This will get you excited for this year's WCWS This will get you excited for this year's WCWS INDIANAPOLIS—The University of Oklahoma earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division I Softball Championship as the 64-team field was announced today by the NCAA Division I Softball Committee. The Sooners will host the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, an automatic qualifier from the America East. FULL BRACKET: View the 2019 interactive bracket | Schedule and teams Thirty-two conferences were awarded an automatic qualification, while the remaining 32 slots were filled with at-large selections to complete the bracket. The top 16 teams were seeded nationally and will play at campus sites beginning this Thursday. Team pairings were determined by geographic proximity, with the exception that teams from the same conference were not paired during regional competition. The Southeastern Conference led all leagues with 13 teams selected to the championship tournament. The Big Ten Conference placed six teams in the championship tournament. Two teams are making their first appearance in the tournament: Detroit Mercy University and Seattle University. Since the tournament began in 1982, only 13 schools have been crowned the NCAA Division I softball champion. 11 of the 13 teams will compete in this year’s bracket. CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON: Buy tickets and schedule your trip to the 2019 Women's College World Series DATES/SITES/PAIRINGS: *Indicates Host Institution Norman Regional – May 17-19 at Norman, Oklahoma No. 1 seed Oklahoma* (49-2) vs. UMBC (30-22) Notre Dame (36-16) vs. Wisconsin (40-12) Evanston Regional – May 17-19 at Evanston, Illinois Southern Ill. (33-13) vs. Louisville (33-21) Detroit Mercy (31-26) vs. No. 16 seed Northwestern* (43-10) Austin Regional – May 17-19 at Austin, Texas No. 9 seed Texas* (41-14) vs. Sam Houston St. (34-21 ) Texas A&M (28-25) vs. Houston (37-17) Tuscaloosa Regional – May 17-19 at Tuscaloosa, Alabama Arizona St. (33-18) vs. Lipscomb (41-13-1) Alabama St. (24-23) vs. No. 8 seed Alabama* (52-7) Gainesville Regional – May 17-19 at Gainesville, Florida No. 5 seed Florida* (44-15) vs. Boston U. (37-18) Stanford (32-18) vs. Boise St. (34-14) What better way to get career win 💯 than with a strikeout in the @SECSBTourney championship game? #NCAASoftball (via @GatorsSB) pic.twitter.com/mzf0qMGF5J — NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) May 12, 2019 Knoxville Regional – May 17-19 at Knoxville, Tennessee North Carolina (35-18) vs. Ohio St. (34-16) Longwood (37-20) vs. No. 12 seed Tennessee* (39-14) Stillwater Regional – May 16-18 at Stillwater, Oklahoma No. 13 seed Oklahoma St.* (39-14) vs. BYU (29-24) Arkansas (38-18) vs. Tulsa (35-18) Tallahassee Regional – May 17-19 at Tallahassee, Florida South Carolina (36-17) vs. South Fla. (40-17) Bethune-Cookman (26-29) vs. No. 4 seed Florida St.* (51-8) Seattle Regional – May 17-19 at Seattle, Washington No. 3 seed Washington* (45-7) vs. Fordham (29-24) Mississippi State (33-21) vs. Seattle U. (39-15) Lexington Regional – May 17-19 at Lexington, Kentucky Virginia Tech (45-9) vs. Illinois (32-23) Toledo (29-26) vs. No. 14 seed Kentucky* (33-22) Oxford Regional – May 17-19 at Oxford, Mississippi No. 11 seed Ole Miss* (37-17) vs. Chattanooga (37-15) Louisiana (50-4) vs. Southeast Mo. St. (45-16) Tucson Regional – May 17-19 at Tucson, Arizona Auburn (37-19) vs. Colorado St. (38-10) Harvard (25-17) vs. No. 6 seed Arizona* (42-12) Minneapolis Regional – May 17-19 at Minneapolis, Minnesota No. 7 seed Minnesota* (41-12) vs. North Dakota St. (42-14) Georgia (40-17) vs. Drake (42-14) This Selection Show Sunday wait has us feeling all sorts of ways... pic.twitter.com/D47Pid5ZkW — Minnesota Softball (@GopherSoftball) May 12, 2019 Baton Rouge Regional – May 17-19 at Baton Rouge, Louisiana Texas Tech (39-14) vs. Louisiana Tech (44-14) Monmouth (36-16) vs. No. 10 seed LSU* (40-16) Ann Arbor Regional – May 17-19 at Ann Arbor, Michigan No. 15 seed Michigan* (43-11) vs. Saint Francis (PA) (29-29) James Madison (47-7) vs. DePaul (34-14) Los Angeles Regional – May 17-19 at Los Angeles, California Missouri (32-23) vs. Cal St. Fullerton (38-16) Weber St. (26-19) vs. No. 2 seed UCLA* (46-5) CHAMPIONSHIP STRUCTURE: The committee held selections