IWU hosts NCAA Div. III Softball Championship games this week
Illinois Wesleyan is hosting the NCAA Division III Softball Championship this week. Eight teams, from coast to coast, are in Bloomington to compete for the national title at Inspiration Field.
The double-elimination tournament runs from May 29-June 4.
'It's an opportunity to host teams from all over the country and to showcase Bloomington-Normal and see what we are all about. And, of course, Illinois Wesleyan,' said IWU athletics director Mike Wagner.
The eight teams playing in the 2025 Div. III Softball World Series are Virginia Wesleyan from Virginia Beach, Randolph-Macon College of Ashland, Virginia, Linfield University of Oregon, Saint Mary's in Minnesota, Rowan University of Glassboro, NJ, Texas Lutheran, Trine from Angola, Indiana and Redlands College of California.
IWU made the NCAA field and won two games in the regional but fell short of getting home to play for the national title. Nonetheless, the Titans hope to provide a championship experience for everyone as the tournament host.
'We'll try to make this experience the best we possibly can for the student-athletes and the teams that are in town here for this week,' Wagner said.
IWU will host the NCAA Div. III volleyball national tournament in November.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
12 minutes ago
- New York Times
In letter, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti says Michigan penalties should end: Report
Michigan's June hearing in front of the NCAA Committee on Infractions included a letter from Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti arguing that Michigan should face no additional sanctions stemming from its 2023 impermissible scouting scandal, ESPN reported Monday. The Big Ten confirmed to The Athletic that Petitti provided a letter to the NCAA, as he was unable to attend the hearing in person. The league did not comment on the contents of the letter, but it is standard practice for conference commissioners to appear at infractions hearings in support of league members facing discipline. Advertisement In the case of Petitti and Michigan, the history matters. The Big Ten learned in 2023 that Michigan was subject to an NCAA investigation for the actions of former staffer Connor Stalions, who was accused of orchestrating a scheme to acquire video footage of opponents' signals. In the midst of the NCAA investigation, Petitti suspended Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh for the final three regular-season games of the 2023 season for violations of the league's sportsmanship policy. The suspension placated other Big Ten programs furious about the sign-stealing allegations and infuriated Michigan. The school briefly attempted to challenge the suspension in court, and athletic director Warde Manuel called the Big Ten's decision 'unethical' and 'insulting.' The bad blood led to an awkward scene after Michigan won the Big Ten championship game, with Harbaugh standing at a distance as Petitti awarded the championship trophy to Michigan's players. The Wolverines went on to beat Alabama and Washington in the College Football Playoff to complete their perfect season. The Big Ten and Michigan are ready to put their differences in the past and move on from the Stalions affair. The NCAA, however, has the final say. The NCAA issued a notice of allegations charging Michigan with six Level I violations, the most severe in the NCAA's penalty structure, and coach Sherrone Moore faces a Level II charge for deleting text messages he exchanged with Stalions before the investigation became public. Michigan proposed suspending Moore for Michigan's Week 3 game against Central Michigan and its Week 4 game at Nebraska as punishment, though it's unclear if the NCAA will accept those terms. Petitti's swift action against Michigan in 2023 was influenced by the length of the NCAA infractions process, which often drags out over multiple years. Relevant parties, including Stalions, appeared at a two-day infractions hearing in June, and a ruling is expected before the start of the 2025 season. The NCAA is considering a range of possible penalties, though NCAA president Charlie Baker said Michigan won the national championship 'fair and square' after the Wolverines beat Washington in the CFP championship game.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Big Ten commish Tony Petitti sent letter to NCAA arguing no further punishment for Michigan in Connor Stalions case: Report
