Red Devils to Open NCAA Tournament at Wisconsin-Whitewater

EUREKA — One day after capturing its first St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament title, the Eureka softball team reconvened to learn who and where the Red Devils would be playing next.

EC (27-6) will open the 2019 NCAA Division III Softball Championship against Wisconsin-Whitewater (26-12) on Friday at 3:30 p.m. in Van Steenderen Softball Complex.

The hosting Warhawks are making their 22nd NCAA Tournament appearance after winning their third straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season title before falling in the conference tourney over the weekend.

The Red Devils, who conquered both the SLIAC regular season and conference tournament, will be making their second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and first as an automatic qualifier. They received an at-large bid in 2002.

The other two squads in the four-team Regional round are Carthage (26-14) and Coe (32-8). The Regional round is double-elimination and will start on Friday and conclude on Sunday.

Cathage (26-14) received an at-large bid after falling to No. 6 Illinois Wesleyan in the College Conference of Illinois Wisconsin Tournament Championship. The Lady Reds finished second in the conference in the regular season.

Coe received an at-large bid after losing to top-seeded Central in the American Rivers Conference Championship. The Kohwaks took second in the conference.