on May 10-12. The 64-team field was selected from 296 NCAA Division I institutions sponsoring softball. Of the 64 teams, 32 teams received an automatic qualification with the remaining best 32 teams selected on an at-large basis. Full list of automatic qualifiers: *The Big 12, A-10 and AAC softball tournaments were canceled due to inclement weather and field conditions. The Big 12's auto-bid to the NCAA tournament was awarded to Oklahoma, the regular season champs. The AAC auto-bid goes to USF, the highest remaining seed in the conference tournament. Fordham gets the A-10's auto-bid after winning the regular season championship. Regionals will be held May 16-19 on 16 campus sites. At each campus site, a four-team, double-elimination tournament will be conducted, and the 16 winning teams advance to the Super Regionals. Due to rain in Amherst, the final game of the #A10SB Championship has been canceled. No. 1 @FordhamSoftball and No. 3 @GW_Softball are named Co-Champions and Regular season champion Fordham receives the A-10 automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Story: https://t.co/UfzWqBQxxO pic.twitter.com/36srPglSWC — Atlantic10Conference (@atlantic10) May 12, 2019 Super Regionals for the championship will be held May 23-26 on eight campus sites. At each site, two teams play in a best-of- three tournament format. The winners from each site advance to the NCAA® Women’s College World Series (WCWS). SEEDING/SITES: Teams were selected to the field of 64 teams. The top 16 teams were seeded in order, and the remaining teams are paired by geographic proximity, with the exception that teams within the same conference were not paired during regional competition. CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES: 2018 highlights: Florida State defeated Washington, 8-3, to win its first-ever WCWS title. For complete championship details log on to www.ncaa.com. SHOP SOFTBALL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GEAR FROM FANATICS<doc-sep>Four months after being picked to finish just No. 8 in the SEC, Alabama has again been classified as a No. 8 seed. This time though, it’s for the NCAA tournament. The 52-7 Crimson Tide is the No. 8 seed in the NCAA tournament and will host a regional in Tuscaloosa beginning Friday, it was announced Sunday evening. The other teams at the Tuscaloosa Regional will be Arizona State (33-18), Lipscomb (41-13-1) and Alabama State (24-23). The winner of the Tuscaloosa Regional will face the winner of the Austin Regional being hosted by No. 9 Texas. Alabama, the SEC regular season champions, came close to being seeded much higher. Florida, the team that beat the Tide 2-1 in the SEC tournament title game Saturday night, is a No. 5 seed. Still, it’s yet another NCAA tournament appearance and yet another top-16 seed for Patrick Murphy and Alabama. The Tide has made the tournament every year since 1999 and has been a top-16 seed each of the last 15 years. Matt Zenitz is an Alabama and Auburn reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mzenitz.<doc-sep>Casey Brooke Lawson/Associated Press The 2019 NCAA softball championship bracket is set as 64 teams try to begin their run at a national championship. Oklahoma is the No. 1 overall seed, although there will be a lot of competition as the squad tries to bring home a title. Florida State is the defending champion with the experience necessary to succeed in the postseason, while top teams from all over the country have the talent to go all the way this year. Even with a double-elimination format, this tournament could be full of surprises. NCAA Tournament Schedule May 17-19: Regional Tournaments May 23-26: Super Regionals May 30-June 5: Women's College World Series Video Play Button Videos you might like Full bracket available at NCAA.com. First-Round Matchups Normal Regional No. 1 Oklahoma vs. UMBC Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame Los Angeles Regional No. 2 UCLA vs. Weber State Missouri vs. Cal State Fullerton Seattle Regional No. 3 Washington vs. Fordham Seattle U vs. Mississippi State Tallahassee Regional No. 4 Florida State vs. Bethune-Cookman South Carolina vs. South Florida Gainesville Regional No. 5 Florida vs. Boston University Stanford vs. Boise State Tuscon Regional No. 6 Arizona vs. Harvard Auburn vs. Colorado