NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. - The Little East Conference continued to accept postseason invitations this afternoon as Keene State College and Plymouth State University earned berths into the eight-team Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III New England Softball Tournament. Earlier this morning, the Little East Conference accepted three bids to the NCAA Division III Tournament, securing two of the possible 18 at-large berths.

The Owls (25-12) enter the tournament fray as the second seed and will host seventh-seeded Saint Joseph's (Maine) at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 7. The fifth-seeded Panthers (25-14) travel to fourth-seeded Western New England College (28-14) at 3:30 p.m. on the same afternoon.

Keene State College will be making its fourth ECAC Division III appearance in the program's history and first since 2006. The Owls recently advanced to the finals of the 2008 Little East Conference Softball Championship Tournament this past weekend before bowing out to Rhode Island College. Under the leadership of Head Coach Charlie Beach, Keene State College upset top-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University and third-seeded Western Connecticut State University to reach the championship round. Senior right fielder Julia May (Deep River, Conn.) paced the Owls attack in the conference tournament, hitting .467 (7-for-15) with four RBI. She recorded four extra base hits, including a pair of home runs and doubles, while also scoring six runs. Keene State College and the Lady Monks did not square off on the diamond this season. Saint Joseph's College (Maine) is making its first postseason appearance.

Plymouth State University (25-14) earned the its sixth berth into the ECAC Tournament after posting the second most single-season wins in the program's history. Head Coach Bruce Addison led his charges into the second day of the Little East Conference Softball Championship Tournament with a 1-2 mark. The Panthers were seeded-sixth and earned a victory over No. 5 University of Southern Maine before losing to the Owls in the elimination bracket. Freshman first baseman Melissa Caiazzo (Portland, Maine) led Plymouth State in the conference tournament, batting .545 (6-for-11) in three games. The Golden Bears and the Panthers did not cross paths in the regular season.

The four winners of the quarterfinal round will advance to a double-elimination format at the highest remaining seed. Brandeis University (34-9-1) is currently the top-ranked team, while Simmons College (31-10) is seeded behind Keene State College. 

2008 ECAC Division III New England Tournament

1. Brandeis University (34-9-1)

2. Keene State College (25-12)

3. Simmons College (31-10)

4. Western New England College (28-14)

5. Plymouth State University (25-14)

6. Nichols College (26-16)

7. Saint Joseph's (Maine) (26-16)

8. Emerson College (23-16)