EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Drake University softball team opens play Thursday morning at 10 a.m. at the 2021 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Drake (18-29) is the fifth seed and will play No. 9 Loyola (13-28) which defeated host Evansville, 3-1, Wednesday. The winner Thursday morning advances to the 4 p.m. quarterfinal on Thursday against No. 4 Southern Illinois (34-14).
 
Every game of the MVC Tournament will be streamed on ESPN+. The winner of the four-day tournament receives the Valley's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
 
During the regular season, the Bulldogs won 10 of their final 14 MVC games, including an 11-2 victory in the season finale over Bradley, to help secure the fifth seed. The victory over the Braves helped Drake avoid the first day of tournament games on Wednesday. Against the Braves in the finale, the Bulldogs scored the most runs in a MVC game, tied its second-most hits in a game in 2021 and avenged losses to Bradley in the first two games of the series.
 
Drake is the defending back-to-back MVC Tournament champions after the 2020 season was cancelled prior to the start of league play due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The Bulldogs defeated UNI, 4-1, on May 11, 2019 in the championship game in Peoria, Ill. in the last MVC Tournament to be contested.
 
Prior to the 2021 tournament, Drake had a trio of players, including two who were on the 2018 and 2019 teams, announced on the All-MVC teams. Senior Macy Johnson and sophomore Emily Valtman were selected to the All-MVC First Team while senior Libby Ryan earned All-MVC Second Team honors.
 
Drake swept Loyola in three games May 1-2 in Des Moines. The Bulldogs and Ramblers have met just once in the MVC Tournament with the only meeting in 2014 in Normal, Ill. In that game, Loyola shutout Drake, 4-0, in the first round. This season, Drake began conference play at SIU on March 20-21 and won one of three games against the Salukis.