Rhode Island College will learn just how good its softball team is when it challenges top-seeded Louisiana College today in the first game of the 2008 NCAA Division III Championship at Salem, Va.

The Anchorwomen (36-7) are the Little East Conference and NCAA New England Regional champions and are seeded eighth in the eight-team field. Louisiana College (42-5) of Pineville, La., won the American Southwest Conference and the NCAA Tyler (Texas) Regional and is the top seed in the championship round.

The game is scheduled for 11 a.m. and can be heard via the Internet at ric.edu/athletics.

The other teams in the double-elimination tournament are No. 2 Lynchburg (39-6), No. 3 Wisconsin-Eau Claire (32-11), No. 4 Cortland State (38-11), No. 5 Wisconsin-Whitewater (34-9), No. 6 Ithaca (34-10) and No. 7 Muskingum (40-10).

If the Anchorwomen upset the Wildcats, they will play the Cortland-Whitewater winner tomorrow at 4. If they lose, they will drop to the losers’ bracket and play an elimination game tomorrow at 11 a.m.

This is RIC’s third NCAA Tournament appearance and second consecutive trip to the championship round. The Anchorwomen defeated Wellesley and St. Joseph’s of Long Island (twice) for the 2008 regional title. They won four games without a loss for the 2007 championship and won two games at the 2006 regional but were denied a chance to play for the title because of several postponements caused by inclement weather. The highest remaining undefeated seed, No. 1 Williams, went to the championship round, per NCAA regulations.

This season, Maria Morin became the 49th coach in NCAA history ton win 300 games and was voted the Little East Conference coach of the year.

RIC’s top player is first baseman Christi Lotti, the LEC’s first three-time player of the year. She is All-New England and made the regional all-tournament team. She is hitting .455 with 10 doubles, 3 triples, 2 homers, 30 RBI and 23 stolen bases. She scored 56 runs, a RIC record.

Freshman pitcher Melanie Neece is 21-3 with a 1.88 ERA and threw a one-hitter in the deciding game of the New England Regional. Third baseman Krystal Bilek was the outstanding player of the LEC tournament and is hitting .413. Second baseman Amanda Perry is the LEC rookie of the year and has a .413 batting average.

The NCAA Championship will run through Tuesday, if necessary.

mszostak@projo.com