ODAC Softball Tournament News Archive

2023 ODAC Softball Tournament News


May 12, 2023
Randolph-Macon College backed up its game one win over Roanoke College with a victory in game two to claim the best-of-three championship series in the ODAC Softball Tournament at Botetourt Sports Complex on Friday afternoon. The Yellow Jackets 4-3 triumph over the Maroons secured their second conference title, joining the crown R-MC donned in 2015.

May 7, 2023
The new format of the ODAC Softball Tournament showed off the depth of talent in the conference, but ultimately the top two seeds advanced to the final best-of-three championship series following the first weekend of the league's postseason event. Top-seeded Roanoke College and second-seeded Randolph-Macon College will square off for the ODAC trophy this week at Botetourt Sports Complex in Troutville, Va. Dates for the final series will be confirmed early this coming week. The final series is currently slated for Thursday and Friday, May 11-12. Possible conflicts with graduation ceremonies and other end-of-year functions on both campuses may allow for Friday and Saturday to serve as competition dates.

May 2, 2023
FOREST, Va. --- The ODAC regular season closed on Tuesday evening, setting the placements in the upcoming ODAC Softball Tournament bracket in stone with eight teams slated to embark on a two tournament format. Roanoke College and Randolph-Macon College headline the field enter the conference postseason. The ODAC tournament's traditional home -- the James I. Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Va. -- is in the midst of a $15-20 million facelift as it prepares to host further ODAC, NCAA, and other local, regional, and national action in the coming years. That will include the opening weekend of the ODAC postseason and the final eight teams of the Division III Softball Championship in 2024. This year, both weekends of the league's new format will be hosted at member campuses. The structure mimics the Division III's regional and super-regional rounds. On the first weekend slated for May 5-7 at the #1 and #2 seeds, the tournament's field will be split into two four-team pods for double-elimination competition. The winners of those two pods will meet a few days later, May 11-12, in a best-of-three championship series for the right to lift the ODAC trophy and earn the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA bracket.

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2022 ODAC Softball Tournament News


May 2, 2022
Virginia Wesleyan University may not have been the top seed for the first time since 2011, but its championship pedigree remains intact. The third-seeded Marlins defeated fourth-seeded Roanoke College, 1-0, in the second of two championship games on Monday afternoon, capping a weather-impacted four days at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Va., with the program's sixth straight and league-record 14th ODAC softball crown. Virginia Wesleyan (33-11), ranked 14th in the country by the NFCA, needed a second title contest to earn the ODAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament after 17th-ranked Roanoke (30-12) earned a 5-3 victory in Monday's first contest. The Maroons, along with ODAC hopefuls Randolph-Macon College (32-9) and University of Lynchburg (26-19) must rely on the Division III Softball Committee for at-large selections to the 64-team national field. The bracket will be announced on Monday, May 9 on www.ncaa.com.

April 30, 2022
Mother Nature did not cooperate with the ODAC Softball Tournament as play has been suspended due to inclement weather at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Va. Four hours of rain not only saturated the outfields on both game fields, but also collected on the tarps. With rain predicted to fall through 7:30 p.m. ET and considerable time needed to prepare the fields for safe play by the competitors, the decision was made to start the process to prepare for early competition on Saturday. Games 11 and 12 in your brackets are now slated for 9:00 a.m. ET on Sunday morning. Third-seeded Virginia Wesleyan will meet #4 Roanoke on field one, while top-seeded Lynchburg and #2 Randolph-Macon will square off on field three. The status for play in the remaining three games will be evaluated on Sunday morning and communicated once determinations have been made with reference to further weather pending for the area.

April 23, 2022
ODAC softball has lived up to its moniker as one of the top conferences for the sport in Division III, as evidenced by three nationally ranked programs for much of the campaign. Each of those teams found themselves part of one of three ties that needed solving on the final day of the regular season to determine the eight-team field of the 2022 ODAC Softball Tournament. For the first time since 2019, ODAC teams return to the friendly confines of the James I. Moyer Sports Complex, the traditional home of the league tournament. Play begins on Friday, April 29, and continues through the championship and possible "if game" in the double elimination format on Sunday, May 1.

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2021 ODAC Softball Tournament News


May 9, 2021
Nationally second-ranked and top-seeded Virginia Wesleyan University defeated the University of Lynchburg twice on Sunday afternoon at TownBanke Park in Virginia Beach, winning game one, 4-0, and posting a 9-1 victory in six innings in game two to collect its fifth straight and league-best 13th overall ODAC softball crown.

April 28, 2021
The 2021 ODAC Softball Tournament has a different look and feel this season with campus sites hosting all games. But what remains unchanged is the team at the top of the field with nationally second-ranked Virginia Wesleyan University earning the #1 seed for a ninth time in as many opportunities.

