Championship Central |
Tournament Bracket
INDIANAPOLIS – The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) announced on Sunday the eight-team field for the 2021 GLVC Softball Championship Tournament, scheduled for May 6-9 in East Peoria, Ill. This season marks the 17th consecutive year the league postseason tournament will be held at the EastSide Centre.
The winner will receive the league’s automatic-qualifying bid to the 2021 NCAA Midwest Regional.
University of Indianapolis claimed the No. 1 seed, while McKendree University slotted at No. 2 entering the double-elimination tournament. Drury University will be the No. 3 seed, Maryville the No. 4 seed, and Rockhurst University the No. 5 seed, while the No. 6 seed is Lindenwood University. The seventh and eighth seeds belong to Lewis University and University of Illinois Springfield, respectively.
Ranked fifth in the latest national poll, UIndy (37-5, 26-2 GLVC) earned the top seed in this year’s event, winning the GLVC regular season by a lofty six games. The Greyhounds are making their 31st appearance at the GLVC Championship Tournament, looking for their third title over the course of the 37-year history of the event. UIndy will square off with Illinois Springfield (19-25, 14-14 GLVC) on Thursday at 12 p.m. The Prairie Stars snuck in this season’s tournament, using a split with second-seeded McKendree that served as the tiebreaker with University of Missouri-St. Louis as the No. 8 seed. UIndy swept UIS in the teams’ twin bill back in late March, outscoring the Prairie Stars by a combined score of 17-0 in Indianapolis.
McKendree (23-11, 20-8 GLVC) picked up the No. 2 seed outright, earning its first trip to the tournament since 2018. The Bearcats meet Lewis University (25-16, 16-12 GLVC) on Thursday at 4 p.m. The Flyers are making their league-best 33rd appearance in the postseason event, including their second straight berth, looking to add to its Conference-record 10 titles. McKendree swept Lewis in the league opener on March 1, winning a pair of low-scoring contests in Lebanon, Ill.
Drury (25-14, 19-9 GLVC) snagged the No. 3 seed this season, making its second straight GLVC tournament. The Panthers advanced to the fourth league postseason for the fourth time, facing Lindenwood (23-13-1, 16-12 GLVC) on Thursday at 2 p.m. The Lions enter as the No. 6 seed, winning the tiebreaker over Lewis due to their sweep of second-seeded McKendree on April 25. This weekend marks the first appearance for Lindenwood at the EastSide Centre, which joined the GLVC as a full member prior to the 2019-20 academic year. The Panthers swept the twin bill with the Lions on April 12 in Springfield, Mo.
Maryville (19-14, 17-11 GLVC) and Rockhurst (24-14, 17-11) are the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds, respectively, this season, needing a tiebreaker to determine the home team on Thursday at 10 a.m. The Saints split with top-seeded UIndy this past Saturday, while Rockhurst was swept earlier this season, and will wear white in the tournament opener. Maryville and Rockhurst split its doubleheader on March 21, each grabbing a one-run win in Kansas City, Mo.
Of teams in this year’s tournament, UIndy holds the last titles from 2012 and 2016. Lewis won back-to-back championships in 2010 and 2011.
Gates will open one hour prior to the first game each day. There is no attendance limit; however, all spectators will be required to remain masked (over nose and mouth) and socially distanced. An all-tournament pass can be purchased for $40 and admit the holder to all events over the three-day period. Single-day tickets are priced as follows: $15 for adults, $5 for students (with ID), seniors (65+) and youth (K-12), while all those under 5 will be admitted free.
For complete coverage and tournament details, please visit championship central at
GLVCsports.com/2021softball. All games will be streamed for free on
GLVCSN.com.