NEW HAVEN, Conn. (May 11, 2026) – Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference softball champion University of Bridgeport was selected as the No. 7 seed for the 2026 NCAA Division II East Region Championship tournament. CACC member Caldwell University qualified for the event as an at-large selection and was assigned the No. 4 seed. The 64-team field for the NCAA D-II Softball Championship was announced by the NCAA on Monday morning.
Bridgeport lands in the East Regional 2 bracket, to be hosted by Adelphi University on its Garden City, N.Y. campus. The Purple Knights (31-18) face the No. 2 seed Panthers (35-21) in Thursday’s first round, and will be joined in the field by No. 3 seed St. Thomas Aquinas College (33-12) and No.6 seed Southern New Hampshire University (33-21).
Caldwell (29-19) draws a first-round date with No. 5 seed Assumption University (30-25) in the East Regional 1 Championship, which will be hosted by top seed Franklin Pierce University (40-10) in Rindge, N.H. No. 8 seed Mercy University (25-18) is the other team headed to Rindge, with play also beginning on Thursday. Caldwell head coach Lindsay Mayer is the sister of Assumption head coach Stacey Mayer.
Caldwell is appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the 17th time and first since 2023, while Bridgeport is making its fifth trip in the last six years. Game times and ticket information will be released later in the week.
The East Regional Championships are four-team, double-elimination events. The winners will meet in a best-of-three series the following weekend for the regional title and the right to advance to nationals.
Founded in 1961, the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference has been affiliated with NCAA Division II for 20 years. Conference institutions compete for championships in 17 sports – seven for men, nine for women, and one co-ed. The CACC contains 11 full members in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Membership includes the University of Bridgeport, Caldwell University, Chestnut Hill College, Dominican University New York, Felician University, Georgian Court University, Goldey-Beacom College, Holy Family University, Post University, Thomas Jefferson University, and Wilmington University.