SAN BRUNO, Calif. – West Coast Conference champion Saint Mary's is set to compete in the NCAA Tourament as the field was announced Sunday afternoon. The Gaels will be in the Eugene Regional and will open postseason play against Mississippi State on Friday at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN+. No. 14 national seed Oregon and Idaho State will also compete in the regional. 
 
Saint Mary's captured the West Coast Conference championship and the automatic qualifier into the NCAA Tournament after finishing 15-3 in conference play and 40-14 overall. The Gaels earned a share of the conference title at home against LMU before clinching the outright championship this weekend at Santa Clara. This marks the second appearance in the NCAA Tournament by the Gaels in the last three years. In 2024, Saint Mary's competed in the Stanford Regional. The Gaels have won at least a share of the last three consecutive conference championships. 

The Gaels are 3-19 all-time against Oregon and 1-0 (1997) all-time against Mississippi State, but own a 10-4 overall record against the Bengals. Saint Mary's last played Idaho State last season in a three-game series that saw the Gaels win two, including capping of the series with a 9-0 win in five innings.  
 
Last year, Santa Clara represented the West Coast Conference in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history, competing in the Tucson Regional. 
 
The 64-team field consists of 16 NCAA Regional sites, with each regional hosting a four-team double elimination tournament. The NCAA Regionals will be held this coming Friday through Sunday, May 15-17. The winners of each of the regional sites will compete in the Super Regionals, with eight teams advancing to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.