UT Tyler and Western Washington are all that’s left standing in the 2024 DII softball season. The two will go head-to-head in the best-of-three championship series from the DII festival. Both programs are looking to make history and win their first-ever DII softball national championship.
Here’s what you need to know about the series:
DII softball central: Complete schedule and scores from every round | Bracket
The DII softball championship series: How to watch
UT Tyler and Western Washington are set to begin the DII softball championship series on Friday, May 24, at noon ET from Boombah-Soldiers Creek Park in Longwood, Florida. Game 2 will begin at noon on Saturday, May 25, with Game 3 following at 2:30 p.m. ET if necessary. You can stream all the games right here on NCAA.com.
UT Tyler vs. Western Washington: By the Numbers
| Stat | UT Tyler | Western Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Season record | 56-8 | 52-10 |
| Batting average | .330 | .289 |
| OPS | .902 | .787 |
| Home runs | 34 | 49 |
| Runs scored | 431 | 303 |
| ERA | 1.78 | 1.74 |
| WHIP | 1.08 | 1.09 |
| K/7 | 5.4 | 4.5 |
2024 DII softball: UT Tyler vs. Lenoir-Rhyne full replay
UT Tyler has been one of the most consistent programs since joining DII in 2020. The Patriots have won at least 49 games in each of the past three seasons and have made it to the final eightin each one of them; however, until now they have never made it past the semifinals, seeing each of the past two seasons end there.
The Patriots have been on fire since the tournament started, winning their last eight games, and scoring the most runs per game from the start of tournament play (6.4 runs per game). Courtney Plocheck continues to be one of the best hitters in DII softball — leading the Patriots with a .408 average, her third season in a row eclipsing the .400 mark. The Patriots have also been outstanding all year in the circle, but have been particularly hot in the tournament, posting a 1.15 ERA over their eight games. Christin Haygood — who went the distance to defeat Lenoir-Rhyne in the semifinals — has allowed just three earned runs while pitching all but 0.2 innings in Florida.
2024 DII softball: Western Washington vs. UIndy full replay
Western Washington is simply a team that doesn't want to lose. The Vikings' run through the tournament has not only been impressive but thrilling to watch. Now 7-0 in elimination games this tournament, Western Washington heads to the finals after taking two from tournament favorite and nationally ranked No. 2 UIndy. It isn't simplythatthe Vikings are winning, but how — getting utterly dominant pitching performances and allowing just one run in each of their four victories in Florida.
Emma Andrewjeski-Ramirez swings the big bat for Western Washington. She leads both teams remaining with 18 home runs and has a team-high 56 RBIs to go with the dingers. Maleah Andrews has been riding a hot streak, currently on a 10-game hitting streak in which half of those games were of the multi-hit variety. The work in the circle is done in tandem, but freshman Alli Kimball has been hot, allowing just four earned runs while appearing in all five games spanning 26.1 innings (a 1.07 ERA) in Florida.
DII softball championship prediction
The DII softball championship series has not been kind to higher seeds. UT Tyler is the first No. 2 seed higher to advance to the final series since 2018 and that was Saint Anselm which was swept by No. 8 Southern Indiana. No No. 1 seed has made it to the championship series since 2017. If we look to history for answers, Western Washington, the No. 6 seed, has the advantage. However, since seeding began in the 2017 finals, the highest seed remaining is 4-2 in the championship series.
Right now, UT Tyler is statistically the hotter team. Western Washington is hitting just .269 in the tournament, 32 points lower than UT Tyler, and has scored about half as many runs as the Patriots (3.7 per game). These two met on Monday and it was a lopsided Patriots' victory in which UT Tyler won 10-1 behind that hot hitting and pitching.
That said, there is something gritty and magical about this Western Washington club. The past two seasons have not gone three games as North Georgia and Rogers State swept their way to the title. I think UT Tyler is in Florida on a mission, looking to finally take home that national championship and establish the program astheteam to beat in the sport. But Western Washington will make it difficult.
Prediction: UT Tyler wins in three
