Spring Sports Postseason Begins This Week

This week five California Pacific Conference programs open postseason action all across the United States.  The competition begins tomorrow afternoon in St. Louis, Mo., when UC Merced men's volleyball opens its first-ever appearance in the NAIA National Championship at 2:00 pm (PT).  On Thursday, May 1, five more teams take to the field to try and extend their season.  Simpson and Westcliff travel to Lawrenceville, Ga., for the Continental Athletic Conference Softball Championship.  The Warriors, seeded #4 in the four-team tournament, will play 9:00 am (PT) and the #2 Red Hawks will follow in the next game at 11:30 am (PT).  Simpson also will send its baseball team out of state to for the North Star Athletic Association Baseball Championship in Dickinson, ND.  The Red Hawks, the #4 seed, open with a game at 11:00 am (PT), and #6 La Sierra, the other qualifier out of the Cal Pac, will play at 6:00 pm (PT)

MEN'S VOLLEYBALL

UC Merced is headed to the NAIA Men's Volleyball National Championship for the first time in program history, having earned the one automatic bid from the Cal Pac by winning the conference tournament.  The Bobcats (10-12) are the #12 seed in the 16-team field and are placed with #4 Missouri Baptist (26-5) and #5 St. Thomas (23-1) in Pool D.

NAIA MEN'S VOLLEYBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

At Missouri Baptist | St. Louis, Mo.

Tuesday, April 29

(All times PT)

POOL D

2:00 pm - #4 Missouri Baptist vs. #12 UC Merced

Wednesday, April 30

2:00 pm - #5 St. Thomas (Fla.) vs. #12 UC Merced                                                                           

Thursday, May 1

2:00 pm - #4 Missouri Baptist vs. #5 St. Thomas (Fla.)

SEMIFINALS

Friday, May 2

At Alliant Energy PowerHouse | Cedar Rapids, Iowa

CHAMPIONSHIP

Saturday, May 3

At Alliant Energy PowerHouse | Cedar Rapids, Iowa

SOFTBALL

Simpson and Westcliff extended their seasons by qualifying for the Continental Athletic Conference Championship, which will take place in Lawrenceville, Ga., beginning this Thursday, May 1.   The Red Hawks (24-19), the #2 seed in the three-day CAC event, won the Cal Pac crown this Spring and look to continue a run into the national tournament.  The Warriors (21-21), who riding an eight-game win streak into the postseason, were awarded the #4 seed.  Action gets underway on Thursday with GGC playing WU, followed by the matchup between SU and Florida National.

2025 CONTINENTAL ATHLETIC CONFERENCE SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Hosted by Georgia Gwinnett | Lawrenceville, Ga.

(All times PT)

Thursday, May 1

9:00 am - Game 1:  #1 Georgia Gwinnett vs. #4 Westcliff

11:30 am - Game 2:  #2 Simpson vs. #3 Florida National

Friday, May 2

9:00 am - Game 3:  Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2

11:30 am – Game 4:  Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2

2:00 pm – Game 5:  Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4

Saturday, May 3

9:00 am – Game 6:  Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5

11:30 am – Game 7 (if necessary)

BASEBALL

Simpson and La Sierra kept their path to the NAIA National Championship open by qualifying for the North Star Athletic Association Championship, which will be held in Dickinson, ND.  The Red Hawks (20-26) were awarded the #4 seed while the Golden Eagles (19-17) secured the #6 seed. the win with Saturday's 12-7 win at Simpson.  SU is coming off a strong run through the conference schedule, which earned the Red Hawks their first Cal Pac title in program history.  LSU clinched a spot in the postseason with a victory in their final conference game of the season, a 12-7 victory at SU.  The Golden Eagles earned a tiebreaker over Westcliff to qualify for the NSAA conference tournament.

2025 NORTH STAR ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Hosted by Dickinson State | Dickinson, ND

(All times PT)

Thursday, May 1

8:00 am - Game 1:  #8 Valley City State (SD) vs. #1 Bellevue (Neb.)

11:00 am - Game 2:  #5 Dakota State (SD) vs. #4 Simpson

3:00 pm - Game 3:  #7 Mayville State (ND) vs. #2 Jamestown (ND)

6:00 pm - Game 4:  #6 La Sierra vs. #3 Dickinson State (ND)

Friday, May 2

8:00 am - Game 5:  Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 (loser eliminated)

11:00 am - Game 6:  Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 (loser eliminated)

3:00 pm - Game 7:  Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2

6:00 pm - Game 8:  Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4

Saturday, May 3

8:00 am - Game 9:  Loser Game 7 vs. Winner Game 6 (loser eliminated)

11:00 am - Game 10:  Loser Game 8 vs. Winner Game 5 (loser eliminated)

3:00 pm - Game 11:  Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8

6:00 pm - Game 12:  Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 9

Sunday, May 4

10:00 am - Game 13:  Loser Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12 (Ioser eliminated)

1:30 pm - Championship:  Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 13

Monday, May 5

10:00 am - Championship (if necessary)