ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Missouri Western Athletics and the City of St. Joseph have been chosen as the host of the 2010 NCAA Division II Women’s Softball Championship as announced by the association earlier this summer.

Heritage Park will serve as the venue for the championship which will be contested May 27-31, 2010.  Field 4 of the complex, known as “The Championship Field” will be the game field which includes 400 permanent, chair-backed seats with an additional 1,200 being able to be seated in the bleachers.

"We are very excited about not only the opportunity to showcase our wonderful facility at Heritage Park, but to also create a wonderful and memorable experience for all of the competing teams and visitors to St. Joseph for the NCAA Championships,” said Mike Halloran Senior Recreation Supervisor for the St. Joseph Parks & Recreation Department.   “Our daily goal is to make our facility at Heritage Park better than it was the day before and to strive to treat each visitor to the complex with the utmost in kindness, courtesy and respect.  The complex and staff at Heritage Park have hosted many state, regional and national championship events over the last seven years.  The 2010 NCAA Division II Softball Championship will add to the ever-growing list of prestigious softball events to take place at the complex."

The tournament will be the fourth NCAA National Championship contested in St. Joseph as MWSU hosted the 2003 & 2004 NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championships and is also the current host of the event in 2010 and 2011 with the 2010 championship taking place March 23, 24 and 27, 2010 at the St. Joseph Civic Arena.

“We feel St. Joseph is a great sports town which is evident by the Women’s Basketball Elite Eight’s we’ve hosted and continue to host and obviously the Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp coming next summer,” commented Director of Athletics Dave Williams.  “St. Joseph also has a great softball tradition in which many regional and national championships have been contested here.  We are thrilled the NCAA has chosen this community to host the event and the fans of St. Joseph will certainly be treated to a high level of collegiate softball.”

The national tournament will consist of eight regional champions from across the country in a double-elimination format.  The 2009 championship which was contested in Salem, Virginia was won by Lock Haven University as they defeated Alabama-Huntsville 8-0 in the championship game.

Ticket information, game times and other logistical information will be available later on this summer via the official website of Griffon Athletics at www.gogriffons.com.