Northwestern and Dordt will open the Great Plains Athletic Conference softball tournament later this week in Hastings, Nebraska. Northwestern will be the top seed after winning the regular season with an 18-2 mark but coach Melanie Mason says they cannot count on an at-large bid to the national tournament, as they aren’t ranked nationally.Mason feels confident that her team will advance to the regionals no matter what happens this week. She says the conference tourney is important for seeding the regionals.Mason says her team has improved as the season has gone along.Dordt College finished the regular season race 16-4.
