Kent State (27-25, 15-9 MAC) enters the 2017 Mid-American Conference Softball Championship as the conference's hottest team for the third year in a row. The fourth-seeded Golden Flashes won nine of their final 10 MAC games and open the double-elimination tournament at Firestone Stadium in Akron with a first round matchup against No. 5 Ball State (30-26, 14-10 MAC) on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.
An automatic bid to an NCAA Regional is on the line, as eight teams will compete in the double-elimination tournament, which is scheduled through Saturday. The championship game scheduled for 11:30 a.m. to be streamed live on ESPN3.