REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands Softball team won the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Tournament title this past weekend and then earned the conference's automatic qualifying (AQ) bid into the NCAA Division III National Championships. On Monday the selection committee announced the bracket/regionals with the Bulldogs paired in a two-team bracket at No. 1 Linfield University in McMinnville, Oregon.
The Bulldogs and Wildcats have played seven times in the last two seasons and played each other in the regional round (best-of-five-games) last year. This weekend the series will be a best-of-five again where the first team to win three games advances to the super regionals, which are also hosted on the campus of the highest seed.
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets | Bracket
Tickets
Tickets are required to be bought for each day of the regional. You can purchase them in advance here or at the entrance on game day.
Prices:
Adults (13 and up) - $10
Seniors, Active Military, and Students with ID - $7
Youth (Ages 6-12) - $3
5-under - Free
NCAA Championship History
Redlands is making the NCAA Championship regional round (regional and super regional started in 2014) for the 13th time and the third time in the past four seasons under head coach Jose Ortega. Their best finish was in the first round where they finished second in 2007 and 2011 and they were regional finalists in 2014 and 2023. Last year they went 0-3 in another best-of-five, two-team series with Linfield.
Head-to-Head (Link)
The Bulldogs have a 7-27 overall record with the Wildcats since 2006. This is the second time traveling to Oregon to face them as 25 of the 34 meetings have been in Redlands and another six as neutral site games.
In 2023 during the regular season, the Maroon and Grey lost at home in eight innings 1-0, then took the second game, 4-3. On the road during the regionals, Redlands lost 7-6 in game one, 14-0 in game two, and 7-0 in game three.
This season the Bulldogs and Wildcats played twice at the Field of Dreams with Redlands losing game one 3-2 and then 11-9 in game two.
Statistical Comparison (Link)
This season Redlands finished 32-11, 15-6 SCIAC. The 32 wins are the most under Coach Ortega and their first 30-win season since 2014. Linfield went undefeated on the regular season at 43-0, 28-0 NWC.
The two teams display a couple of the top offenses in the country with the Wildcats ranking inside the Top-50 in batting average (BA), hits, home runs, on-base percentage (OBP), scoring, slugging percentage (SLG%), total stolen bases, and walks.
The Bulldogs are Top-50 in batting average, doubles per game, hits, OBP, scoring, total stolen bases, and triples.
In the circle both teams are Top-100 in fewest walks allowed and earned run average (ERA) and defensively Linfield is Top-10 in fielding percentage.
Individually the Wildcats have two batters, Brynn Nelson and Kaili Saathoff, in the Top-15 in batting average. Saathoff is ninth in the country in doubles, 17th in hits, 10th in OBP, and fifth in runs scored. Nelson is 45th in hits, 21st in home runs, second in OBP, 24th in runs batted in (RBI's), seventh in slugging percentage, and 26th in walks per game.
In the circle Tayah Kelley is 21st in complete games, 26th in ERA, ninth in fewest hits allowed per seven innings, 13th in saves, fifth in shutouts, 27th in strikeout-to-walk ratio, third in strikeouts, first in wins, and eighth in walks and hits per inning pitched (WHIP).
The Bulldogs are led by SCIAC Athlete of the Year Katlyn Gandara (Whittier, CA) who is 13th in batting average, 31st in OBP, 24th in RBI's, 17th in sacrifice flies at the plate. In the circle she is 21st in appearances, 13th in saves, 24th in wins, and 12th in walks allowed per seven innings.
Another notable offensive weapon is All-SCIAC First Team member Natalie Horton (Palmdale, CA) who ranks 25th in stolen bases, 33rd toughest to strikeout, and 33rd in triples.
Bracket (Interactive | Regional)
The winner of this regional will play the winner of the Central (IA) regional, which also includes the No. 2 seed Wisconsin-Whitewater, the No. 3 seed Bethel (MN), and the No. 4 seed Wisconsin-Superior in the super regional round, which is a best two-of-three with the winner making it to the eight-team Women's College World Series in Marshall, Texas.
