BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – The UVa-Wise softball team has earned the No. 2 South seed in next weekend's 2017 Mountain East Conference Softball Tournament as seeding and pairings for the postseason tournament were announced by the league office Sunday night. The second-seeded Cavaliers will take on Notre Dame College, who is the No. 3 North seed, in the first round Friday, May 5, at 2:30 p.m. All games will be played at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Virginia.
 
A total of eight teams will compete in the double-elimination tournament – four from the MEC North Division and four from the MEC South Division – with the championship taking place on Sunday, May 7. West Virginia Wesleyan, who is currently ranked No. 8 in the nation according to the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) poll, earned the No. 1 South seed, while Shepherd University claimed the No. 1 North seed. The Lady Bobcats (40-6, 26-4 MEC) won the South Division regular season title and are the defending MEC Tournament champions. The Rams (35-18, 21-11 MEC) are the top seed in the MEC North after claiming their second-straight North Division championship.
 
Wheeling Jesuit University (23-23, 17-15 MEC) captured the No. 2 North seed as the University of Charleston (34-17, 22-10), who is receiving votes in the national poll, earned the No. 3 South seed. Rounding out the South Division is fourth-seeded Concord University (28-26, 17-13 MEC), while Urbana University (16-26, 12-20 MEC) claimed the No. 4 North seed.
 
Five teams in the MEC Tournament are currently ranked in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region, including all four South Division seeds and Shepherd from the North Division. West Virginia Wesleyan is second in the regional rankings followed by Charleston fourth, Concord fifth, Shepherd sixth and UVa-Wise seventh. The NCAA will come out with updated regional rankings Wednesday afternoon.
 
The red-hot Cavs wrapped up the regular season Sunday afternoon with a doubleheader road sweep of Glenville State College. UVa-Wise has won 10 straight and is 13-1 in its last 14 games. Finishing the regular season 31-15 overall and 22-8 in MEC play, the Cavs reached 30 wins in a season for the first time since 2014. UVa-Wise has now posted three 30-win campaigns in the last six years, while the 22 MEC wins are the most in a single season since joining the league.
 
The Falcons (23-28, 13-19) enter the MEC Tournament having gone 4-6 in their last 10 games. The Cavs swept Notre Dame College in Wise just 10 days ago on April 21. UVa-Wise took game one 4-2 in extra innings thanks to a two-run walk-off home run by freshman shortstop Nikki Smith (Chesapeake, Va.), before tallying nine runs in game two for a 9-0, run-rule victory in only five innings. The Cavs are 5-2 against the Falcons since joining the MEC, including earning a 9-0, five-inning shutout in the 2014 version of the MEC Tournament.
 
After winning the inaugural MEC Tournament in 2014 and reaching the consolation bracket final a year ago as the No. 4 South seed, UVa-Wise is 7-2 all-time in the conference's postseason tournament. Junior right-hander Taylor Brandts (King George, Va.), the 2014 MEC Pitcher of the Year, is 5-1 in MEC Tournament games. She claimed MVP honors at the league tournament in 2014 and is a two-time MEC All-Tournament Team honoree. Senior second baseman Alexa Hernandez (Woodbridge, Va.) was named to the MEC All-Tournament Team a year ago as well.
 
Win or lose, the Cavs will play their second game of the MEC Tournament Friday night at 7:30 p.m. UVa-Wise will face either the winner or loser of No. 1 North seed Shepherd versus No. 4 South seed Concord, who also play at 2:30 p.m. Friday.

Tickets to the MEC Tournament can be purchased at the gate, $10 per day for adults and $5 per day for students. Tournament passes ($25) are also available for entry into all games.
 
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