KANSAS CITY, Mo. --- The University of St. Francis softball team learned late Tuesday afternoon that its season has been extended courtesy of the Fighting Saints earning an at-large bid to the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round.

Head coach Amanda Jensen's club will be competing with four other teams, including three ranked squads, in the Williamsburg, Ky. Bracket from May 13-16.  Top-seeded and NAIA No. 4-ranked University of the Cumberlands, Ky. (44-7) serves as the host of the five-team, double-elimination tournament.

The other teams joining USF, the No. 5 seed, will be No. 2 seed and 22nd-ranked Benedictine University, Kan. (39-14), No. 3 seed and No. 21-ranked College of Coastal Georgia (36-12) and No. 4 seed Tennessee Wesleyan University (27-13). 

Cumberlands and Coastal Georgia, like St. Francis, gained at-large bids to the Opening Round.  Benedictine and Tennessee Wesleyan were runner-ups in their respective conference tournaments.

The Saints open play on Monday (May 13) at noon Central time against Tennessee Wesleyan with Coastal Georgia and Benedictine squaring off at 3:30 pm.  Cumberlands gained a first-round bye as the No. 1 seed.

The Patriots will square off against the winner of the St. Francis-Tennessee Wesleyan contest on Tuesday at noon, while the loser moves on to the elimination bracket against the loser of the Coastal Georgia-Benedictine game.  Tuesday's second game would also be played at 3:30 pm.

The double-elimination tournament runs through next Thursday with the winner advancing to the NAIA World Series May 23-29 at South Commons Complex in Columbus, Ga.
For the NAIA release on the Opening Round, go to NAIA.

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