The Northwest Missouri State University softball team claimed the No. 10 seed for the 2026 MIAA Tournament set for May 6-9 in Emporia, Kan.

The Bearcats (31-20 overall, 10-14 MIAA) will play the No. 7 seed Northeastern State in a first-round game set for May 6 at 5:30 p.m.

The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced the seeds and pairings for its annual postseason softball tournament. The top ten teams from the regular season advanced to the 2026 MIAA Softball Championship, hosted May 6-9 at Emporia State University's Trusler Sports Complex.
 
The 2026 regular season concluded on Saturday, May 2, with Missouri Southern claiming the MIAA regular season championship for the first time since 2001. The Lions finished the regular season 20-4 against MIAA opponents (45-7 overall) to secure the top seed in the postseason tournament.
 
Central Oklahoma earned the No. 2 seed in the 2026 championship with an MIAA record of 18-6 (41-12 overall). Both the Bronchos and Lions will open the postseason in the MIAA quarterfinals on Thursday, May 7, against the winners of Wednesday's opening round games.
 
Wednesday's opening round games will feature No. 8 seed Washburn (35-18, 12-12 MIAA) against No. 9 seed Missouri Western (32-17, 11-13 MIAA) at 3 p.m., and No. 7 seed Northeastern State (28-22, 12-12 MIAA) against No. 10 seed Northwest Missouri State (31-20, 10-14 MIAA) at 5:30 p.m. The winners will advance to Thursday's quarterfinals to take on the championship's top seeds.
 
Pittsburg State (45-8, 17-7 MIAA) clinched the No. 3 seed and will take on No. 6 seed Rogers (34-18, 14-10 MIAA) State in the 4 p.m. quarterfinal contest on Thursday. No. 4-seeded Emporia State (28-17, 14-10 MIAA) is scheduled to face No. 5-seeded Central Missouri (33-17, 14-10 MIAA) in the MIAA quarterfinals at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday.  
 
The official schedule and championship bracket are listed below. MIAA softball fans can attend the 2026 postseason tournament in Emporia, Kan. Single-day passes are available for $10, and All-Tournament passes will be sold for $25. Fans unable to make the trip to Emporia can watch every game of the MIAA softball championship live, exclusively on The MIAA Network.
 
To purchase tickets and stay up to date with the latest information on the 2026 MIAA Softball Championship, visit theMIAA.com/softballchampionship.

Opening Round — Wednesday, May 6
3 PM | No. 8 seed Washburn vs. No. 9 seed Missouri Western
5:30 PM | No. 7 seed Northeastern State vs. No. 10 seed Northwest Missouri State

Quarterfinals — Thursday, May 7
11 AM | No. 1 seed Missouri Southern vs. Game One Winner
1:30 PM | No. 4 seed Emporia State vs. No. 5 seed Central Missouri
4 PM | No. 3 seed Pittsburg State vs. No. 6 seed Rogers State
6:30 PM | No. 2 seed Central Oklahoma vs. Game Two Winner

Semifinals — Friday, May 8
12 PM | Game Three Winner vs. Game Four Winner
2:30 PM | Game Five Winner vs. Game Six Winner

Championship — Saturday, May 9 @ 12 PM