SOFTBALL: GNAC Announces Eight-Team Playoff Bracket, Play Begins Tuesday
All eight remaining GNAC softball programs will compete in the conference quarterfinals on Tuesday in single-elimination action as the GNAC Tournament gets underway.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Quarterfinal single-elimination
action gets underway Tuesday
WINTHROP, Mass. – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference has announced its pairings and seedings for the 2021 GNAC Softball Tournament, as the regular-season schedule came to its conclusion on Saturday afternoon. The league playoffs will get underway with single-elimination action featuring all eight teams on Tuesday, as the league adopted a slightly different format due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For complete list of matchups and game times, please see below.
Tuesday and Thursday will both serve as single-elimination rounds, with the two remaining teams going head-to-head on Saturday, May 8 in a best 2-of-3 series to determine the GNAC champion. The if-necessary, do-or-die third contest would take place on Sunday, May 9 at the same venue.
Regionally-ranked Emmanuel College nailed down the top seed with a 9-1 record in league play, its lone blemish coming earlier Saturday to regionally-ranked Johnson & Wales University, which secured the No. 2 seed in the tournament with an 8-4 mark, aided by the road victory over the Saints.
Our two Connecticut schools – third-seeded University of Saint Joseph (10-4 GNAC) and fourth-seeded Albertus Magnus College (11-3 GNAC) – cemented the other two first-round contest hosting opportunities. The two institutions split six regular-season matchups this spring, as USJ gets set to host sixth-seeded Norwich University and Albertus welcomes fifth-seeded Rivier University.
Top seeds Emmanuel and JWU will host seventh-seeded Lasell University and eighth-seeded Anna Maria College, respectively, in Tuesday's quarterfinal round.
The plan will be to return to the GNAC's original tournament format in 2022, which includes a six-team double-elimination tournament and bye protection for the top-two seeds.
The GNAC would also like to extend its appreciation for the courage and perseverance of our student-athletes from Dean College, Regis College, Saint Joseph's College of Maine, and Simmons University –all programs that were forced to opt out of play due to the pandemic.
Tuesday, May 4
#8 Anna Maria at #1 Emmanuel - 6:30 PM
#5 Rivier at #4 Albertus Magnus - 4:00 PM
#6 Norwich at #3 St. Joseph (CT) - TBA
#7 Lasell at #2 Johnson & Wales - 4:00 PM
Thursday, May 6
4v5 winner vs 1v8 winner
3v6 winner vs. 2v7 winner
Saturday-Sunday, May 8-9*
Best 2-of-3 at highest remaining seed
* - if necessary third game played on Sun 5/9
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
– #TheGNAC –