State Minneapolis Regional No. 7 Minnesota vs. North Dakota State Drake vs. Georgia Tuscaloosa Regional No. 8 Alabama vs. Alabama State Arizona State vs. Lipscomb Austin Regional No. 9 Texas vs. Sam Houston State Houston vs. Texas A&M Baton Rouge Regional No. 10 LSU vs. Monmouth Texas Tech vs. Louisiana Tech Oxford Regional No. 11 Ole Miss vs. Chattanooga Southeast Missouri State vs. Louisiana Knoxville Regional No. 12 Tennessee vs. Longwood North Carolina vs. Ohio State Stillwater Regional No. 13 Oklahoma State vs. BYU Tulsa vs. Arkansas Lexington Regional No. 14 Kentucky vs. Toledo Virginia Tech vs. Illinois Ann Arbor Regional No. 15 Michigan vs. St. Francis (Pa.) DePaul vs. James Madison Evanston Regional No. 16 Northwestern vs. Detroit Mercy Louisville vs. Southern Illinois Teams to Watch Oklahoma Casey Brooke Lawson/Associated Press The Big 12 tournament was canceled due to weather, but there was no debate about which team was the best in the conference. Oklahoma was dominant all season long, going 18-0 in conference play and 49-2 overall during an incredible season. Not only did the Sooners find ways to win nearly every time out, but they also excelled in nearly every phase of the game. Their .365 batting average easily leads the country ahead of second-place James Madison with a .349 mark. The pitching has somehow been even better, ranking first in the nation at 1.15 compared to second-place Louisiana at 1.37. Shannon Saile, a transfer from FIU, has shut down opponents to become one of the best pitchers in college softball. "Anytime I say there's a chance they can't do something, they show me they can," coach Patty Gasso said of her team, per Jake Trotter of espnW.com. "It's a different kind of team. They act, they feel, their style is very invincible." With three championships in the last six years, we also know this program knows how to get it done. Considering each of the Sooners' two losses came in February, it will be difficult for any team to beat them in this tournament. UCLA Washington sits above UCLA in the latest coaches poll, but the Bruins are the most dangerous Pac-12 squad in this tournament. Not only did the Bruins clinch the automatic bid from the conference by winning the regular-season title, but they also swept the Huskies in their only three head-to-head games this year. They are also more well-built for the NCAA tournament despite the fact that Washington reached the College World Series Finals a year ago. UCLA has one of the best two-person pitching tandems in the country between Rachel Garcia and Megan Faraimo, who combined to pick up some significant hardware this year: These two combined for 35 wins during the regular season and could get quite a few more over the next month. With Bubba Nickles anchoring a deep lineup, there are all the tools necessary for a deep run. A 3-3 record to close the year raises some concern, but UCLA will be a top contender for a championship. Louisiana Bill Feig/Associated Press Major conference teams like Florida State, Florida, Alabama and Arizona are all capable of winning it all, but don't count out Louisiana out of the Sun Belt Conference. The Ragin' Cajuns had a 50-4 record this season, including 25-0 in league play, before cruising to a conference tournament title with two wins over Coastal Carolina. Summer Ellyson was a machine this year, appearing in 46 games (41 starts) while totaling 249.1 innings. She was more than effective on the mound, totaling an incredible 37-4 record with a 0.98 ERA. If Louisiana is going to win games this tournament, you can be certain Ellyson will have a significant role in them. The offense also has quite a few hitters who can get on base or hit it out of the park, although there are question marks about their level of competition during the year. It won't be an easy run to the CWS, but this team could surprise people during this postseason. Note: All statistics courtesy of team sites and NCAA.com.