DWU earns No. 4 seed in GPAC softball tournament, set to face No. 5 Northwestern

Apr. 27—SIOUX CITY, Iowa. — Brackets for the 2026 Great Plains Athletic Conference postseason softball tournaments have been set, the league office announced on Monday.

The Dakota Wesleyan University softball team has been slotted as the No. 4 seed in the tournament and is set to play No. 5 Northwestern at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Schilke Fields in Fremont, Nebraska. Last season, Northwestern downed DWU in the first round of the conference tournament 12-4.

Earlier this season, the Tigers split a doubleheader with the Red Raiders on March 18 in Sioux City, winning the first game 8-3 before dropping the second game 8-0. DWU matched the school record for wins in a regular season this year with a record of 34-16, and is heading to the GPAC tournament for the second consecutive year.

Top seed and regular season co-champion Midland will serve as one bracket host for the 1, 4, 5, and 8 seeds, while No. 2 seed and other co-champion Dordt will be the other bracket host for the 2, 3, 6, and 7 seeds for the two four-team tournaments.

Tournament play will open on Wednesday, April 29, at both bracket locations. In Fremont, No. 1 Midland will host Dakota Wesleyan, Northwestern and Hastings. In Sioux Center, Iowa, No. 2 Dordt will host Morningside, Concordia and Briar Cliff.

Play will continue, including bracket championship games, on Thursday. The Midland and Dordt bracket winners will meet on Saturday, May 2, at the highest remaining seed in the GPAC championship series. The final series will be a best-of-two-out-of-three format. The two brackets will be double elimination, with the finals set as best two of three games. GPAC tiebreakers were used in the seeding process.

Midland has secured the league's first berth to the NAIA tournament, while the GPAC tournament champion will receive the second berth. If the Warriors win the conference tournament, then the tournament runner-up will receive the second GPAC berth to the national tournament round on May 11.

Here are the 2026 GPAC softball tournament brackets:

Midland Bracket

Schilke Fields in Fremont, Nebraska

Wednesday, April 29

Game 1: Midland (1) vs. Hastings (8), noonGame 2: Dakota Wesleyan (4) vs. Northwestern (5), 2 p.m.

Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 4 p.m.

Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 6 p.m.

Thursday, April 30

Game 5: Winner of Game 4 vs. Loser of Game 3, noon

Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5, 2 p.m.

Game 7: If necessary (Game 6 winner/loser), 4 p.m.

Dordt Bracket

Open Space Park in Sioux Center, Iowa

Wednesday, April 29

Game 1: Dordt (2) vs. Briar Cliff (7), noon

Game 2: Morningside (3) vs. Concordia (6), 2 p.m.

Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 4 p.m.