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2019 ODAC Softball Tournament News


April 29, 2019
Virginia Wesleyan University recovered from an early 2-0 deficit powered by a six-run second inning en route to an 8-2 victory over Randolph-Macon College and the 2019 ODAC Softball Tournament title on Monday morning at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Va. In addition to an ODAC record 12th league crown, the Marlins also earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

April 27, 2019
Lynchburg senior Mackenzie Chitwood hammered two homeruns in the Hornets 9-0 victory over Guilford in Game 3 of the ODAC Softball Tournament. The two blasts -- both 2-run shots -- mark the 38th and 39th of her career to tie and then reset the ODAC and Lynchburg all-time records for career homers.

April 25, 2019
The weather forecast for the start of the ODAC Softball Tournament in Salem has prompted a change to the game schedule for the weekend. Local and regional weather services are tracking rain in Salem beginning Thursday evening and continuing thru the afternoon hours on Friday. The rain is expected to let up to allow games to be played that evening.

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2018 ODAC Softball Tournament News


April 29, 2018
On Friday, it looked like the nation's top-ranked team might be headed for an early exit from the 2018 ODAC Softball Tournament field. Virginia Wesleyan University certainly did not buy into that predicted outcome as the Marlins pulled off six straight victories in elimination games including two triumphs on Sunday afternoon over Emory & Henry College to lift the program's 11th overall and third straight ODAC softball trophy.

April 23, 2018
The spotlight has shown bright on ODAC softball for several years but especially the past calendar year with Virginia Wesleyan University (39-1, 17-1 ODAC) capturing the 2017 NCAA Division III title. The Marlins have maintained their national top billing -- along with three others receiving national recognition throughout the season -- and occupy the #1 position in the upcoming ODAC Softball Tournament as the nation's top-ranked team for a second straight season.

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2017 ODAC Softball Tournament News


April 30, 2017
Virginia Wesleyan College secured its second straight and 10th overall ODAC Softball Tournament championship on Sunday afternoon, defeating Emory & Henry College, 2-0, in the second of two title games in the event's double elimination format. It was the first time the "if necessary" game was needed to determine a league champion since 2007.

April 26, 2017
Weather may have forced the ODAC regular season to extend by a few days, but that didn't keep ODAC teams from putting together an outstanding field for the upcoming ODAC Softball Tournament. Virginia Wesleyan College, the number one team in the country by the NFCA, enters the ODAC Tournament as the top seed riding a 23-game winning streak and boasting a gaudy 39-1 overall record that includes a perfect 20-0 march thru league play. But the Marlins' profile is not alone in impressing conference softball fans.

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2016 ODAC Softball Tournament News


May 2, 2016
Virginia Wesleyan College catcher Taylor Galvin smacked a walk-off double with two-out in the ninth inning to plate the Marlins' 10th run towards a 10-9 extra-inning victory over Eastern Mennonite University on Monday afternoon at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Va.

May 1, 2016
The ODAC Softball Tournament staved the rain showers surrounding the James I. Moyer Sports Complex on Saturday, but luck ran out on Sunday as precipitation overnight and into the morning accompanied by further predicted rainfall has postponed play in the title game.

April 24, 2016
Two ties dotted the ODAC softball standings following the last day of competition in the regular season, but neither dealt with the top seed as Virginia Wesleyan College (34-5, 17-1) enters next week's ODAC Softball Tournament with No. 1 billing. Eastern Mennonite University (28-12, 13-5) slots as the second seed in the eight-team field.

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2015 ODAC Softball Tournament News


April 26, 2015
Nelda Bagley registered her fourth complete game of the tournament and Harley Jones hit her second homerun in three days as Randolph-Macon captured its first ODAC softball championship with a 7-1 victory over Lynchburg on Sunday at the Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Va. The Yellow Jackets also earn an automatic bid into the NCAA D-III Softball Tournament.

April 25, 2015
Randolph-Macon College emerged from a rainy day at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex unscathed as the Yellow Jackets head to their second straight ODAC Softball Tournament title game. Lynchburg College, after losing to R-MC earlier in the day, will again square off against the Yellow Jackets, this time with the league hardware up for grabs.

April 24, 2015
The James I. Moyer Sports Complex hosted eight games on the first day of the ODAC Softball Tournament. Second-seeded Lynchburg and third-seeded Randolph-Macon are in the driver's seat as the duo will play on Saturday in the winners' bracket semifinals. Sixth-seeded Emory & Henry, #5 Guilford, #3 Roanoke and #1 Virginia Wesleyan went 1-1 and must win three times to meet either LC or R-MC in the title game. Seventh-seeded Eastern Mennonite and #8 Randolph were eliminated with two losses on Friday.

