PREVIEW
• Winners of four straight, Sacramento State (26-18, 7-4) will compete in the six-team Big Sky Conference Tournament, which takes place May 8-11 at Miller Ranch Stadium in Pocatello, Idaho.
• Idaho State is hosting this year's event after being the No. 1 seed at last year's Big Sky Tournament. The Hornets and Bengals finished last year as co-regular season champs, but ISU owned the tiebreaker.
• This year's tournament, which is a double elimination format, features four games on Wednesday, three on Thursday, two more on Friday, and the championship game on Saturday. There is a chance two games are played on Saturday if necessary.
• Every game of the tournament will be streamed on ESPN+. Live stats will also be provided.
• The Hornets, who had four league games canceled to rain, earned the No. 3 seed at the tournament. Sacramento State will play in the first round on Wednesday vs. #6 Montana at 10:30 a.m. PT. The winner of that game will play Idaho State on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. PT. The loser plays Thursday at 10 a.m. PT.
• All six teams in the league qualify for the Big Sky Tournament, and the winner will earn the conference's automatic berth to NCAA Regionals. Sacramento State last won the Big Sky Tournament title and qualified for NCAA Regionals in 2018.
• Seeds for this year's tournament are as follows with conference records: No. 1 Northern Colorado (9-5), No. 2 Idaho State (7-4), No. 3 Sacramento State (7-4), No. 4 Portland State (8-6), No. 5 Weber State (8-7) and No. 6 Montana (1-14). The Hornets closed the regular season by sweeping Montana at home.
• The Hornets did not play Idaho State this year (all three games lost to precipitation). Though they finished tied with the Bengals in the standings, ISU received the tiebreaker and important bye in the first round by virtue of owning a better record vs. first place Northern Colorado (ISU 2-0, SAC 2-1).
• The Hornets were 3-4 in conference, but reeled off four straight wins to close the regular season, including a 4-3 nine-inning win at Weber State, followed by a three-game home sweep of Montana.
• This marks the 11th year of the Big Sky Tournament, and the Hornets have been the No. 3 seed or higher on nine of those occasions (2014-18, 2021-24). Sacramento State, however, has won the Big Sky Tourney title just once (2018), with championship game appearances in 2022 and 2018.
• Hornets' records this season vs. Big Sky Tourney field: Montana (3-0), Northern Colorado (2-1), Portland State (1-1), Weber State (1-2) and Idaho State (0-0).
• Two wins on Wednesday, and a victory on Thursday would automatically place the Hornets into Saturday's championship game where they would have to be defeated twice. That is Sacramento State's quickest route to a title. In general, the first team to four victories will win the tournament championship. The two teams with byes could go 3-0 to win the event.
• The championship game will take place on Saturday at 11 a.m. PT. There is a chance another game would need to be played, and that would take place at 1:30 p.m. PT if necessary.
• Sacramento State will be seeking its second Big Sky Tourney title (2018) since the league began sponsoring softball in 2013. The Hornets will also be attempting to secure their fifth NCAA Regional appearance since joining the Div. I ranks in 1990. The 2018, 2008, 1995 and 1993 teams all qualified.
• The tourney host has won the Big Sky Tournament just twice (Weber State did in 2016 and 2022). Big Sky Tourney championships - Northern Colorado (2023), Weber State (2022, 2019, 2016, 2015), Portland State (2021, 2013), Sacramento State (2018), Montana (2017), and Southern Utah (2014).
• Idaho State hosted the first three years (2013-15), Weber State hosted the next three (2016-18), Sacramento State in 2019, Weber State from 2021-23, and Idaho State this season. The Big Sky Tournament was not played in 2020 because of the pandemic.
• Of this year's tournament field, only Idaho State has yet to win a Big Sky Tournament championship.
• Sacramento State is 13-18 all-time at the Big Sky Tournament. Hornets' tourney records vs. the league's teams: 2-6 vs. Idaho State, 4-2 vs. Montana, 1-5 vs. Weber State, 2-2 vs. Northern Colorado, and 1-1 vs. Portland State.
• Sacramento State has won its first game of the tournament just twice - 2018, 2022. The Hornets are 2-8 when playing their opening game at the Big Sky Tourney.
• The Hornets have never won more than two games at the tournament. Sacramento State was 2-0 and crowned champions at the 2018 tournament which was shortened because of rain.
• All-conference selections will be released by the Big Sky on Tuesday.