<doc-sep>The way that Auburn played in the SEC Tournament, winning two games to make the semifinals — was a “rejuvenation" according to head coach Mickey Dean. They’ll hope to carry that momentum into the NCAA Tournament, where Auburn will play Colorado State on Friday in Tuscon, Arizona. The host Wildcats will face No. 4 seed Harvard. “There’s no hiding it,” Dean said after his team was selected on Sunday night. “We were struggling offensively. And we were putting a lot of pressure on our pitchers. ... I think with our offense opening up a little bit, we’re back on track. We’re not where we wanna be." The Tigers will be playing away from home in the NCAA Tournament regionals for the second-straight season. AU lost in Tallahassee last year. AU enters the postseason struggling mightily on offense. The team had entered the SEC Tournament having lost 10-of-11 games in the conference, and scoring just 14 runs in those 11 games. Dean said at times, it’s been a struggle to keep everyone together. “You’re dealing with something that’s a confidence, and it’s a mental thing, and so it can become a little more difficult," Dean said. "And you have to be careful with the words you choose to use. And even when a player is struggling, you’ve got to somehow find a way to continue to give them confidence.” Still, Auburn came out and won the first two games of the SEC Tournament as a No. 10 seed. They beat No. 7 seed Missouri and No. 2 seed Tennessee, before losing to eventual SEC champion Florida in the semifinals. The Wildcats are the No. 6 national seed, and enter the regional at 42-12. They have lost 4-of-6 entering the postseason. CSU, Auburn’s first opponent, is 38-10. They too, though, are just 9-6 in their last 15 games. CSU has hit 61 homers this season, and allowed just 22. AU doesn’t know if it will have Taylon Snow, who was injured in the SEC Tournament. Ace starter Makayla Martin also appears to remain out. The team gathered inside a TV room at Jordan-Hare Stadium to watch the selection show, and feasted on Country Barbecue, while UFC played on the televisions around the room on ESPN2, before the show started. There were oo’s every time an SEC team was picked. And the entire team looked back at Dean when James Madison was selected as a No. 2 seed, despite being projected to host a regional. Dean was a legendary head coach at JMU before coming to Auburn. But now, the focus is on Auburn, as they try and make an improbable run in the NCAA Tournament. “We came off a really good weekend, especially for the SEC Tournament," said starting pitcher Ashlee Swindle. "We were really clicking. Pitching came together. Hitting came together. Defense was great. I think we have good momentum going into the regional tournament.”<doc-sep>
The NCAA has announced the 64 team field for the NCAA Softball tournament. The Crimson Tide (52-7) was rewarded the eighth seed despite being ranked third and fourth by the three softball polls, a position they have held for most of the past month. The 8-seed means Alabama will also be able to host a Super regional, should they win the double-elimination regional. Only the top eight are given that privilege. Frankly, this is a slap in the face of the SEC Champions. To think they were one spot away from NOT being in that position is appalling. Here’s hoping they use this as motivation. Should Alabama win their regional, they will face off the following weekend against the winner of the Texas Longhorns regional which also includes Texas A&M. Tickets for the Tuscaloosa Regional are now available. Here is the rundown of seeded teams: Oklahoma UCLA Washington Florida State Florida - Bama defeated the Gators three out of four times this season. The one loss was the a 2-1 squeaker in the SEC Tournament Championship Game. Arizona - The Crimson Tide trounced the Wildcats on their home field back in February 6-1. Minnesota - Alabama went 2-0 against the Golden Gophers this season. ALABAMA Texas LSU Ole Miss Tennessee Oklahoma State Kentucky Michigan Northwestern Six SEC teams will host a regional. All 13 SEC teams made the 64-team field. Auburn heads out west to play in the Arizona regional. Mississippi State to the Washington regional. Georgia to the Minnesota regional. Arkansas to the Oklahoma State regional. Mizzou to the UCLA regional. South Carolina to the FSU regional. For the full bracket, click here. Hey @AlabamaSB the last time the haters picked us 8th we finished 1st. I’m just saying... — Jordan Patterson (@jpatt2492) May 13, 2019 Um.... we swept Florida in Gainesville and beat Arizona in Tucson... SEC Regular season champs... are you kidding right now??? — Haylie McCleney (@hayliemac8) May 13, 2019