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This week, the National Invitational Softball Championship tournament officially returns to the field for the first time since 2019. After a pandemic-induced absence from the postseason schedule for the last two seasons, the NISC will kick off its 2022 edition on Friday morning.
Every game in this year’s tournament are taking place in Fort Collins, Colorado; twelve teams are participating in the tournament and will vie to be one of two teams to end their season with a victory.
Virginia received the #1 overall seed in the tournament, with Baylor, UNLV, and Central Arkansas rounding out the top four seeds who receive first-round tournament byes.
Also in the tournament field are 5th-seed George Washington, #6 North Alabama, #7 Rutgers, #8 Stephen F. Austin, #9 Bowling Green, #10 UC San Diego, #11 Tarleton State, and #12 Kansas.
Here’s a look at each team in the tournament field…
#1 Virginia
Regular Season: 27-24 overall, 13-11 ACC
What to Know: Virginia enjoyed a breakout season this year, finishing above .500 in conference play and overall. The Cavaliers took some egregious early-season losses, but did their part to redeem those with some quality wins in league play. This was the best season in recent memory for UVA and they’ll get to continue it for a few days longer.
Who to Watch: Tori Gilbert, OF — Gilbert is the only UVA player to reach double-digits in both doubles and home runs; she led the Cavaliers with eleven longballs. She added 26 RBIs, 34 runs scored, and also led the team with ten stolen bases.
#2 Baylor
Regular Season: 28-24 overall, 6-12 Big 12
What to Know: The Bears finished 5th in the Big 12 regular-season standings; the Bears were never a major contender for an NCAA tournament berth, but a group of transfers contributed to buoy the team to an above-.500 record and a chance to play in the postseason of a different kind.
Who to Watch: Emily Hott, UT — One of the “homegrown” talents on the Bears’ roster, Hott finished second on the team with a .325 batting average and 26 runs scored during the regular season. She added five doubles, two triples, and 19 RBIs, as well as seven stolen bases and a .446 on-base percentage.
#3 UNLV
Regular Season: 39-13 overall, 17-7 Mountain West
What to Know: Early in the year, the Rebels were one of the hot contenders for the Mountain West title. They faded a bit down the stretch, but still put together a quality overall resume and a solid year both at the plate and in the circle.
Who to Watch: April Visser, 2B — The former NC State transfer contributed in a mighty way to the Rebels’ offense this year, leading the team with fourteen home runs – the only player to reach double-digits in that category – and adding 49 runs scored, eight doubles, and 46 RBIs.
#4 Central Arkansas
Regular Season: 35-20 overall, 17-7 ASun
What to Know: In their first year in the ASun, UCA won their division within the conference and finished in the final three in the league tournament. The Bears are a deep and experienced team and can be a scrappy bunch that gets the job done.
Who to Watch: Kayla Beaver, P — One of two aces on the UCA pitching staff, Beaver turned in some stellar performances this year, including against SEC champion Arkansas in non-conference play. She ended the year with a 2.26 ERA and a .229 opponent’s batting average, splitting innings fairly down the middle and earning 19 wins.
#5 George Washington
Regular Season: 36-15 overall, 21-3 A10
What to Know: The A10 regular-season champions came up one win shy of advancing to their second-consecutive NCAA tournament, but the Colonials boast a veteran squad with a plethora of postseason experience as they enter the NISC.
Who to Watch: Sierra Lange, P/UT — Lange can get the job done with her arm, her bat, and even her legs. Now in her final season at GW, Lange led the pitching staff in every major category, including earning 27 wins and collecting 210 strikeouts. Offensively, she finished third on the team with a .338 batting average, hit 12 doubles and 4 home runs, and led the team by a large margin with 19 stolen bases.
#6 North Alabama
Regular Season: 38-18 overall, 15-9 ASun
What to Know: A hot start to the year that included an 18-3 record to open the season evolved into a respectable year for the Lions; their conference year ultimately ended with a 1-2 showing in the ASun tournament, but their overall body of work was solid.
Who to Watch: Maci Birdyshaw, P — The young hurler led UNA with a 2,99 ERA, 18 wins, and an opponent’s batting average of .234 this season. She was the only Lions pitcher to reach triple-digits in innings pitched or in strikeouts, collecting 136 of the latter across 147.1 innings of work.
#7 Rutgers
Regular Season: 25-28 overall, 3-17 Big 10
What to Know: The Scarlet Knights struggled through much of the season, finishing with just three conference wins and missing the Big Ten tournament. RU finished the year 13th of fourteen teams in the B1G and were 22-11 in non-conference play.
Who to Watch: Kyleigh Sand, IF — The former ULL transfer has contributed in a mighty way for the Scarlet Knights this season, leading the team with an even .400 batting average and collecting twelve doubles, 22 RBIs, and 48 runs scored along the way. She is a quality offensive threat.
#8 Stephen F. Austin
Regular Season: 31-25 overall, 18-6 WAC
What to Know: New conference? No problem for SFA, who won the WAC’s Southeast division in their first year in the new league. The Ladyjacks came up just short in the conference tournament, but put together a quality run in the final two-thirds of the regular season after a sluggish start.
Who to Watch: Kassidy Wilbur, P — If you’ve never seen Wilbur pitch, do yourself a favor and watch. She’s a particularly impressive hurler, a dominant force in the circle, and a true ace in the hole (or in the circle) for SFA. Her numbers this year include 22 wins and 236 strikeouts.
#9 Bowling GreenÂ
Regular Season: 32-19 overall, 16-11 MAC
What to Know: The Falcons were a mighty-impressive team in the MAC this season, finishing third in the regular season reaching the conference tournament final. The BG offense contributed and the seemingly-rubber arm of Payton Gottshall might have actually gotten *better* this season.
Who to Watch: Payton Gottshall, P — There’s no other option; BG has a quality club, but their fortunes are centered around Gottshall and her mastery in the circle. An old-school-style workhorse, Gottshall notched a 1.54 ERA, 25 wins, a .161 opponent’s batting average, and an eye-popping 356 strikeouts this season.
#10 UC San Diego
Regular Season: 27-26 overall, 15-12 Big West
What to Know: Still newcomers to the D1 ranks, the Tritons did a quietly-impressive job this season, including finishing in the top-half of the Big West standings and with a record above .500 in both the conference and overall.
Who to Watch: Jada Cecil, P — The freshman has been a sensation in the circle this season, marching to the tune of a 1.62 ERA, 20 wins, 230 strikeouts, and an opponent’s batting average of .173. She has been a rock-solid presence in the circle for UCSD.
#11 Tarleton State
Regular Season: 29-23 overall, 14-10 WAC
What to Know: The Texans had a top-level start to the year, were one of the last undefeated teams in the nation, and put together a solid resume in WAC play.
Who to Watch: Georgia Capell, OF — The veteran slugger is already the Texans’ career home run leader and she owns fourteen longballs this year alone. She also led the team with a .383 batting average during the regular season, notched twelve doubles, was a perfect 8-8 in stealing bases, and added a .495 on-base percentage that was also tops in the clubhouse.
#12 Kansas
Regular Season: 16-34 overall, 3-15 Big 12
What to Know: Not much went right this season for the Jayhawks, but the club gets a taste of postseason play nevertheless. Three wins in conference play were hard-fought and earned, while the Jayhawks also saw freshman Olivia Bruno earn a pair of all-conference honors after the year.
Who to Watch: Olivia Bruno, P/1B — A freshman two-way standout, Bruno tied for the KU team lead with ten home runs and added a .315 batting average on the year. She led the team in conference play with a .353 mark at the plate. She collected 30 RBIs on the year and scored 23 runs.