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The North Atlantic Conference (NAC) is an athletic conference, affiliated with the Division III ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), consisting primarily of small liberal arts colleges in the New England states of Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont, as well as the Mid-Atlantic state of New York.
The Maine Black Bears are the athletic teams that represent the University of Maine. A member of the America East Conference, the University of Maine sponsors teams in eight men's and nine women's NCAA sanctioned sports. The men's and women's ice hockey teams are members of Hockey East, and the football team is an associate member of the Coastal Athletic Association.
The UMass Minutemen are the athletic teams that represent the University of Massachusetts Amherst; strictly speaking, the Minutemen nickname applies to men's teams and athletes only — women's teams and athletes are known as Minutewomen. The Minutemen and Minutewomen compete in NCAA Division I sports competition primarily as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. UMass is one of only 16 universities in the nation that plays Division I FBS football and Division I men's ice hockey. The nickname is also applied to club teams that do not participate within the NCAA structure.
The Virginia Tech Hokies softball team is a college softball program that competes in NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Coast Conference. Their home games are played at Tech Softball Park. The team appeared in the NCAA Tournament in four successive seasons (2005–2008), were conference champions in 2007 and 2008, and advanced to the Women's College World Series in 2008. A big part of this success was the pitching of Angela Tincher, who had a historic career at Virginia Tech, becoming only the third person in NCAA Softball to record 2,000 career strikeouts. The Hokies also did what no other college has ever done, beating the U.S. Olympic Softball Team in a victory that ended Team USA's 12-year, 185-game winning streak. The Hokies won this game by a score of 1–0 and Tincher pitched a no hitter, and also allowing no balls to reach the outfield.
Danielle Henderson is an American, former collegiate All-American, medal-winning Olympian, retired professional All-Star softball pitcher who is currently the head coach at UMass. Henderson was a starting pitcher for the UMass Minutewomen softball from 1996 to 1999. Henderson also played professionally in National Pro Fastpitch from 2004 to 2007, where she currently ranks top-10 in career strikeout ratio (6.8). Along with numerous school records, she is the Atlantic 10 Conference career leader in ERA, shutouts, perfect games (3) and WHIP. Henderson represented the United States at the 2000 Summer Olympics and won a gold medal.
The North Florida Ospreys are the athletic teams of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida. The Ospreys compete in the ASUN Conference in NCAA Division I. UNF became a full-fledged member of Division I in 2009; previously, the Ospreys were members of the Sunshine State Conference and Peach Belt Conference in NCAA Division II. UNF fields teams in seven men's sports and ten women's sports.
The Merrimack Warriors are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Merrimack College, located in North Andover, Massachusetts, in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sporting competitions. All of the Warrior athletic teams compete at the Division I level. Men's and women's ice hockey compete in the Hockey East conference, and men's lacrosse competes in the America East Conference, while the remaining teams are members of the Northeast Conference. Starting July 1, 2024, Merrimack will leave the NEC, and its primary affiliation for sports will be in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
The Framingham State Rams are composed of 14 varsity teams representing Framingham State University in intercollegiate athletics. All teams compete at the NCAA Division III level and all teams compete in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC).
The UMass Minutewomen softball team represents the University of Massachusetts Amherst in NCAA Division I college softball. The team participates in the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10). The Minutewomen are currently led by head coach Danielle Henderson. The team plays its home games at Sortino Field located on the university's campus.
Pittsburgh Panthers softball is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate softball program of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pitt softball team competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference and plays their home games at Vartabedian Field in the Petersen Sports Complex.
The Army Black Knights softball team represents the United States Military Academy in NCAA Division I college softball. The team participates in the Patriot League. From 1982 until 1990, the team was a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The Black Knights are currently led by head coach Jen Consaul. The team plays its home games at Army Softball Complex located on the university's campus.
The Longwood Lancers softball team is the college softball team which represents Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. The school's team currently competes in the Big South Conference, having done so since the 2013 season. They have been led since 2020 by Megan Brown.
The 2014 NCAA Division I softball tournament was held from May 15 through June 5, 2014 as the final part of the 2014 NCAA Division I softball season. The 64 NCAA Division I college softball teams were selected out of an eligible 293 teams on May 11, 2014. 32 teams were awarded an automatic bid as champions of their conference, and 32 teams were selected at-large by the NCAA Division I Softball Selection Committee. The tournament culminated with eight teams playing in the 2014 Women's College World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.
The 2015 American Athletic Conference softball tournament was held at the UCF Softball Complex on the campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, from May 7 through May 9, 2015. The event determined the champion of the American Athletic Conference for the 2015 NCAA Division I softball season. Top-seeded UCF won the tournament and earned the American Athletic Conference's automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Division I softball tournament. All games were televised; the quarterfinals and semifinals were shown on the American Digital Network while the championship was broadcast on ESPN2.
The 2015 Atlantic Sun Conference softball tournament was held at FGCU Softball Complex on the campus of the Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida, from May 6 through May 9, 2015. The tournament winner, USC Upstate, defeated Lipscomb in the Championship final 9-1 to earn the Atlantic Sun Conference's automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Division I softball tournament. All games were streamed online on ESPN3.
The 2015 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) softball tournament was held at Demske Sports Complex Complex on the campus of the Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, from May 6 through May 9, 2015. The tournament winner will earn the MAAC's automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Division I softball tournament. All games will be streamed online on MAAC.TV.
The Atlantic Coast Conference softball tournament is the conference championship tournament in college softball for the Atlantic Coast Conference. It is a single-elimination tournament, with seeding based on regular season records. The winner receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Softball Championship each season.
Clemson Tigers softball joined the Atlantic Coast Conference as a Division I varsity program in 2020. In November 2017, former Stanford coach John Rittman was named as Clemson's first head softball coach. Rittman spent the previous two years as an assistant coach at Kansas and USA Softball.
The Big Ten softball tournament is the conference championship tournament in softball for the NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference. The winner of the tournament receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I softball tournament.
The 2021 NCAA Division I Softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 2021. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2021 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 2021 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisted of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament was held in Oklahoma City at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium, and ended on June 10, 2021.
References
- ↑ "2015 NCAA Softball Conference Championship Week Premier". Eye on Sky and Air Sports. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ↑ "2015 Atlantic 10 softball tournament Bracket". atlantic10.com. Retrieved May 4, 2015.