PEORIA, Ill. – The Drake University softball team starts play at the 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Friday morning at 11 a.m. on ESPN+ in the first semifinal at Louisville Slugger Complex. Drake (40-14), which is the defending tournament champion, will play the winner of Thursday's 4 p.m. quarterfinal contest between No. 4 Bradley versus No. 5 Missouri State or No. 9 Indiana State. The Bulldogs earned the top seed for this year with its fourth MVC Regular Season title and second-straight (1993, 2015, 2018, 2019).
 
Drake is trying to win its fifth MVC tournament title in school history (1993, 1994, 2008, 2018). The Bulldogs claimed last year's title on their home field to earn the program's third NCAA Tournament trip.
 
This season, Drake reached for 40 wins for the second-straight year with its regular season finale victory over Evansville on May 4. It is the first time the program has recorded consecutive 40 wins seasons. The Bulldogs also matched their league-record for MVC wins with 24 (24-2). They matched last season's team that went 45-12 overall with a 24-1 mark in league action.
 
On Tuesday, the Bulldogs earned national recognition with the program's first-ever rankings. Drake, which had received votes throughout the season, is ranked No. 25 in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25. The team is also ranked No. 24 in softball's newest top 25 poll published by Softball America, which is the first year for that poll.
 
The winner of Friday's semifinal game will advance to Saturday's title game. First pitch Saturday is set for 1 p.m. and the championship will be streamed on ESPN+. The winner of the MVC's four-day tournament earns the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.