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2014 ODAC Softball Tournament News


April 27, 2014
Virginia Wesleyan College pushed across two runs in the top of the first inning and didn't look back as the Marlins defeated Randolph-Macon College, 5-2, to secure their second straight ODAC softball title. The win also marked their eighth all-time crown, tying Roanoke College for the most in conference history. VWC will now enter the NCAA Division III Tournament as the ODAC's automatic qualifier.

April 26, 2014
Nearly five hours of rain delays on Friday forced a heavy schedule on Saturday as ODAC teams competed thru eight games at the 2014 ODAC Softball Tournament at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Va. Virginia Wesleyan College is in the drivers’ seat as the Marlins have two chances to secure one more win and a second straight ODAC title.

April 25, 2014
A rain delay of four hours didn't stop top-seeded Virginia Wesleyan's bats from pounding out a 10-2 victory in five innings over #8 Bridgewater. VWC moves on in the winners' bracket to face #4 Randolph-Macon in game seven at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.

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2013 ODAC Softball Tournament News


April 29, 2013
Virginia Wesleyan designated player Lindsey Inzana clubbed a two-run homer in the top of the 19th inning to supply the winning runs and secure the 2013 ODAC Softball Tournament title with an 8-6 victory over Shenandoah on Monday at the Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Va. The win awards the Marlins (38-6) the conference’s automatic entry into the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament.

April 28, 2013
The 2013 ODAC Softball Tournament has been delayed to due weather. Rain is forecast throughout the rest of the day in the Roanoke Valley up until the overnight hours. The scheduled championship between top-seeded Virginia Wesleyan and #6 Shenandoah is now slated for Monday, April 29, at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Va. Game time is tentatively set at 12:00 p.m.

April 27, 2013
Virginia Wesleyan College will have two opportunities to claim its seventh conference softball crown as the Marlins have won each of their three games in the 2013 ODAC Softball Tournament, advancing them to the conference title game from the winner's bracket. Shenandoah University has a chance to capture its first overall league crown, but must win twice to do so after progressing through the loser's bracket.

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2012 ODAC Softball Tournament News


April 29, 2012
Roanoke College won its ODAC-record eighth softball conference title on Sunday afternoon as the Maroons topped Bridgewater College, 7-2, in Salem, Va., at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex. RC earns the ODAC's automatic qualifier in the 2012 NCAA Division III Tournament. Selections will be announced on Monday, May 7.

April 28, 2012
Eastern Mennonite made quick work of Emory & Henry this morning in the loser's bracket of the ODAC Softball Tournament, clubbing a 10-0 win in five innings. The Lady Royals continue into the final four of the tourney, and will take on No. 1 Virginia Wesleyan today at 5:00pm in Salem, VA.

April 28, 2012
Virginia Wesleyan's bats came to life on Saturday morning as the Marlins put up 10 runs in topping Randolph-Macon, 10-1, in five innings. VWC moves on to face EMU in the losers' bracket quarterfinals at 5:00 p.m.

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2011 ODAC Softball Tournament News


April 23, 2011
Virginia Wesleyan College took the shortest route to its sixth ODAC softball title on Friday afternoon as the Marlins completed a 4-0 run through the winners' bracket with a 7-0 victory over Randolph College in the championship game of the 2011 ODAC Softball Tournament. The Marlins earn the ODAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament.

April 22, 2011
Eastern Mennonite kept is hopes of three straight trips to the ODAC title game alive with a 6-4 win over Lynchburg. Lisa Lee picked up the victory of the Royals, improving to 19-7 on the season. Megan Viafora collected three hits to lead the offense. LC's Rachel Gallagher matched her with three knocks for the Hornets.

April 22, 2011
Bridgewater scored three runs in its half of the fourth inning, highlighted by a two-run single back up the middle by shortstop Hillary Rees to help propel the Eagles past Guilford, 4-2, and into a meeting with local rival Eastern Mennonite.

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2010 ODAC Softball Tournament News


April 25, 2010
Eastern Mennonite made the 20th anniversary of the ODAC Softball Tournament feel much like the first event as the Royals topped Virginia Wesleyan, 5-1, to claim the 2010 title and earn the ODAC's automatic bid into the NCAA D-III Softball Tournament. EMU (then EMC) won the inaugural ODAC crown in 1990.

April 24, 2010
After a clean first day of action, the 2010 ODAC Softball Tournament saw its luck run out on Saturday evening as ever-looming weather suspended the loser's bracket semifinal in the bottom of third inning. Play between Virginia Wesleyan and Randolph-Macon will resume at 12:00 p.m on Sunday. EMU awaits the winner in the championship game.

April 20, 2010
Guilford emerged from a three-way tie at the top of the ODAC softball standings as the top seed heading into the 2010 ODAC Softball Tournament. The Quakers (28-11-1, 13-5) posted the best head-to-head mark against tied foes Roanoke (30-7, 13-5) and Virginia Wesleyan (30-7, 13-5), earning them the #1 slot through conference tie-breakers.

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