INDIANAPOLIS – Augustana University softball dropped three spots to No. 10 in the third release of the Central Region Rankings the NCAA announced Wednesday. Augustana was ranked eighth in the first release of the regional rankings before moving up to seventh last week.
 
Arkansas Tech earned the No. 1 spot for the third straight week. Southern Arkansas jumped from No. 3 to No. 2 this week and was followed by Missouri Western in third, Northwest Missouri State in fourth and Minnesota State in fifth. Central Oklahoma jumped from eighth to sixth and was followed by Minnesota Duluth in seventh, Winona State in eighth, Pittsburg State in ninth and Augustana in 10th.
 
The Central Region is made up of teams from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, the Mid-America Athletic Association and the Great American Conference. The top eight teams in the region will advance to the NCAA Tournament, with the top two seeds in each region hosting a Super Regional.
 
Augustana has made 23 NCAA postseason appearances in program history, including six straight trips from 2010 to 2015. The Vikings hosted the NCAA Central Region 1 Tournament last season and the Super Regional in 2014 and 2015.
 
The NCAA softball selections will be announced on NCAA.com on Monday, May 2, at 9 a.m. (CT)
 
Augustana finished the regular season with a record of 34-17, including 21-8 in NSIC play. The Vikings finished fourth in the NSIC standings and earned the No. 4 seed in the NSIC Tournament.
 
Augustana will open the postseason taking on No. 5 Wayne State in the first round of the NSIC Tournament on Thursday at 12 p.m. at Sherman Park in Sioux Falls.