DENVER, Colo. --- Following Thursday's fun one-hit shutout of No. 4-seed North Georgia, Biola Softball sets its sights on the reigning NCAA Division II National Champions, the No. 1 team in the country and No. 1 seed Augustana (S.D.).

The Eagles will be the designated visiting team in what equates to be a winner's bracket semifinal, scheduled for 10 a.m. PT on Friday at The Assembly Athletic Complex in Denver, Colorado.

The result of the game determines when Biola plays game two in this double-elimination, eight-team tournament. A day two win would have Biola play at 3 p.m. PT on Saturday in the winner's bracket final. A different day two result would have Biola play either West Chester or Grand Valley State in an elimination game at 12:30 p.m. PT on Saturday.

All games will be played at the Assembly Athletic Complex on the campus of MSU Denver, which is operating at full capacity. Tickets are $8 per game and must be purchased online in advance. There is no all-tournament ticket or multi-game passes. Additionally, MSU Denver does charge for parking with a fee between $5.50 - $7 per day.

All games will feature a free live stream at NCAA.com and live stats, also at NCAA.com. The game two direct live link is https://www.ncaa.com/game/5843659. All game times and links will be updated on the Biola Softball Schedule page and also at the tournament central page on the Metro State website.

Biola is making its first NCAA Division II National Championship finals appearance in its first season eligible for NCAA Division II postseason. 

BRACKET UPDATE
Biola is one of four teams to earn wins on day one and not have to worry about elimination in day two of the tournament. Augustana is, of course, one of the three other winning teams, picking up its 10-1 walk-off win. The results of the other two ballgames can be found below.

#2 seed Saint Anselm (N.H.) - 3; #7 seed West Chester (Penn.) - 2
#3 seed Grand Valley State (Mich.) - 0; #6 seed West Texas - 1

The second game of the winner's bracket is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. PT on Friday.

QUOTES FROM BIOLA FOLLOWING WIN OVER UNG (5/27/2021)
NIKKI UDRIA
"I was just telling the girls in the locker room, I'm very proud of their performance. We talk about what it takes to win championships. And I think that we executed all three areas of what it takes to win championships. So I'm really proud of my team."

"I think I told them early on in the game don't give in and don't give up, and I felt like we were able to just keep pushing and keep fighting and, fortunately, it paid off for us."

On this being the first NCAA appearance for Biola
"I think nerves are natural. I tell the girls, you are going to be nervous. We were nervous, obviously. But it's just how we channel it. Being able to make plays that we practice all the time. Ruth Munoz made great plays and as a former shortstop and a coach who coaches her day in and day out, I'm extremely proud of her in the performance she put on today."

On having the lowest HR total in the tournament
"On the west coast and in our conference, we have some of the best pitching across NCAA Division II. So, you have to understand you're not always going to have the long ball. So for us, we want to put pressure on the defense. We want to move the runners. We want to make sure that it's a team effort, and like you guys saw today, it doesn't take the long ball to win the big ball games. What it's going to take is moving the runners and executing. And I feel like my team is equipped to do that."

On choosing Brie Nowak to pinch-hit
"I told Brie, 'you're going to bat for Jen.' She grabbed her bat and I told her that she was made for it, kept whispering that in her ear, even shouting it from the third base coaches box. She did just that. She's a competitor. So I had all the confidence in the world with two outs and the game on the line. Brie was able to get it done. So extremely proud of her, especially as a freshman to be in these moments."

BRIE NOWAK
"Obviously I was nervous stepping into that position, but I've had a couple situations just like that throughout the season. And I haven't succeeded every single time. And I've honestly learned from that. So going in with confidence, hearing positive talk from coach Nikki, and just wanting to get the job done for my team."

PAIGE AUSTIN
"I think it's awesome. We've never faced this team. They've never faced us. We have nothing to lose. It's our first time in the college world series. Our coach teaches us it's nine vs. one, right. So I have a full defense out there. I completely trust in their abilities. So I'm just going out there and trusting myself, knowing that they have my back."

On Ruth Munoz' defense
"If there was one person on that defense I trust most, it's Ruth Munoz. we can always look to her to make one of the most amazing plays."

RUTH MUNOZ
"This is my last year and I just want to leave a good example for the younger girls, the underclassmen, I just want to leave a legacy of how to fight. Be confident. It's okay to be nervous. Nerves are going to happen and they're okay. As you mature, you learn to channel those nerves into executing and playing well for your team."

