INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. --- Virginia Wesleyan College locked up its entry into the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament last weekend, but the news got better for the Marlins on Monday afternoon.  Virginia Wesleyan was selected as one of 16 regional hosts as VWC will open its Virginia Beach campus to three other squads this weekend.

The 62-team field is comprised of 43 Pool A, one Pool B, and 18 Pool C bids.  Pool A includes those schools that play in conferences with automatic entries (like the ODAC), while Pool B is classified as true independents or teams that play in a league without automatic qualification.  Pool C are true at-large selections from all schools that host the sport in NCAA Division III.

NCAA Tournament Release     Brackets for Regionals (not yet available)

All four teams heading to Virginia Wesleyan (38-5) won their respective conference titles.  The Marlins, ranked #1 in the country according to the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Top-25 poll, captured their ninth ODAC crown with a 10-9 victory over Eastern Mennonite University in a nine-inning thriller. VWC will open with St. Vincent College (28-13).  The Bearcats beat Bethany (W.Va.) twice to secure the program's first Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) crown.

Salisbury University (34-4) adds further intrigue to the regional.  The second-ranked Sea Gulls, who also made a final-eight appearance last season, took down 10th-ranked Christopher Newport University on successive days to lock up the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) championship.  SU will meet Haverford College (24-19) in its opening contest. The Fords wrapped up their second Centennial Conference title in the last three years with three wins on Sunday, including a pair over Washington College (Pa.).

Following regional competition, the 16 winners will participate at eight super regional venues on May 20-21.  Each of those will feature a best-of-three series.  The remaining eight squads will make the trip to the James I. Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Va., for the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament National Championship Series.  The ODAC and City of Salem will host the event on May 26-31, which features a double-elimination format until the final two teams have been determined.  From that point, those two squads will compete in a best-of-three series for the right to hoist the 2016 trophy.

For more information on ODAC softball, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.  Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter.