Sioux City, Iowa – The two brackets for the 2017 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Postseason Softball Tournaments are set. Top seed, and regular season champion, Morningside will serve as one bracket host (1,4,5,8 seeds), while second seed Hastings will be the other bracket host (2,3,6,7 seeds) for the two four-team tournaments. This is the third year that the GPAC is using the current format for the postseason.
Tournament play will open on Friday, May 5, at both bracket locations. In Sioux City, Iowa, the Morningside Bracket will host Dordt, Northwestern and Doane. In Hastings, Nebraska, the Hastings Bracket will host Concordia, Dakota Wesleyan and College of Saint Mary. Play will continue, including bracket championship games, on Saturday, May 6. The Morningside and Hastings bracket winners will meet on Monday, May 8, at the highest remaining seed in the GPAC Softball Tournament Championship Series. The final series will be a best two out of three format.
Morningside has secured the league’s first berth to the NAIA Opening Round (Morningside will be an Opening Round Site Host), while the GPAC Tournament Champion will receive the second berth. If the Mustangs win the GPAC Tournament then the tournament runner-up will receive the second GPAC berth to the NAIA Opening Round. The two brackets will be double elimination. The NAIA Opening Round winners advance to the NAIA World Series (10 teams). The NAIA Softball World Series moves to Clermont, Florida, this year after a two-year run in Sioux City, Iowa.
Morningside Bracket
Friday, May 5, 2017
Game #1 – (4) Dordt (19-18, 12-8) vs. (5) Northwestern (23-22, 10-10) – 10 am
Game #2 – (1) Morningside (35-8, 17-3) vs. (8) Doane (23-23, 8-12) – Noon
Game #3 – Winner Game #1 vs. Winner Game #2 – 2 pm
Game #4 – Loser Game #1 vs. Loser Game #2 – 4 pm
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Game #5 – Winner Game #4 vs. Loser Game #3 – Noon
Game #6 – Winner Game #3 vs. Winner Game #5 – 2 pm
Game #7 – If necessary (Game #6 winner/loser) – 4 pm
Hastings Bracket
Friday, May 5, 2017
Game #1 – (3) Concordia (32-12, 14-6) vs. (6) Dakota Wesleyan (19-32, 9-11) – Noon
Game #2 – (2) Hastings (31-21, 14-6) vs. (7) College of Saint Mary (16-22, 9-11) – 2 pm
Game #3 – Winner Game #1 vs. Winner Game #2 – 4pm
Game #4 – Loser Game #1 vs. Loser Game #2 – 6 pm
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Game #5 – Winner Game #4 vs. Loser Game #3 – Noon
Game #6 – Winner Game #3 vs. Winner Game #5 – 2 pm
Game #7 – If necessary (Game #6 winner/loser) – 4 pm
GPAC Softball Tournament Championship Series – Monday, May 8, 2017
Morningside Bracket Winner vs. Hastings Bracket Winner (at highest seed) (Best 2 of 3 Format)
11am (Game 1), 1pm (Game 2), 5pm (Game 3, if needed)