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti caught a lot of flak from Michigan fans when the conference punished the school as part of the Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal. Now, however, Petitti might prove to be the school's biggest ally. Petitti reportedly sent a letter to the NCAA arguing against issuing further punishments to Michigan as part of the Stalions scandal, per Dan Wetzel of ESPN. That letter was reportedly read during an infractions-committee meeting in June. The NCAA is expected to hand down additional penalties to Michigan ahead of the 2025 season. The organization charged Michigan with 11 rule violations, six of which were considered Level 1, which the NCAA labels as a "severe breach of conduct." The committee has yet to issue additional punishments from those violations. Despite Petitti's plea, the committee does not have to listen to his advice. Petitti already punished Michigan for the Stalions sign-stealing scandal. In 2023, Petitti suspended Jim Harbaugh for three games. In response, Michigan sought a temporary restraining order to prevent that suspension from taking effect. Harbaugh wound up serving the suspension, but Michigan won every game during his absence, and then the Wolverines went on to win the national championship. In his letter, Petitti reportedly argued that the suspension was adequate, and that the university shouldn't be subjected to additional punishments for the Stalions scandal. Following that national championship win, Harbaugh left Michigan for the Los Angeles Chargers. He led the team to an 11-6 record in his first season back in the NFL. After Harbaugh left, Michigan promoted offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore into the head-coaching role. Moore led the team to an 8-5 record in his first season with the team. It's unclear whether the NCAA will hand down additional punishments as part of the Stalions scandal. The organization could consider "vacating past victories, a postseason ban, the suspension of coaches, a monetary fine or other measures," per ESPN. In May, the university recommended a two-game suspension for Moore during the 2025 season after he allegedly deleted a text-message chain with Stalions after the sign-stealing scandal was discovered. Those texts were reportedly recovered by the NCAA. Since Petitti's original punishment 2023, the NCAA handed down penalties to Michigan for issues unrelated to the Stalions scandal. In 2024, Harbaugh was suspended for a year and given a four-year show-clause penalty for recruiting violations. He — along with Moore and the entire program — could face even more punishments depending on how the infractions committee rules ahead of the 2025 season.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Big Ten commish Tony Petitti sent letter to NCAA arguing no further punishment for Michigan in Connor Stalions case
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti caught a lot of flak from Michigan fans when he punished the school as part of the Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal. Now, however, Petitti might prove to be the school's biggest ally. Petitti reportedly sent a letter to the NCAA arguing against issuing further punishments to Michigan as part of the Stalions scandal, per Dan Wetzel of ESPN. That letter was reportedly read during an infractions-committee meeting in June, per ESPN. The NCAA is expected to hand down additional penalties to Michigan ahead of the 2025 season. The organization charged Michigan with 11 violations, six of which were considered Level 1, which the NCAA labels as a "severe breach of conduct." The committee has yet to issue additional punishments from those violations. Despite Petitti's plea, the committee does not have to listen to his advice. Petitti already punished Michigan for the Stalions sign-stealing scandal. In 2023, Petitti suspended Jim Harbaugh for three games. In response, Michigan sought a temporary restraining order to prevent that suspension from taking effect. Harbaugh wound up serving the suspension, but Michigan won every game during his absence, and then went on to win the national championship. In his letter, Petitti reportedly argued that suspension was adequate, and that the university shouldn't be subjected to additional punishments for the Stalions scandal. Following that national-championship win, Harbaugh left Michigan for the Los Angeles Chargers. He led the team to an 11-6 record in his first season back in the NFL. After Harbaugh left, Michigan promoted offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore into the head-coaching role. Moore led the team to an 8-5 record in his first season with the team. It's unclear whether the NCAA will hand down additional punishments as part of the Stalions scandal. The organization could consider "vacating past victories, a postseason ban, the suspension of coaches, a monetary fine or other measures," per ESPN. In May, the university recommended a two-game suspension for Moore during the 2025 season after he allegedly deleted a text-message chain with Stalions after the sign-stealing scandal was discovered. Those texts were reportedly recovered by the NCAA. Since Petitti's original punishment 2023, the NCAA handed down penalties to Michigan for issues unrelated to the Stalions scandal. In 2024, Harbaugh was suspended for a year and given a four-year show-clause penalty for recruiting violations. He — along with Moore and the entire program — could face even more punishments depending on how the infractions committee rules ahead of the 2025 season.