"Paige always steps up. I mean, she's a stellar pitcher and she's been amazing all year. I mean, we're the same age. I've had the honor to play with her right behind her for all four years. I wouldn't want anyone else right there with me. She just stepped up and we always say, 'Paige, I got you.' And she was like, 'I got you.' It was just a really big moment and just really great to play well behind her."

On the inning-ending double play in the 5th
"All props to my second baseman Kylie Velasco and Kayla Neff behind the dish. Kylie and I, we just have a connection, and I think that's the way it should be with your second baseman and the shortstop. So, Kylie and I communicate all these, every pitch, and we agreed that she was going to cover that one. It's just amazing that Kayla, the arm she has, and the confidence and the ability just to throw runners out and just make some awesome plays behind the plate. It really killed there momentum."

ABOUT AUGUSTANA
Augustana (48-6) punched its ticket into the winner's bracket with a 10-1 run-rule victory over the No. 8 seed Valdosta State (Ga.) in Thursday's opening game. This will be the first-ever meeting between Biola and Augustana in the sport of softball. The Vikings earned their spot at the NCAA Division II Softball Finals by winning the NCAA Central Regional with three-straight victories last week.

The Vikings are entering the NCAA Division II postseason for the 27th time in 2021. They have two NCAA Division II national titles (1991 & 2019) and this is their ninth national tournament appearance under current head coach Gretta Melsted.

Augustana is from Sioux Falls, South Dakota and has been around since 1860. It boasts an enrollment of 2,100 and has been playing softball as a varsity sport since 1973. The team has just over 1,700 wins in its program history. Biola comes into Friday's matchup with an all-time record of 670-593-3, including a 102-55 record since joining NCAA Division II as provisional members in 2018.

The Vikings won the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference regular season title in 2021 with a conference mark of 28-2. It was AU's 13th conference title overall and fourth since joining the NSIC. They came up short in the NSIC postseason tournament, losing twice to No. 17 (and 2017 national champions) Minnesota State, including a 4-2 loss in the tournament's title game. Augustana took five of seven from the Minnesota State Mavericks on the season.

As the number one team in the country, Augustana was rewarded for its accomplishments with four of its players named All-Americans by the NFCA.

Kendall Cornick is the big name, being a finalist for the NCAA Division II Player of the Year honors and landing on the All-American first team. Cornick hit two homeruns on Thursday in helping her team rout Valdosta State. She was the NSIC Player of the Year and enters Friday with some pretty outrageous offensive stats. She's got 74 hits in 164 at-bats this year to hit .460. Twenty-seven of those 74 hits have gone for extra bases, including nine homeruns and 44 RBI. On top of that, she's 33-for-34 on stolen bases and has a 1.269 OPS.

Joining Cornick with All-American honors is Ashley Mickschl on the second team and Mary Pardo and Torri Chute on the third team. Mickschl is a starting pitcher for the Vikings, who threw six innings of one-hit ball on Thursday. On the season she's 27-3 with a 1.72 ERA. She's thrown 24 complete games to rack up 183+ innings. She's not an overpowering strikeout pitcher, though, with just 133 Ks this year.

It's possible Biola will see the No. 2 for Augustana on Friday, since Amber Elliott shares the load pretty evenly with Mickschl and has a 2.20 ERA, 20 wins and 130+ innings this year.

Mary Pardo and Chute are the major run producers for this Vikings team. Pardo is top-5 in NCAA Division II with a team-best 20 homeruns this season, while Chute is top-5 in RBI with a team-high 60 steaks in 2021. Chute is just a freshman. She earned the NSIC Freshman of the Year honors, which made her Augustana's third-straight winner of that award.

Augustana has touched home plate nearly 400 times this season while allowing opponents to hit home just over 100 times. A big reason for that is the relative weakness of the NSIC. The Vikings managed to get through their 30-game conference schedule allowing only 38 runs.
   

AUGUSTANA	CATEGORY	BIOLA
48	WINS	23
.889	WIN %	.622
1.91	ERA	2.01
5.31	STRIKEOUTS/GM	5.62
0.97	WHIP	1.10
6.77	RUNS/GM	3.1
1.27	HR/GM	0.14
1.51	2B/GM	1.0
.333	BA	.255
.417	OBP	.325
120-134	SB-ATT	37-48