AUSTIN, TX – Nothing to lose. The Cinderella Siena Softball program, a week removed from capturing its first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament Championship as the sixth and final seed in the field, looks to make even more noise this weekend at its first-ever NCAA Tournament. The Saints begin action against host and top-ranked Texas Friday at 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. CT) at Red & Charline McCombs Field, in an Austin Regional which also features 25^th ranked Northwestern and Saint Francis (PA).
 
NCAA Austin Regional Schedule 
Friday
Game 1 – No. 4 Siena (33-20) vs. No. 1 Texas (47-7), 4 PM ET – Longhorn Network
Game 2 – No. 3 Saint Francis PA (40-12) vs. No. 2 Northwestern (33-11), 6:30 PM ET – ESPN+
Saturday
Game 3 – Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 1, 1 PM ET – TBD
Game 4 – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 3:30 PM ET – TBD
Game 5 – Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3, 6 PM – TBD
Sunday
Game 6 – Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 3, TBD – TBD
Game 7 (if necessary) – Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6, TBD – TBD
All Times Eastern | Ranking is Regional Seed | Double-Elimination Format
 
Siena (33-20) arrives in the Lone Star State having won 11 of its past 12 games, capped by four wins in four days to secure the program's first-ever MAAC Tournament Championship. The Saints, who've outscored their opponents by a 73-24 margin during those 11 wins, needed to take their final regular season series at Manhattan simply in order to qualify for the MAAC Tournament. Siena went on to become the eighth straight No. 6 seed to advance at least as far as the MAAC Semifinals, and the third to win it all over the span.
 
The Saints will now look to become the first MAAC program to win an NCAA Tournament game in 16 years, dating back to Canisius in 2008. MAAC programs are just 7-60 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, and have dropped 29 consecutive games and 45 of the past 46.
 
Led by fourth-year head coach Casey Bump, the Saints have set a program record with 33 wins this spring – achieving the benchmark with their MAAC Championship Game victory – following consecutive 32-wins campaigns the previous two seasons. Siena is the only MAAC program to achieve 30-win seasons in each of the past three years. The former Casey Halloran, Bump pitched in three NCAA Tournaments during her Hall of Fame UAlbany career, capped by a trip to the 2007 Regional Final.
 
Siena enters additional unchartered territory in the NCAA Tournament. The Saints have only previously faced one of their Regional opponents, going 1-3 all-time vs. Saint Francis (PA) including setbacks by scores of 4-1 (Feb. 9) and 4-3 (Feb. 11) at the CSU Kickoff. The Red Flash are the only team in this year's 64-team NCAA Tournament Field whom Siena played this season.
 
Siena is a combined 0-7 all-time vs. programs which currently comprise the Big 12 and Big 10. Moreover, the Saints have only twice previously played nationally ranked opponents, most recently facing 25^th ranked Kansas in 2015.
 
Alex Loeb and softball legend Cat Osterman have the call of the Austin Regional on the Longhorn Network and ESPN+. Follow Siena Softball live on-site throughout the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance through the team's social media pages on X (formerly Twitter) at @Siena_Softball, on Facebook at @SienaSoftball, and on Instagram at @sienasoftball.