For a second consecutive year, the Jackrabbit softball team is headed for the postseason, as South Dakota State was announced as part of a 19-team field in the 2019 National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC).
The Jacks (36-17) earned an at-large bid out of the Summit League and are part of a five-team, double-elimination regional Thursday through Saturday in Ames, Iowa. SDSU, Eastern Kentucky, Purdue and South Dakota will join host Iowa State in the regional.
Appalachian State, Rutgers, George Washington, Marshall, Kent State and host Liberty make up the Lynchburg (Virginia) Regional.
UT Arlington, Middle Tennessee, McNeese State and host Stephen F. Austin make up the Nacogdoches (Texas) Regional.
Fresno State, UC Riverside, Loyola Marymount and host Nevada make up the Reno (Nevada) Regional.
The four regional champions will advance to a final double-elimination event to be played May 24-26 at TC Colorado Field in Fort Collins, Colorado.
South Dakota State is making its second appearance in the tournament after going 3-2 and reaching the Greeley Regional title game in 2018. The Jackrabbits won a Division I-era record 37 games against 18 losses last season.
The National Invitational Softball Championship is operated, supervised and directed by Triple Crown Sports, a sports event company based in Fort Collins, Colorado, in collaboration with the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. This marks the third year of the tournament. Visit www.womensnisc.com for more information.
