Miami Ohio University Athletics
Softball to Face NIU in MAC Championship Opener
5/7/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
CLEVELAND - The Mid-American Conference announced Sunday afternoon the bracket and schedule for the 2017 MAC Softball Championship.
Following the completion of league play, the defending MAC champion Miami University softball team was seeded sixth in the field and will face third-seeded Northern Illinois University on Wednesday, May 10 at 6 p.m. at Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio. The RedHawks (29-22, 14-10 MAC) finished tied for fifth overall in the conference with Ball State University, but the Cardinals' sweep in early April gave them the tiebreaker advantage.
If the Red and White prevail, they will face the winner of the matchup between No. 2 Ohio and No. 7 Akron on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. If Miami loses on Wednesday, it will take on the loser of the Ohio-Akron game on Thursday at 6 p.m. The MAC Softball Championship utilizes a double-elimination format that continues until a champion is determined on Saturday.
Miami and NIU (30-19, 15-9 MAC) did not meet in the regular season, but the two squads did face off in last year's tournament, with the RedHawks prevailing, 2-1, to advance to the championship game. The Huskies lead the all-time series between the squads with a 29-23 record.
Check MiamiRedHawks.com for all championship information and news about Miami softball.
SCHEDULE
Wednesday, May 10
Game 1: No. 4 Kent State vs. No. 5 Ball State - 10:30 a.m.
Game 2: No. 1 Central Michigan vs. No. 8 Western Michigan - 1 p.m.
Game 3: No. 2 Ohio vs. No. 7 Akron - 3:30 p.m.
Game 4: No. 3 Miami vs. No. 6 NIU - 6 p.m.
Thursday, May 11
Game 5: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser - 10:30 a.m.
Game 6: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner - 1 p.m.
Game 7: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner - 3:30 p.m.
Game 8: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Loser - 6 p.m.
Friday, May 12
Game 9: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 7 Loser - 10:30 a.m.
Game 10: Game 8 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser - 1 p.m.
Game 11: Game 6 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner - 3:30 p.m.
Game 12: Game 9 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner - 6 p.m.
Saturday, May 13
Game 13: Game 12 Winner vs. Game 11 Loser - 10:30 a.m.
Game 14 (Championship): Game 11 Winner vs. Game 13 Winner - 1 p.m.
Game 15 (if necessary): Rematch of Game 14 - 30 minutes after conclusion of Game 14
