KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Oregon Tech has earned the top-seed in the Klamath Falls Bracket of the NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round, with games to be played at Stilwell Stadium May 11-14.
 
The Lady Owls (41-8) will be making their 12th-straight trip to the Opening Round, second-only to Oklahoma City, with Tech claiming the Cascade Conference regular-season title for an unprecedented fifth-straight year.
 
Joining OIT in the Basin is the 2024 NAIA national champions, No. 2-seed Our Lady of the Lake from San Antonio, Texas. The Saints (39-10) claimed the Red River Athletic Conference tournament title and are paced by former UTEP pitcher Annika Litterio (25-7 1.84 ERA) and outfielder Adrianna Alejandro (.434 2 HR 36 RBI).
 
Third-seed St. Thomas University of Miami Gardens, Fla., makes the trip to Klamath for the second time in three seasons. The Bobcats (31-20) earned an at-large bid after a third-place finish in the Sun Conference, with the squad led by two-way player Christina Ortiz (.372 7 HR 36 RBI, 8-8 1.95 ERA).
 
Returning to the Basin for a second-straight year is No. 4-seed Arizona Christian, led by former North Medford High and Southern Oregon coach Mike Mayben. The Firestorm (36-13), from Phoenix, won the Great Southwest Athletic Conference regular-season crown and are led by two-way player Dayna Herrera (.527 8 HR 51 RBI, 14-6 2.91 ERA), the leading hitter in the NAIA.
 
Closing out the bracket is Dickinson State, the regular-season and tournament champions of the Frontier Conference. The Blue Hawks (40-12), from Dickinson, N.D., have a prolific offense, led by Brooke Lijeweski (.436 11 HR 62 RBI), with the pitching staff paced by Reagan King (11-4 2.81 ERA).
 
All games from the Opening Round will be streamed on the Urban Edge Network and broadcast live on radio in the Basin on 104.3 & 960 Sports.
 
The winner of the Klamath Falls Bracket will advance to the NAIA Softball World Series in Columbus, Ga., May 21-27.
 
MONDAY, MAY 11
Game 1: No. 4 Arizona Christian vs. No. 5 Dickinson State, 11 a.m.
Game 2: No. 2 Our Lady of the Lake vs. No. 3 St. Thomas, 1:30 p.m.
Game 3: No. 1 Oregon Tech vs. Winner Game 1, 4 p.m.
 
TUESDAY, MAY 12
Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 11 a.m.
Game 5: Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3, 1:30 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3, 4 p.m.
 
WEDNESDAY, MAY 13
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 5, 1 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 7, 4 p.m.
 
THURSDAY, MAY 14
Game 9: Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 8 (if necessary), 1 p.m.