BILLINGS, Mont.  – The sixth annual Desert Stinger is set to start in Las Vegas, Nev., this week. Thirty-one teams are headed for the desert to play softball in the largest NCAA Division II tournament in the country. Montana State University Billings is once again playing host at the Majestic Park softball complex, with competition set to run Friday, Feb. 13 through Sunday, Feb. 15.
 
"We are honored to host this tournament as it is a great for our institution, conference, and NCAA Division II softball," Montana State University Billings director of athletics Krista Montague said. "We are proud to have set a stage to give DII institutions an opportunity to pick up competitive non-conference games with little difficulty. We all know how important playing against strong competition outside of our conferences is when it comes to NCAA postseason selections."
 
The tournament began in 2010 with just 16 teams, and has steadily grown to include up to 32. Three different NCAA regions in the west, central, and south central are being represented including seven conferences. The Great Northwest Athletic Conference has the most teams attending with all seven of its programs planning to participate in this year's Stinger, followed by: Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (6), California Collegiate Athletic Association (5), PacWest Conference (4), Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (4), Heartland Conference (3), and the Lone Star Conference (1). The tournament contains a five-game round-robin format, with the winner being crowned based on total record, points, and run differential.
 
"We are excited to return to Las Vegas this year," MSUB softball head coach Lisa Allen said. "It is an honor to host this tournament and we are looking forward to all of the competitive games that will take place."
 
Five nationally-ranked schools will be attending this year's tournament including last season's NCAA Division II national runner-up, Dixie State. The Red Storm comes into the tournament with a preseason ranking of No. 3 in the nation. Dixie State won a record 51 games last season, including a string of 27 straight, had the highest team batting average in the NCAA at .365 and won the PacWest Championship for the second consecutive time. DSU won the NCAA Regional and Super Regional rounds before falling in the NCAA Division II Softball Championships to West Texas A&M, 2-1. Dixie State returns senior Nicole Chavez who was one of 50 players named to the preseason Inaugural Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II National Player of the Year Watch List. Chavez led the PacWest Conference in runs, hits, doubles, triples, total bases and stolen bases.
 
Cal State Monterey Bay is returning to the tournament for the second time. The Otters are starting the season at No. 10 in the nation having finished 2014 with a 48-11 record. CSUMB has two players on the Watch List. Senior Cori Reinhardt is a 3-time all-American and returning CCAA Player of the Year. Lindsay Clarkson is a pitcher who ended last year 25-3 with 10 shutouts, and was the 2014 Daktronics West Region Pitcher of the Year.
 
Augustana (S.D.) checks in at No. 14 on the preseason poll. The Vikings finished 46-15 last season, including 23-7 in NSIC play which was good for third-place in the final league standings. The Vikings made their fifth-straight and 22nd overall NCAA Tournament appearance and hosted the Super Regional for the third time since 2011. Augustana (S.D.) has one player on the Watch List in senior pitcher/utility player Jenelle Trautmann. Trautmann, a 3-time all-American and all-NSIC first team honoree, was named the NSIC Preseason Player of the Year. Trautmann started all 61 games for the Vikings last season, batting .337 with 10 doubles, a team-high 19 home runs and 58 RBIs.
 
No. 19 Humboldt State finished 2014 46-16 overall and captured both the Tournament of Champions and CCAA Tournament titles. The Jacks earned their second trip in-a-row to the NCAA West Region playoffs and their 21st national playoff appearance in the last 25 seasons. Humboldt's roster includes sophomore Tiffany Hollingsworth, an all-American second team second baseman, who was named to the Watch List after an outstanding freshman season.
 
Cal Baptist, which won the 2014 Desert Stinger crown, is ranked No. 23 in the national preseason poll. The Lancers finished the year with a 46-13 overall record placing second at the PacWest Championship, making their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II postseason. CBU has two players on the Watch List this year. Savannah Miller finished last season batting .398. She also led the Lancers with 33 walks on the year and a .500 on-base percentage. Krista Mann had a breakout freshman season, ending the year with a team-high .434 average off 82 hits, ranking in the NCAA Division II's top-40 hitters.
 
Teams attending the Desert Stinger this year also with players on the Watch List include: Ashton Bell from Lubbock Christian, Nicole Nobbe from Cal State San Bernardino, and Nicki Sprague from Azusa Pacific.
 
Miller from Cal Baptist was named to the 2014 Desert Stinger all-tournament first team, while Mann and Nobbe both made the second team and Sprague was an honorable mention.
 
Records set at last year's 2014 Desert Stinger include Dixie State with the most hits (60), Cal Baptist with the most RBIs (55), and Humboldt State setting two new tournament records in home runs (15) and total bases (114).
 
Montana State University Billings, the University of Mary, No. 3 Dixie State, New Mexico Highlands, Western New Mexico, and Fort Lewis, are the only six teams that have attended all five previous years of the Desert Stinger. Teams returning to the tournament after an absence last year, include: No. 10 Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal State San Bernardino, St. Edward's, Saint Martin's, and St. Cloud State. New to this year's tournament are Lubbock Christian, Eastern New Mexico, and Cal State San Marcos.
 
The Sixth Annual Desert Stinger begins this Friday, Feb. 13 at 11:30 a.m. PT. All of the tournament games will feature live stats. Games played on Field 1 will also contain a live video stream; including all five of the MSUB tournament games. For more information on game times and results, along with all of the participating team information, fans are encouraged to check out the tournament webpage at msubsports.com.
 
Note: Individual school information supplied by the Sports Information offices of Dixie State, Cal State Monterey Bay, Augustana (S.D.), Humboldt State, and Cal Baptist.