Freeland, Mich -- The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) has named the softball teams from Trine University and Hope College the 2021 regular-season co-champions.  The Thunder and the Flying Dutch have been seeded first and second, respectively, in the MIAA Softball Tournament which begins on May 6.

Regular-Season Champion

The 2021 season began on March 23.  Cancellations caused by COVID-19 required the MIAA to develop a formula that ensures fairness in determining regular-season champions across all sports.

This formula that takes into account the win-loss record of each team and the win-loss record of their opponents (creating a strength of schedule) was adopted.

Hope concluded league play with a 14-2 record.  The Flying Dutch were previously the outright MIAA champion in 2006 and tied with Alma in 2017.

Trine also finished the 2021 season with a 14-2 mark in conference play.  The Thunder was the most recent regular-season champion in 2019, as the 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID-19.

MIAA Softball Tournament

Not all games were completed due to COVID-19 protocols, so the 2021 MIAA Softball Tournament seeding was determined by the coaches' postseason rankings.

Trine and Hope lead the seeding in first and second, respectively, followed by third-seeded Calvin and fourth-seeded Alma.  Saint Mary's has been seeded fifth ahead of No. 6 Albion, No. 7 Adrian, and No. 8 Kalamazoo.

Competition will take place on May 6 and May 7 with two pools: Pool A - seeds 1, 4, 5, 8 hosted by Trine; Pool B - seeds 2, 3, 6, 7 hosted by Hope.

2021 Softball Tournament Bracket - Pool A

2021 Softball Tournament Bracket - Pool B