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>Tonight at 6 pm PT, the UCLA softball team will find out their seeding for this year’s NCAA Softball Tournament and the Women’s College World Series. 2019 NCAA Softball Selection Show Time: 6:00 pm PT, Sunday, May 12, 2019 TV: ESPN2 Live Stream: WatchESPN Interactive Bracket While UCLA finished the regular season tied with Washington for first place in the Pac-12 standings, the Bruins earned the conference’s automatic bid by virtue of their head-to-head record against the Huskies. As in years past, the tournament field will consist of 64 teams with 32 conference champions receiving an automatic bid and 32 earning at-large bids. Sixteen teams will be seeded and, typically, the seeded teams host the Regional competitions the first weekend of the tournament. This year, the Regionals will take place from May 17 to May 19 while the Super Regionals will take place from May 23 to May 26 at eight campus sites Even if the Bruins slip in the seedings due to this weekend’s two losses to Arizona, it would be a surprise if UCLA is not seeded in the top 5 or if UCLA is not in line to host both a Regional and Super Regional, assuming the team gets that far. This year’s selection show will air at 6 pm PT on ESPN2 and WatchESPN.com. Go Bruins! Bring home 118!! !<doc-sep>This will get you excited for this year's WCWS This will get you excited for this year's WCWS The bracket is out and the stage is set. Each NCAA softball team can now see their path to reaching the Women’s College World Series. Sunday night, the 64-team field for the 2019 NCAA Division I softball tournament was announced. Oklahoma is the No. 1 overall seed and they’ll face America East champs UMBC to start the tournament. The Sooners’ regional in Norman also includes Notre Dame and Wisconsin. 2019 BRACKET: Oklahoma claims No. 1 seed in regionals | View the 2019 bracket UCLA and Washington are the Nos. 2 and 3 seeds, Detroit Mercy and Seattle are appearing in the tournament for the first time, and the SEC overflowed the field with 13 teams. There’s a lot to talk about, so let’s get into a few reactions from the bracket. THE LATEST: Scoreboard | Stats Tucson could be decided by the long ball If home runs are your thing, the Tucson regional will be the one you want to keep an eye on. There will be dingers galore. The regional will feature three of the nation’s top 12 home run hitters in Arizona’s Jessie Harper (25) and Dejah Mulipola (21), and Auburn’s Kendall Veach (20). Auburn’s Tannon Snow also has double-digit homers, slapping 13 over the fence this year. SCHEDULE: Dates and times for the 2019 Women's College World Series Also in this region is Colorado State, which is 18th in the nation in team home runs per-game, driving 1.27 balls long per contest. The Rams have three players who have hit double-digit home runs this season, with Tara Shadowen leading the way with 14. Harvard isn’t one of the top hitting teams in the country, but freshman Teagan Shaw has shown potential to go yard, hitting six homers this year. Minneapolis regional looks tough Out of all the regions, it’s hard to pick a favorite from Minneapolis. The regional features three teams ranked in the top 25 in the latest USA Today and NFCA Coaches Poll in No. 12 Minnesota, No. 13 Georgia, No. 25 Drake. Rounding out the field is North Dakota State, winners of 42 games and the Summit League champs. There’s a case to be made for each team. Minnesota has one of the country’s top pitching staffs, ranking 10th in the nation in ERA with a 1.72 mark. The Gophers are also 12th in home runs per-game (1.28) and seventh in fielding percentage (.978). BY THE NUMBERS: These are the three best pitchers in college softball Georgia is 19th in home runs per-game (1.25), 19th in slugging percentage (.517), and has two of the most patient batters at the plate in Alyssa DiCarlo and Lacey Fincher. DiCarlo is seventh in the country in walks, drawing 0.88 per-game, while Fincher is 13th with a .82 mark. 