Complete Tournament Bracket

For the first time since 2015, the California State University, Northridge softball team will play a postseason game as the Matadors have accepted a bid into the 2023 National Invitational Softball Championship.

“I am thrilled and excited for our program and university to return to the postseason for the first time since 2015,” said CSUN head coach Charlotte Morgan. “This is a big step in rebuilding the foundation, and bringing this experience is huge for our program. I am proud of this team and glad their hard work and sacrifices are paying off for them!”

All games will occur on the two fields at Triple Crown Sports in Fort Collins, Colo., Red Rocks Field and Horsetooth Field. The tournament format features two four-team pods that will play a double-elimination slate, with winners of the two winner’s brackets and loser’s brackets advancing to a single-elimination championship bracket. 

CSUN (28-22) will face the No. 1 seed, Maryland (36-17), on Thursday, May 18, at 10 a.m. MDT/9 a.m. PDT.

Other first-round matchups include Iowa (31-27) against the Matadors’ Big West rival UC Davis (29-20) on Thursday at 10 a.m. MDT/9 a.m. PDT. Thursday’s afternoon session (beginning at 1 p.m. MDT/12 p.m. PDT) will feature San José State (26-28) against BYU (32-16) and Tarleton State (30-27) versus South Dakota State (37-17).

Thursday’s losers will play on both fields beginning at 9 a.m. MDT/8 a.m. PDT, with Thursday’s winners playing on both fields at Noon MDT/11 a.m. PDT. The loser’s bracket will continue at 3 p.m. MDT/2 p.m. PDT.

The semifinals begin at 9 a.m. MDT/8 a.m. PDT and noon MDT/11 a.m. PDT on May 20, with the championship game scheduled for 3 p.m. MDT/2 p.m. PDT – all those games are on Red Rocks Field. If needed, May 21 is available for NISC games, pending weather or other unforeseen delays. 

“We have added a second competitive diamond at Triple Crown in Colorado to add to the excitement that Baylor and Central Arkansas brought in 2022,” said Dave King, NISC director and founder of Triple Crown Sports. “This should create one of the most unique environments in the college game.”

Liberty won the 2017 NISC; the 2018 crown went to Loyola Marymount, and the 2019 title went to UT Arlington. However, the event was suspended for two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with Baylor winning the 2022 championship.

About Triple Crown Sports
Based in Fort Collins, Colo., Triple Crown Sports has produced youth, high school, and college events for 40 years. TCS runs both the preseason and postseason WNIT basketball events and produces the men’s and women’s DI Cancun Challenge tournaments in November. Triple Crown is also powering “WNIT” concept events in D-I softball (NISC) and volleyball (NIVC), with those two events debuting in 2017. Triple Crown’s PV College Challenge features over 10 of the country’s top DI college softball teams yearly in Puerto Vallarta, MX. Anchored by the 1,000-team Colorado 4th of July event, TC fastpitch tournaments draw the nation’s finest club programs, and hundreds of college coaches attend TCS events for recruiting purposes. TCS produces one of the world’s most significant youth baseball events with the Omaha SlumpBuster during the College World Series. The Triple Crown Volleyball NIT has become the top-recruited club volleyball event in the country each February when 550 teams compete in Kansas City, MO.

About College Sports Evaluation
College Sports Evaluation is the No. 1 verified evaluation company that puts sensor data analysis in the hands of colleges to help assess in-game performance and athletic development. With cutting-edge equipment, in-house mathematicians, and three grad university partnerships, College Sports Evaluation is dedicated to improving current rosters and collecting and analyzing longitudinal data. CSE also tests youth athletes subjectively and objectively to aid in player development.