I'm so happy for the girls and the school in general. It's a big day for Stillman College softball," said head coach Joel Penfield.

The team gathered on campus May 7 to watch the NAIA Selection Show in Stinson Auditorium (see their reaction below).
 

Stillman (35-13) will be the No. 5 seed, and will play No. 4 seed Indiana University Southeast at 1 p.m. Monday, May 13 in Game 1 of the Opening Round hosted at No. 2 seed William Carey University. WCU will host No. 3 seed Reinhardt University (Ga.). The Stillman/IUS winner will meet No. 1 seed Jessup (Calif.) on Tuesday, May 14. 

In all 48 teams make the national tournament, including 32 automatic qualifiers. Stillman was one win shy of earning an automatic qualifier when it lost to No. 24 Middle Georgia State University, 2-1, on May 4 to finish third in the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) Championships. Stillman reached the final day after a dominating three-game sweep of elimination games on May 3 that turned heads within the SSAC and caught the national committee's attention.

"Going into the conference tournament we said we were going to battle, fight, and do whatever it takes. We've got to have that same mentality when we go to Hattiesburg on Monday. We're looking to move forward and keep that momentum going," said Penfield. 

Daily tickets for the Hattiesburg NAIA Opening Round are $10 and available online at GoWCUCrusaders.com or at the gate (credit card only). All games will be live streamed on the Carey Sports Network. Individual games will cost $9.99 apiece. Live Stats will be available through NAIAstats.prestosports.com.
 

Complete Opening Round schedule.


Hattiesburg Bracket | Joseph & Nancy Fail Field | William Carey University (Miss.)

Monday, May 13
Game 1 - 1 p.m. - Indiana-Southeast (34-16) vs. Stillman (35-13)
Game 2 - 4 p.m. - William Carey (38-12) vs. Reinhardt (42-8)

Tuesday, May 14
Game 3 - 1 p.m. - Jessup (36-19) vs. Winner Game 1
Game 4 - 4 p.m. - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2

Wednesday, May 15
Game 5 - 11 a.m. - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 2
Game 6 - 2 p.m.- Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4
Game 7 - 5 p.m. - Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 5

Thursday, May 16
Game 8 - 11 a.m. - Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 5
Game 9 - 1 p.m. - Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 8 (If Necessary)