Posted: May 14, 2025

Simpson set to face DePauw in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament

INDIANOLA, Iowa - After finishing the season 31-7, the Simpson Storm softball team punched a ticket to the 2025 NCAA Tournament, facing off against DePauw in the opening game on Thursday.

The Storm return to the big stage for the first time since 2016, with a date against DePauw in the opening round of the NCAA Regional, hosted by Saint Mary's in Winona, Minnesota. For the Storm, the 2025 regional marks the 17th trip to the NCAA Tournament in program history, including two NCAA National Championships in 1997 and 1999.

Simpson enters the field ranked 25th overall in the NPI ranking, which was the primary method for determining the field of 64 of the NCAA Tournament. Saint Mary's was selected to host the regional after finishing ranked seventh overall, while rounding out the field was DePauw, ranked 49th, and 51st-ranked Husson.

The regional is formatted as a double-elimination bracket, with top-seed Saint Mary's playing Husson in the first game on Thursday at 11 a.m. Simpson vs DePauw will follow suit at 1:30 p.m.

NCAA DIII TOURNAMENT REGIONAL

Simpson (31-7) vs DePauw (24-13)
Thursday, May 15 | 1:30 p.m.
Saint Mary's Field | Winona, Minn.
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio

WHAT'S AT STAKE

The winner of the Simpson/DePauw game will face off against the winner of the Saint Mary's/Husson game on Friday, May 16 at 11 a.m.

SERIES NOTES

ABOUT THE STORM

Simpson finished the season with a 31-7 record, and an 11-5 record in A-R-C action
The Storm clinched a share of the regular season championships, hosting the 2025 A-R-C Softball Tournament
Megan Heidelbauer was named the A-R-C Position Player of the Year, the first in program history
Simpson featured eight players on the A-R-C all-conference teams, including four on the first team and four on the second team
Joining Heidelbauer on the first team was Alexis Ehlers, Ashlyn Steen and Kate Kriegel
Emma LaFave, Mackenzie James, Caelynn Obleton, and Katie Shaner were named to the second team
The Storm coaching staff led by head coach Brent Matthias was named the A-R-C Coaching Staff of the Year
Simpson broke the school record for most home runs (46), runs batted in (267) and runs scored (301) outscored their
The Storm outscored their opponents 301-to-123 on the season or 7.92 runs per game vs 3.24 per game
Simpson has reached the NCAA Tournament 17 times in school history, and enters with a 41-30 record in postseason action

DEPAUW PREVIEW

The Tigers finished with a 24-13 record overall and 12-2 in the North Coast Athletic Conference
DePauw knocked off Denison, 6-5, in the 10th inning to win the NCAC conference championship
The Tigers are led by infielder Katie Mathies who slashed .411/.483/.705 with four home runs and 38 RBIs
Inside the circle, the Tigers have been led by a pair of aces in Riley Depa and Alex Romero-Salas who have a combined record of 19-8 with a 2.29 ERA over 174.2 innings
DePauw has reached the NCAA Tournament 15 times in program history, all of which coming since 2007 and holds a 42-32 record in postseason history

SAINT MARY'S PREVIEW

Saint Mary's enters the regional with a 39-3 record overall and currently on a 29-game win streak
The Cardinals went a perfect 22-0 in MIAC action, winning the conference tournament championship over College of Saint Benedict, 5-3
Sophomore Makayla Steffes has led the Cardinals all season long, hitting a staggering .460/.519/.781 with nine home runs and 39 RBIs.
Steffes has collected 63 hits on the season with 62 runs scored while being nearly perfect on the basepaths with a 38-for-40 stolen base record
In the circle, Kenzie Gatz and Steffes have been nearly unhittable combining for a 35-3 record with a 1.53 ERA and 201 strikeouts
Saint Mary's is making their eighth appearance in postseason play with a 19-11 all-time record

HUSSON PREVIEW

Husson finished with a 27-10 overall record and 8-0 in conference action
The Eagles won the NAC Tournament after knocking off SUNY Cobleskills 8-0 in the championship
At the plate, Julia Gregoire has established herself as the top offensive weapon in the lineup, slashing .462/.517/.679 with 28 RBIs
Sky Johnson and Ana Lang create a 1-2 punch in the rotation, entering the tournament with a combined 22-7 record, 1.42 ERA and 235 strikeouts
For Husson, the regional marks the 14th NCAA postseason appearance with a 9-26 record all-time