#BigSkySB Championship Update 5/12/2018 6:33:48 PM OGDEN, Utah (May 12, 2018) - The 2018 Big Sky Conference softball championship resumed action at 3:40 p.m. Mountain on Saturday at Weber State University with No. 1 seed Sacramento State and No. 6 Northern Colorado squaring off in the winner’s bracket undefeated game. A loser-out game between No. 3 seed North Dakota and No. 4 Portland State is tentatively scheduled to begin shortly after the conclusion of the Sacramento State/Northern Colorado contest. It is possible, however, that game will not be played, and the winner of Saturday’s undefeated game will be declared the tournament champion and secure the conference’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championship. Inclement weather has caused the 2018 championship to fall behind schedule to a point where a complete tournament cannot be completed prior to the NCAA’s Sunday evening deadline to submit an automatic qualifier. The Big Sky Conference implemented a rule this past off-season prohibiting teams from playing more than two games in a day, which will limit Sunday’s schedule to a maximum of two full games. Based on Big Sky Conference policy, “In the case where the postseason tournament cannot be completed by the NCAA Selection Day, the automatic representative to the NCAA Championship shall be the No. 1 seeded team as determined by the tiebreaking procedure, or the highest remaining seed in the winner’s bracket if the tournament is already in progress.’’ Weber State’s softball facility does not include lights, limiting how long games can be played Saturday. The NCAA softball rules state that a game may not be started without intent to finish that day. Game umpires will decide following the Northern Colorado-Sacramento State game to determine if another game can begin Saturday night. If Sacramento State beats Northern Colorado, the tournament will be over, as no team could play enough games to unseat the top-seeded Hornets. If Northern Colorado beats Sacramento State, Northern Colorado, Portland State and North Dakota could all potentially earn the automatic bid. “The conference, along with the administrators of the teams remaining in the tournament have reviewed the bracket and Big Sky Conference policies and procedures to determine the best course of action,’’ said Big Sky Conference Assistant Commissioner for Championships Jon Kasper. “Our intent right now is to play as many games as possible and make it as fair as possible for the remaining teams." Revised Schedule Saturday 3:40 p.m. – Sacramento State vs. Northern Colorado 15 minutes after conclusion – Portland State vs. North Dakota, loser out Sunday 9 a.m. – UNC/Sac Loser vs. UND/PSU Winner, Loser out 11 a.m. – UNC/SAC Winner vs. 9 a.m. Winner, Championship
