CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The NCAA announced the regional brackets for the 2025 NCAA Division III Softball Tournament, Monday, May 12th. After getting three teams in the tournament a year ago, four teams are going dancing in 2025. Central, Nebraska Wesleyan, Simpson, and Wartburg all saw their names pop up during the NCAA Selection Show on Monday.
Nebraska Wesleyan earned the A-R-C’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after posting a 3-0 record during the conference tournament this past weekend to claim their first tournament title in program history since joining the A-R-C. Central, Simpson, and Wartburg picked up at-large bids to earn a spot in the 64-team field. Previews for each regional are below.
Wisconsin-Oshkosh Regional | Regional Microsite
The Central College Dutch will head to Wisconsin-Oshkosh for the regional round. They will kick off regional action on Thursday, May 15 against Wisconsin-Stevens Point at 1:30p. The winner will advance to face the winner of Wisconsin-Oshkosh or Concordia-Wisconsin.
2025 UW-Oshkosh Regional Schedule
Thursday:
Game 1 - 11:00a: UW-Oshkosh vs. Concordia-Wisconsin
Game 2 - 1:30p - Central vs. UW-Stevens Point
Friday:
Game 3 - 11:00a: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner
Game 4 - 1:30p: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser
Game 5 - 4:00p: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner
Saturday:
Game 6 - 11:00a: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner
Game 7 (if necessary) - 1:30p: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner
Illinois Wesleyan Regional | Regional Microsite
The Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves are making a return to the NCAA Tournament after claiming the A-R-C tournament title for the first time in program history. They will begin their NCAA postseason run in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois on Thursday, May 15 at 1:30p versus Greenville. The winner of game one will face the winner of Illinois Wesleyan and Bethany Lutheran in game three on Friday.
2025 Illinois Wesleyan Regional Schedule
Thursday:
Game 1 - 11:00a: Illinois Wesleyan vs. Bethany Lutheran
Game 2 - 1:30p - Greenville vs. Nebraska Wesleyan
Friday:
Game 3 - 11:00a: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner
Game 4 - 1:30p: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser
Game 5 - 4:00p: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner
Saturday:
Game 6 - 11:00a: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner
Game 7 (if necessary) - 1:30p: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner
Saint Mary’s (Minnesota Regional | Regional Microsite
The 2025 A-R-C regular season co-champions, Simpson College, will head north to Minnesota to begin their NCAA postseason journey at Saint Mary’s (Minnesota). The first pitch will be at 1:30p on Thursday, May 15 as the Storm prepare to take on DePauw in the opening round. The winner of game one will face the winner of game two, which features Saint Mary’s and Husson.
2025 Saint Mary’s (Minnesota) Regional Schedule
Thursday:
Game 1 - 11:00a: Saint Mary’s (Minnesota) vs. Husson
Game 2 - 1:30p - Simpson vs. DePauw
Friday:
Game 3 - 11:00a: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner
Game 4 - 1:30p: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser
Game 5 - 4:00p: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner
Saturday:
Game 6 - 11:00a: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner
Game 7 (if necessary) - 1:30p: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner
WashU Regional | Regional Microsite
Wartburg, the 2025 A-R-C regular season co-champions, will head to St. Louis, Missouri for the regional round of the NCAA Tournament. They will face the host, WashU, at 1:30p on Thursday, May 15. The winner will face the winner between Redlands and Lake Forest in game three on Friday.
2025 WashU Regional Schedule
Thursday:
Game 1 - 11:00a: Redlands vs. Lake Forest
Game 2 - 1:30p - WashU vs. Wartburg
Friday:
Game 3 - 11:00a: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner
Game 4 - 1:30p: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser
Game 5 - 4:00p: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner
Saturday:
Game 6 - 11:00a: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner
Game 7 (if necessary) - 1:30p: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner
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About the American Rivers Conference
The Conference dates back to December 8, 1922, when representatives from 12 colleges got together and formed the "Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Association." Honoring its heritage in Iowa and its expansion outside the state, the American Rivers Conference brand was established on August 9, 2018, to build on the academic and athletic success provided by its legacy, the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The A-R-C has nine full-time members: Buena Vista University, Central College, Coe College, University of Dubuque, Loras College, Luther College, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Simpson College, and Wartburg College.
