IRVINE, Calif. – For the first time in school history, the Concordia University Irvine softball team earned a No. 1 seed for the NCAA DII West Regional Tournament. 

CUI will host the regional for the second consecutive season and will face No. 8 seed Concordia Portland on Thursday, May 9 at 1:30 p.m. in the first round of the double elimination tournament.  Joining the two Concordia schools at the same site will be No. 4 seed San Francisco State and No. 5 seed Western Oregon. The Gators and Wolves will face each other in the first game in Irvine this Thursday at 10 a.m. PT.

The Eagles gathered bright and early Monday morning to watch the NCAA DII selection show together.  As the brackets were revealed, the Eagles roared as their names came on the screen.

VIDEO: Click here to see the CUI softball team's reactions as the regional bracket was revealed.

"We're just all so excited for the playoffs," said CUI junior shortstop Sarah Kretschmar. "We've had a great season and we just want to keep it moving.  We've worked super hard for this and it was really awesome to see our names up there."

"It's exciting for our university in general to get a chance to host the NCAA Regional for a second year," said CUI head coach Crystal Rosenthal. "My girls are in great spirits and the mood in the room was consistent with our team. They've earned this position to be able to host."

The Eagles finished the regular season on a 15-game winning streak and secured their second straight PacWest Conference title.  The Green and Gold finished the regular season with a 44-6 overall record (31-3 in conference) and also became just the second PacWest softball team to win 30 games in league play.

"This is a really exciting time and we are super stoked to be in the postseason," added CUI junior catcher Mackenzie Graham. "We are going to face some tough teams so I think the number one thing is to stay focused and keep playing with enthusiasm and keep having fun out there."

"I think the best attribute of this team is that we've been able to adjust," continued Rosenthal. "We've been able to do multiple things to get a win."

The Eagles have gotten exceptional pitching this season led by two-time NFCA National Player of the Week Callie Nunes (31-4, 1.10 ERA). The Modesto, Calif. native tossed four no-hitters this season including one in a 4-0 win over Academy of Art that secured career win No. 500 for CUI head coach Crystal Rosenthal.  Nunes also ranks in the top ten in the nation with 241 strikeouts this year.  True freshman Erika Morris has taken over the No. 2 pitching spot in the rotation and compiled a 9-2 record with an impressive 1.58 ERA and one save.

CUI has been ranked between No. 1 and No. 15 the entire 2019 season in the NFCA DII rankings. When CUI reached the top spot in the NFCA DII rankings in March, it marked the first time any Concordia University Irvine team has been ranked No. 1 in any national poll since the school completed the transition from NAIA to NCAA DII.

Be sure to check back this week on www.cuieagles.com for updates and more tournament information as CUI prepares to host the NCAA DII Softball West Regional Tournament. You can also follow us on Twitter (@cuieagles) and Instagram (@cuieagles) as well.

For the full CUI schedule, click here.