The 2017 Mid-American Conference softball tournament begins tomorrow at Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio. The four-day, double-elimination event promises to be both competitive and unpredictable. Half of the eight-team field is in the top 100 of the current NCAA softball RPI rankings, and six of them won at least 14 of their 24 scheduled MAC games.
The Central Michigan Chippewas won the regular season championship with an 18-5 conference mark and 36 overall wins. They will seek their 11th tournament title – only one of which (2013) has occurred since 2002. Meanwhile, Ohio won their first championship three years ago and is back to try for a second.