Its back to Belton! The 2023 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference softball tournament champions, the University of St. Thomas, will make the program's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III Softball Championship Tournament as the Celts take on Mary Hardin Baylor in the opening round.

The Celts will travel to Belton, Texas to face Mary Hardin Baylor in the opening round of the double-elimination bracket. The game will take place May 18th at 2:00 PM. On the other side of the bracket, Rosemont and Berry will face each other and the winners will face off.

St. Thomas faced Mary Hardin Baylor early in the year and split the doubleheader with them. The Celts were edged 1-0 in the eighth inning of game one before winning 4-2 in game two. 

The Celts will look to win this regional to advance to the next tournament round. 

Up to this point, St. Thomas had a balance of hitting and pitching. The starting duo of Allison Hughes and Bailey Tisdale combined for 31 wins, the most in the SCAC. Furthermore, the Celt offense has been led by Rebecca Archibald who leads the conference in batting average, and Chloe Bennett who has five home runs and 44 RBI. 

For more information and the tournament bracket, click here!