HADLEY, Mass. – Tufts is the No. 1 seed for the 2023 NESCAC Softball Championship and will host the event May 12-14 at Spicer Field in Medford, Mass. The 2023 season marked the first time all 10 NESCAC teams faced each other in a round-robin schedule format. Prior to this season, the teams were split into East and West Divisions and only faced divisional opponents in conference play. The top eight teams in the standings qualified for the NESCAC Championship and will play a single-elimination tournament. The NESCAC Champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.
#1 Tufts Jumbos
2023 Record: 35-3 / 17-1 NESCAC
NESCAC Tournament Appearances (including this year): 21
NESCAC Finals Appearances: 17 (last: 2022)
NESCAC Titles Won: 12 (last: 2021)
Notes: 2022 NESCAC Runners-Up … Tufts is a No. 1 seed for the 18th time in program history … The Jumbos will host the NESCAC Championship for the 10th time and second straight year … The Jumbos have won five straight and 13 of their last 14 contests … Tufts' lone conference loss was a 1-0 decision at Bates … Tufts will face No. 8 Middlebury in the opening game of the tournament … The Jumbos swept the Panthers, 9-0 and 6-1, on April 16 … Tufts is 8-3 against Middlebury in the NESCAC postseason series.
TIEBREAKER: Amherst and Williams both finished with identical conference records of 12-6. Both teams had the same number of conference wins. In head-to-head competition, Amherst went 2-0 against Williams to earn the No. 2 seed.
#2 Amherst Mammoths
2023 Record: 24-12 / 12-16 NESCAC
NESCAC Tournament Appearances (including this year): 10
NESCAC Finals Appearances: 2 (last: 2022)
NESCAC Titles Won: 1 (2022)
Notes: 2022 NESCAC Champion … Amherst is in the NESCAC Tournament field for the sixth straight year … The Mammoths will face No. 7 Bates on Friday in the second game of the championship … Amherst won 3-2 (10 inn.) and 3-1 to sweep the Bobcats on April 16 … The teams have played only once in the NESCAC Championship, an 8-0 Amherst victory in the opening game of the 2018 tournament … The Mammoths have won seven of their last eight games.
#3 Williams Ephs
2023 Record: 19-15 / 12-6 NESCAC
NESCAC Tournament Appearances (including this year): 20
NESCAC Finals Appearances: 11 (last: 2021)
NESCAC Titles Won: 6 (last: 2018)
Notes: Williams has qualified for the NESCAC Championship for the ninth straight season and 20th time overall … The Ephs are the No. 3 seed and will play No. 6 Trinity on Saturday … Williams swept the Bantams on April 29 by the scores of 7-0 and 8-4 … The Ephs are 6-3 against Trinity in the NESCAC Tournament series, including an 8-4 loss in Game 4 of last year’s championship … Williams owns six NESCAC titles, winning three straight between 2004 to 2006 and 2016 and 2018 ... The Ephs enter the tournament having won five of their last six games.
#4 Colby Mules
2023 Record: 23-13 / 10-8 NESCAC
NESCAC Tournament Appearances (including this year): 3
NESCAC Finals Appearances: 0
NESCAC Titles Won: 0
Notes: Colby won its final three games of the regular season and is making back-to-back appearances in the NESCAC Championship for the first time in program history … The Mules are the No. 4 seed and will face No. 5 Bowdoin in their first game of the championship which also marks the first meeting between the two schools in the NESCAC postseason … The teams split the regular-season series, with Colby posting a 10-5 win in Game 1 and the Polar Bears winning 4-2 in Game 2.
#5 Bowdoin Polar Bears
2023 Record: 19-19 / 9-9 NESCAC
NESCAC Tournament Appearances (including this year): 13
NESCAC Finals Appearances: 4 (last: 2018)
NESCAC Titles Won: 0
Notes: Bowdoin is the No. 5 seed and making its 13th NESCAC Tournament appearance … The Polar Bears will play No. 4 Colby on Saturday… The game marks the first meeting between the two schools in the NESCAC postseason … The teams split the regular-season series, with Colby winning Game 1, 10-5, and the Polar Bears winning Game 2, 4-2.
#6 Trinity Bantams
2023 Record: 13-19 / 8-10 NESCAC
NESCAC Tournament Appearances (including this year): 11
NESCAC Finals Appearances: 1 (2007)
NESCAC Titles Won: 0
Notes: Trinity is the No. 6 seed and has qualified for the NESCAC Championship for the sixth straight tournament … The Bantams closed out the regular season with four straight wins … Trinity will meet No. 3 Williams in its first game of the tournament … Williams swept the Bantams on April 29, 7-0 and 8-4 … The Bantams are 3-6 against the Ephs in the NESCAC Tournament series, including an 8-4 win in Game 4 of last year.
TIEBREAKER: Bates, Middlebury, and Hamilton finished with identical conference records of 7-11. All three teams had the same number of conference wins. In head-to-head competition, all three teams split the series against each other. In results against the top four teams, including all teams at the 4th spot (Tufts, Amherst, Williams, and Colby), Bates and Middlebury went 2-6 and Hamilton went 1-7. Hamilton was separated from the tiebreaking process to finish in 9th. Bates and Middlebury were then compared in head-to-head competition. The teams split the season series. Both teams finished 2-6 against the top four teams. In results against the top eight teams, including all teams at the 8th spot (Tufts, Amherst, Williams, Colby, Bowdoin, Trinity, Bates, Middlebury, and Hamilton), both teams went 5-11. In a comparison of results against teams in ranked order, Bates went 1-1 against #1 Tufts and Middlebury went 0-2. As a result, Bates earned the No. 7 seed and Middlebury earned the No. 8 seed.
#7 Bates Bobcats
2023 Record: 15-16-1 / 7-11 NESCAC
NESCAC Tournament Appearances (including this year): 4
NESCAC Finals Appearances: 0
NESCAC Titles Won: 0
Notes: Bates is the No. 7 seed and making its first appearance in the NESCAC Championship since 2019 and fourth overall … The Bobcats will face No. 2 Amherst on the opening day of the tournament … Amherst swept the Bobcats, 3-2 (10 inn.) and 3-1, on April 16 and the teams have played only once in the NESCAC Championship with Bates falling 8-0 in the opening game of the 2018 tournament.
#8 Middlebury Panthers
2023 Record: 18-16 / 7-11 NESCAC
NESCAC Tournament Appearances (including this year): 12
NESCAC Finals Appearances: 3 (last: 2012)
NESCAC Titles Won: 1 (2011)
Notes: Middlebury is the No. 8 seed and qualified for the NESCAC Championship for the fourth consecutive season … The Panthers will meet top-seeded Tufts in the opening game of the championship … The Jumbos swept the Panthers, 9-0 and 6-1, on April 16 … Tufts owns an 8-3 advantage against Middlebury in the NESCAC postseason series … The Panthers won their only NESCAC title in 2011.