🐟 Kylie Bass set the tone in the circle for the Dawgs early today. #Team23 | #GoDawgs | #SECSB pic.twitter.com/Ad8FP64snZ — Georgia Softball (@UGASoftball) May 9, 2019 Drake is armed with arguably the best arm in college softball in Nicole Newman, who recently tossed her fifth perfect game of the season. Newman is among the top three in the country on leaderboards for ERA, hits allowed per seven innings, shutouts, strikeout to walk ratio and total strikeouts. Drake also notched regular season wins over tournament teams in Toledo, Southeastern Missouri State and Southern Illinois. North Dakota State is 12th in country in fielding percentage (.976) and 25th in batting average (.309). PERFECT: Nicole Newman tosses fifth perfect game of the season for Drake Watch out for an upset in Ann Arbor One region that definitely has potential for one of the seeded teams to get upset is in Ann Arbor. The Michigan Wolverines were awarded the No. 15 seed and are hosting the regional after winning the Big Ten title. Michigan is legit, having been ranked No. 21 in the latest USA Today and NFCA Coaches Poll. The Wolverines are 17th in the nation in batting average (.319), 24th in ERA (2.08), 28th in slugging (.494) and 13th in on-base percentage (.408). SOFTBALL STORIES: 16 year-old with cerebral palsy joins Pitt | Mo'ne Davis to play at Hampton But also nestled in this regional are the James Madison Dukes, ranked No. 16 in the latest national poll and recently crowned CAA champs, winning each of its three conference tournament games by way of the mercy rule. The Dukes won 47 games this season and notched wins over tournament bound teams in Tennessee, Drake, Longwood, Virginia Tech and Michigan, beating the Wolverines 3-0 in nine innings on March 7. Five home runs. Fifth conference title. This is JMU softball!#GoDukes pic.twitter.com/1cv9u3gLmn — JMU Softball (@JMUSoftball) May 11, 2019 James Madison is arguably one of the most well-rounded teams in the country, ranking second in the nation in batting average (.349) and sixth in ERA (1.67). The Dukes are second in the country in on-base percentage (.443), third in home runs per-game (1.72), 21st in shutouts (15) and second in slugging (.617). Leading James Madison on offense is Kate Gordon, who is 17th in the nation in hits with 74 and 15th in home runs with 18. Sophomore Sara Jubas is 16th in the nation in RBIs with 58. The Dukes not only have a chance to win the Ann Arbor regional, but have the resume to potentially make a run to the World Series. Mitchell Northam is a graduate of Salisbury University. His work has been featured at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Orlando Sentinel, SB Nation, FanSided, USA Today and the Delmarva Daily Times. He grew up on Maryland's Eastern Shore and is now based in Durham, N.C.<doc-sep>
Oklahoma was unveiled as the No. 1 overall seed in the 2019 NCAA softball tournament when the bracket was revealed on Sunday. The top-ranked Sooners (49-2) bring a 39-game winning streak into the tournament, which is a Division I single-season record and eight wins shy of the 47 consecutive games Arizona won across the 1996 and 1997 seasons. Oklahoma, led by undefeated pitching ace Giselle Juarez (22-0, 1.26 ERA) and Big 12 player of the year Sydney Romero (.427 batting average, 17 home runs), is looking to win its third championship in four years. The Sooners lead the nation in ERA, home runs per game and batting average. Oklahoma's most recent loss came on Feb. 22 to UCLA (46-5), which got the No. 2 seed on Sunday. The Bruins are led by reigning Pac-12 player and pitcher of the year Rachel Garcia, who is one of two collegiate players chosen to represent Team USA this summer. Reigning national champion Florida State (51-8), the only other team to beat Oklahoma this season, is the No. 4 seed. The Seminoles defeated North Carolina on Saturday to earn their sixth consecutive ACC tournament title. Meghan King, who won both games of the championship series a year ago in Oklahoma City, led the Seminoles with a 29-5 record and a 1.36 ERA. FSU is the only seeded team from the ACC. Washington (45-7), the runner-up a season ago, is seeded third this year. For the third year in a row, all 13 SEC teams made the 64-team tournament field, with Florida (fifth), Alabama (eighth), LSU (10th), Ole Miss (11th), Tennessee (12th) and Kentucky (14) among the top 16 seeds. The six seeded teams mark the most seeded teams of any conference. Florida, which won the SEC tournament title on Saturday with a 2-1 win over Alabama, seemingly got the most generous seeding of the SEC teams. Although they won the most recent encounter with the Tide, the Gators were swept in three games by Alabama last month in Gainesville. Alabama (52-7) was ranked fourth in the most recent ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25, and Florida was ranked 11th. The Tide have the most wins of any team in the tournament. The double-elimination regional round begins Thursday and concludes Sunday. The 16 winners advance to super regionals, which will be held at eight sites May 23-26. Eight teams advance to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, which opens May 30. The 2019 national champion will be crowned June 4 or 5.