INDIANAPOLIS (Softball) – Three Middle Atlantic Conferences (MAC) institutions were named as part of the 64-team NCAA Division III Softball Championship field on Monday during the NCAA.com Selection Show.

Automatic qualifiers Lebanon Valley and Messiah, out of the MAC Freedom and MAC Commonwealth, respectively, both earned bids, while Eastern was selected as an at-large selection. In total there were 42 AQs and 22 at-large picks.

The tournament begins in regional play from Thursday-Saturday, May 15-17 at 16 regional sites. The regionals will use a double-elimination format.

The Dutchmen were the No. 1 seed on the Freedom side of the conference and bring a 29-13 (13-1 MAC Freedom) record into the national bracket. They advanced through the conference tournament in the winner’s bracket, but lost the first game to No. 3 seed Misericordia on Championship Saturday. However, the buffer was enough to allow LVC to come back in the deciding game to claim the Freedom title.

Lebanon Valley will compete in the Case Western Reserve Regional in Cleveland, Ohio. It drew host No. 14 CWRU as its opening round opponent.

Messiah, the MAC Commonwealth automatic qualifier, was also the No. 1 seed in its conference tournament. It was relegated to the loser’s bracket in the opening game of Day Two of the double-elimination tournament by Eastern. However, the Falcons battled their way to the championship round, where they took two from the Eagles to secure their national tournament bid. They finished the regular season 33-11 (13-1 MAC Commonwealth).

Messiah’s NCAA Tournament journey begins with regional play at No. 5 Virginia Wesleyan in Virginia Beach, Va. The Falcons will play Swarthmore in their opener.

Despite Eastern’s loss in the MAC Commonwealth Championship Round, the Eagles find themselves in the tournament thanks to their strong performance throughout the year. They were the No. 2 seed in the MAC Commonwealth Championship Tournament and entered Championship Saturday as the undefeated team. However, they fell to the Falcons in both games. They carry a 29-9 overall (12-2 MAC Commonwealth) record with them into the national tournament.

Eastern opens regional play in Bethlehem, Pa. against WIlliams with No. 18 Moravian playing host.

The winners of the 16 regionals will advance to play at one of eight super regional sites. The finals, hosted by Illinois Wesleyan, will begin on Thursday, May 29 and run through Wednesday, June 4 at Inspiration Field in Bloomington, Ill.