PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University softball qualified for the eight-team MIAA Postseason Tournament as the No. 2 seed and the Gorillas will face No. 7 seed Southwest Baptist University in opening-round action Thursday (Apr. 27) at 5 p.m. (CDT) at the ASA Hall of Fame Complex at Oklahoma City, Okla.

Pitt State posted the program's fifth all-time 40-win season – the first since 2004 – in the 2017 regular season, compiling a 41-15 overall record and an 18-8 MIAA mark. The Gorillas bid for their first MIAA regular season title since 1994 came up just short when Pitt State dropped a twinbill to eventual regular season champ University of Central Oklahoma, 1-0 and 4-1, Monday (Apr. 24) at the PSU Softball Complex.

The Gorillas are making their 22nd appearance in the MIAA Postseason Tournament. Pitt State has compiled a 31-40 (.437) record with runner-up finishes in 1992, 1994, 1995 and 2015.

Pitt State enters the postseason batting .296 as a team and scoring 5.0 runs per game, while its opposition is hitting .221 and scoring 2.3 runs per game.

Junior pitcher Emmie Robertson has posted a 28-6 record with a 0.74 ERA and four saves in 226 1/3 innings of work. The two-time defending MIAA Pitcher of the Year, Robertson leads the conference in victories (28) and ERA (0.74), while striking out an MIAA leading 281 batters (8.7 K/7 IP).

Freshman utility player Kala Holder is batting a team-best .355 with 11 doubles, 10 home runs and 39 RBIs. She shares the team lead in home runs and RBIs with senior catcher Nicole Nease, who is hitting .272 on the season.

SBU enters the tournament with a 31-19 overall record and 15-11 MIAA mark. Pitt State split a doubleheader against SBU during the regular season on Mar. 28 in Pittsburg. The Gorillas blanked the Bearcats, 5-0, before SBU turned the table for a 7-2 win in the nightcap.

The winner of the PSU-SBU match-up will advance to a 7:30 p.m. game Thursday evening against the winner between No. 3 seed University of Central Missouri (28-25, 17-9 MIAA) and No. 6 seed Northwest Missouri State University (25-19, 16-10). The PSU-SBU loser will meet the UCM-NWMSU loser in an elimination game at 7:30 p.m. Thursday as well.

In the other half of the bracket, top seeded UCO (43-9, 22-4 MIAA) faces No. 8 seed Emporia State University (30-24, 15-11 MIAA), while No. 4 Missouri Southern State University (27-28, 16-10 MIAA) takes on No. 5 Missouri Western State University (36-16, 16-10 MIAA).