ANGOLA, IN – No. 24 University of Rochester softball will open regional play in the NCAA Division III Softball Championship against the Loras College Duhawks on Thursday, May 14, at 1:30 p.m. on the campus of Trine University in game two of the Angola Regional.
 
Rochester earned the Liberty League's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament with its two wins on Saturday against Ithaca in the Liberty League Tournament to clinch the 'Jackets' ninth tournament title in program history. The 'Jackets entered the Liberty League Championship as the top seed, but fell to No. 2-seeded Ithaca in its winner's bracket matchup on Friday. However, the Yellowjackets bounced back with another run-rule victory over 5th-seeded St. Lawrence, before taking two from the Bombers on Saturday to clinch the title.
 
The Yellowjackets will be making their 12th NCAA Tournament appearance and second under Head Coach Abby Hurley-Martin. Rochester last made the tournament in 2024, making the trip to Tufts for the Medford Regional, where they advanced to Saturday's final with wins over St. John Fisher and Tufts, but fell twice to the Jumbos to wrap up their season.
 
URochester heads into the NCAA Tournament at 35-8 (13-1 LL), tied for the second-most wins in program history. Winners of nine of their last 10, Rochester boasts one of the top offenses in Division III, led by junior Riley Laygo. The Yellowjackets rank second in DIII in total runs, fifth in scoring and home runs, sixth in slugging and hits and 11th in batting average.
 
Laygo leads the country in total bases, ranks second in hits and slugging, third in home runs, runs scored and RBI, seventh in batting average and eighth in doubles. As a team, Rochester is batting .372/.448/.575, while Laygo is hitting .534/.475/1.047, one of two 'Jackets hitting above .400 on the year, and one of nine above .300.
 
In the circle, the 'Jackets have a 2.56 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 268.0 innings pitched, led by a fearsome 1-2 punch in Molly Broccolo and Maddie White. Broccolo and White both pitched complete games on Saturday in the Liberty League Tournament, and both will head into the Angola Regional with 100+ strikeouts and a sub-3.00 ERA. Broccolo is 19-5 with a 2.41 ERA on the year, while White is 13-3 with a 2.58 ERA.
 
Rochester will face Loras in its first-round matchup on Thursday, with the Duhawks making their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Loras earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after falling to Simpson in the American Rivers Conference Tournament Championship Game.
 
Loras went 29-14 (9-7 ARC) this season and entered the American Rivers Conference (ARC) Tournament at the No. 4 seed. There, the Duhawks defeated 5th-seeded Central, 5-0, and top-seeded Wartburg, 9-4, before falling to No. 2-seeded Simpson in the championship game.
 
Sophomore Dana Skorich leads the Duhawks at the plate, batting .393/.404/.500 with 13 doubles, a home run, 13 runs scored and 30 RBI, while sophomore Kaili Henning has been Loras' top arm in the circle, with a 13-6 record and 1.95 ERA over 129.1 innings pitched. As a team, the Duhawks are batting .320/.389/.427, while in the circle, Loras has a 2.45 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 279.2 innings pitched.
 
The Yellowjackets have faced Loras just once in program history, back on March 14, 2024, in Kissimmee, FL, where the Duhawks shut out the Yellowjackets, 4-0.
 
The Yellowjackets have never faced Trine, the top seed and host of the Angola Regional, or Earlham, who will face Trine in the other first-round matchup in Angola.
 
The defending national champions, Trine comes into the NCAA Tournament ranked second in the latest NFCA Coaches Poll, with a 32-4 (14-2 MIAA) record. The Thunder earned the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, topping 2nd-seeded Calvin, 7-5, after the Knights forced the "if necessary" game with a 9-1 win in game six.
 
The Thunder are batting .392/.483/.686 on the year, led by senior Karley Trine, who's hitting .480 with 12 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 40 runs scored and 31 RBI. Trine is one of seven Thunder hitters batting over .400 on the year, as the Thunder lead Division III in home runs and slugging, and rank third in batting average.
 
In the circle, senior Debbie Hill leads the Thunder with a 10-1 record and 1.67 ERA in 54.1 innings pitched, one of four Trine pitchers with 35 or more innings pitched this season. As a team, the Thunder have a 2.60 ERA and 1.26 WHIP, and have struck out 188 batters.
 
Earlham will also be making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since the college re-added the softball program in 2024. The Quakers earned the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC)'s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the HCAC Tournament.
 
Though they entered the tournament at the No. 4 seed, Earlham defeated Bluffton, top-seeded Franklin and No. 3-seeded Transylvania to secure a spot in the championship game on Sunday. There, they fell to Transylvania in game one, 2-0, but bounced back in the "if necessary" game to top the Pioneers, 6-5.
 
Earlham heads into the tournament at 26-17 (13-5 HCAC), hitting .347/.420/.487 as a team, with a 3.72 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in 285.2 innings pitched in the circle. Sophomore Mack Harvey leads the Quakers at the plate with a .459 average, a .565 on-base percentage and a .606 slugging, while junior Morgan Cooksey has been Earlham's top pitcher this year, with a 2.29 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 85.2 innings pitched.
 
Trine and Earlham will get play started at the Angola Regional at SportONE/Parkview Softball Field at 11:00 a.m., with the Yellowjackets and Duhawks to follow at 1:30 p.m.