BILLINGS, Mont. - For the seventh straight season, Montana State University Billings is returning to Las Vegas, Nev., to host the Desert Stinger softball tournament MSUB director of intercollegiate of athletics Krista Montague announced Tuesday.

The annual event hosted by the MSUB athletics department has been a staple in NCAA Division II west region competition since 2010, and this season MSU Billings is continuing the tradition of the early-season tournament.

"We are excited to announce we will be returning to Las Vegas, Nev., and the Majestic Park softball complex," Montague said. "We are honored to host this tournament for the seventh year in a row.It is important to our institution, conference, and NCAA Division II softball, as we understand how important playing against strong competition outside of conference is when it comes to NCAA postseason selections. "

This year's tournament will be held Feb. 5-7, at Majestic Park which is located in northwest Las Vegas. The annual event, which began with 16 teams, grew to as many as 32 in the last two years and this year will make a return to 24 NCAA institutions.

"We are proud to have set a stage to give institutions an opportunity to play very competitive non-conference DII games with little difficulty," Montague continued. "We work diligently year round to prepare for these three days and it is a pleasure to see it all come together by tournament time."

MSU Billings and its athletic department are responsible for all aspects of the tournament in the city of Las Vegas. Hosting the tournament 1,000 miles away means shipping down equipment, apparel, all the required technology including computers and cameras for live statistics and video streaming, as well as flying in a staff large enough to run the tournament from the ground up.

"We are able to contract out for field crews and to run the concession areas, but our athletics department is responsible for the running of the tournament and everything from a medical staff to a statistician crew requires us to fly in all our personnel for this event," Montague continued. "We are excited to have this opportunity to host such a big event and I am extremely thankful to the entire tournament staff, umpires, and local help we receive. This tournament would not happen without them."

New this season, the tournament will be charging admission in order to help cover the financial expenses. Online ticket sales will run from early December through the week of the tournament, and tickets will also be available for purchase at the gate. To purchase tickets online, click here.

This year, MSUB is excited to enhance team and fan experience, including a new tournament apparel and merchandise area which the MSUB on-campus store Jackets & Co. will be managing.

Returning to the 2016 event are previous Desert Stinger Tournament Champions Augustana (2010, 2011), Sonoma State (2012), and Cal Baptist (2014). Also making a return trip to the Desert Stinger are Central Washington, Northwest Nazarene, Western Washington, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal State San Bernardino, Stanislaus State, Colorado Colorado Springs, New Mexico Highlands, Regis University, Western New Mexico, Azusa Pacific, Hawaii Hilo, University of Mary, and Minot State. Making their first appearance on the red dirt of Las Vegas are teams from Colorado Mesa, Concordia (Ore.), Concordia (Irvine), Concordia (St. Paul), and Nebraska Kearney.

During the three days MSUB will host 60 games spread across six fields between an upper and lower complex. All games on Field 1 will have a live video and live statistics feed available on the MSUB Stretch Internet portal and all games on Fields 2, 3, 8, 9, and 10 will have live statistics also accessible through the MSUB sports feed.

For more information on the tournament, the complete schedule of teams and games, tournament lodging, and the Majestic Park softball complex, please visit the tournament website here.