INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Following an NSIC tournament title on Saturday, the No. 16 Augustana softball team has earned the No. 3 seed in the opening round of the NCAA Central Region tournament. 

The Vikings (51-9) take on No. 6 Missouri Western on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in the opening round of the double-elimination tournament. All games will be played on the campus of the host school, Winona State University. 

Missouri Western is 37-16 this season and 21-5 in MIAA play. Earlier this year, Augustana defeated the Griffons 10-2 in five innings. 

Overall, the NSIC sends four teams to the postseason. St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth were both granted at-large bids as the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds, respectively.  

The 42-team NCAA Central Region is made up of teams from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) and the Great American Conference (GAC). The NCAA Championships are set for May 23-27 at Regency Athletic Complex hosted by Metro State University of Denver.