SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The Evangel University softball team found out its destination on Wednesday afternoon in the NAIA National Tournament after earning one of the NAIA automatic bids. The Valor will head to Winter Haven, Florida, as the number two seed and face no. three seed Faulkner (Ala.) on Monday, May 11th.
Evangel and Faulkner’s first pitch is set for 1:00 p.m. (CT) on Monday (May 11) at the Diamond Plex in Winter Haven, Florida. All tickets are purchasable at the gate with cash or card and will cost $15 per day or $35 for a tournament pass. All games will be streamed for free through the Urban Edge Network.
The Valor return to the NAIA National Tournament for the third consecutive season under Jay Halbrook. Evangel will head to the Winter Haven Opening Round hosted by the number one seed and host, Southeastern, as four teams will take part in one of 10 opening round sites around the country with the winner at each site advancing to the NAIA National Championship Final Site in Columbus, Georgia. No. 4 seed Dillard (La.) will take on No. 1 seed Southeastern (Fla.) in a first-round game at 10:00 a.m. (CT) on Monday.
Evangel earned its bid by receiving an automatic berth, earned by winning the regular season title as well as the conference tournament championship. The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference brings one other team to this season’s tournament, five-seeded Friends, who will take on #4-seed Morningside in Chickasha, Okla., on Monday at noon.
The Valor enter the tournament at 43-9 under the direction of eleventh-year head coach Jay Halbrook. This is Halbrook’s third trip to the national tournament in his career at Evangel and is the third consecutive appearance after Evangel traveled to Lawrenceville and San Antonio the last two seasons for opening rounds.
Evangel has never matched up with either team in the opening round pod.