The University of Minnesota softball team earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I tournament on Sunday and will open against New Mexico State (46-14) on Friday in the Tuscon, Ariz., regional.
The Gophers (46-9) lost to Iowa in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals on Friday night.
Florida, the defending national champion, was named the No. 1 seed in the 64-team field. The Gators will play Florida A&M, an automatic qualifier from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
Thirty-two conferences were awarded an automatic bid. The Southeastern Conference led all leagues with 11 teams.
The tournament will consist of three weekends of competition.