UWS Softball to Face Central College in NCAA Tournament

Sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history

SUPERIOR, Wis.- After a dramatic victory to capture the UMAC Tournament Championship, the UWS Softball team now knows who they’ll face in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.

The Yellowjackets will take on region hosts Central College of Pella, Iowa on Thursday at noon. If they win, UWS will then face either UW-Whitewater or Bethel University. UWS last faced Central in a 2022 doubleheader in Naples, Florida, where the Yellowjackets lost both games.

Although this is the Yellowjackets’ sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, UWS has yet to claim their first victory in the national tournament. Head Coach Melissa Fracker says winning on the national stage has been the team’s goal since the start of the season.

“There’s going to be really good teams that lose and that’s just the reality of getting to this level of competition.” says Fracker, who’s in her third season as head coach. “But at the end of the day, what you want is to give your team to sit down on selection day, hear their name and have the opportunity to get on the national stage with the rest of the team, and what we do from there to me is just a bonus, because every time we go we get a little better, we learn a little more, so now we just got to go and just leave it all on the field.”

Sophomore MyKenzie Leccia was named the UMAC Tournament Most Valuable Player after recording five hits and three RBI over three games. Her most impactful play was her walk-off RBI double in the UMAC Championship against Bethany Lutheran.

“It was, like, ‘I can’t believe I just did that,'” Leccia recalled. “Everyone was running out to me, and I’ve never been in that position before and it was just so awesome.”

Looking ahead to Thursday’s game, Leccia believes her team has what it takes to get past Central. “. I think all of us have to be on top of our game. Our pitching, our hitting, our defense. I think we’ve started to pull through on that a little bit this past weekend, which just keep adding on and we’ll be fine.”

Central College enters the national tournament 29-10 overall as an at-large bid after losing to Coe College in the American Rivers Conference Championship. This is the 32nd time Central has been selected to the NCAA Tournament. The Dutch are led by George Wares, who is the winningest softball coach in NCAA Division III history at 1261-446-3 overall.