South Dakota State and the University of South Dakota softball teams will be participating in the National Invitational Softball Championships.

USD punched its automatic bid to the tournament by finishing second in The Summit League standings, while SDSU was granted an at-large bid by the committee. Both teams were placed into the Ames region.

The Coyotes will open play on Thursday (May 16) at 10:00 AM against Purdue with the winner advancing to face Iowa State later that day. SDSU will play Eastern Kentucky following the first USD game.

There is a chance that the two teams could play against each other in the regional. If USD wins its first two games against Purdue and Iowa State, along with an SDSU win over Eastern Kentucky, the Coyotes and Jackrabbits would meet for the right to go to the region final. They can also play if both teams lose their first-round games. The entire bracket can be found here.

The winner of the double-elimination tournament will advance to the final double-elimination tournament to be held in Fort Collins, Colorado on May 24-26.

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