YUMA, Ariz. — No. 3 seed Northwest Florida State will begin its 2025 NJCAA Softball World Series run in the desert with a second-round matchup against No. 14 seed Southern Union on Tuesday, May 20 at 3:15 p.m. (CST).
The Bison earned their spot in the second round with a 4-0 win earlier today over No. 19 Arizona Western. Despite being separated by just 237 miles back home, Northwest Florida and Southern Union will meet for the first time this season more than 1,800 miles away in Yuma.
The winner will advance in the winners’ bracket and face the victor of the matchup between No. 6 Odessa and No. 11 Wallace State on Wednesday. The loser will drop into the elimination bracket, where the road to a national title becomes much steeper.
Northwest Florida enters the tournament as the No. 3 overall seed after securing one of four at-large bids. The Raiders missed out on an automatic berth at the FCSAA State Championship in Clearwater, falling to Eastern Florida and Santa Fe. Still, a dominant 54-4 regular-season record was enough to earn them a third straight trip to Yuma — and another shot at the program’s first national title.
It all starts tomorrow at 3:15 p.m. CST against Southern Union.
Where to Watch
Fans can catch tomorrow’s game on NJCAA Digital Network with the purchase of a tournament pass ($15). The remained of the tournament will be streamed on ESPN+, which also requires a subscription.
Raiders in the World Series
This will be the Raiders third straight trip to the NJCAA Softball World Series — the first time they will compete in Yuma, with the last two trips taking place in Oxford, Ala. The Raiders have made deep postseason runs in each of their last two trips. In 2023, they fought through the bracket after an early loss to No. 1 Odessa, rattling off three wins — including a revenge victory over Odessa — to reach the national title game, where they fell to Florida Southwestern.
In 2024, Northwest Florida again entered as the No. 3 seed and reached the final four after wins over No. 14 Pima and No. 11 Wallace State. A loss to No. 2 Indian River set up a gritty win over No. 7 Galveston, but their tournament run ended the next day against No. 4 Temple.
Scouting the Bison
Southern Union enters the tournament with a 43-12 record after clinching their spot in Yuma by winning the Region 22 Championship. The Bison earned the No. 14 seed and opened their World Series run with a dominant 4-0 win over No. 19 Arizona Western, powered by a stellar complete-game shutout from freshman pitcher Makinley Turner. The right-hander allowed just one hit and struck out 11 in the seven-inning performance.
Turner has been a force in the circle all season, posting a 15-1 record in 29 appearances with an outstanding 0.68 ERA. She leads a deep Bison pitching staff that also features Morgan Martin, who holds an 8-2 record with a 1.90 ERA across 18 outings.
Martin also leads the way offensively for Southern Union, batting .451 with 21 home runs, 69 RBIs, and nine stolen bases. Jordan Douglas follows close behind with 20 homers and 42 RBIs, while Edy Gavis adds another layer of danger at the plate, hitting .418 with nine home runs and an eye-popping 48 stolen bases.