How the SEC’s softball dominance could carry it through to the Women’s College World Series
he Oklahoman’s Jenni Carlson shares the top storylines she’s following through the NCAA softball tournament, starting with the SEC’s biggest strengths.
The road to Oklahoma City and the Women’s College World Series begins Friday with a full slate of regional action in the NCAA Division I softball tournament.
The Oklahoma Sooners have claimed the last four titles. They could earn a fifth as the tournament’s No. 2 overall seed, but they have plenty of competition in this year’s field, much of which figures to come from their new conference. SEC schools earned seven of the top eight seeds, headed by top overall selection Texas A&M, with the league receiving 14 bids in all to the 64-team field.
Here’s a quick guide to Friday’s first-round action, starting with a refresher on the tournament format.
How does the NCAA softball tournament work?
Like the Division I baseball tournament, the 64 teams selected are placed in 16 regionals of four teams each. The NCAA denotes these regionals by the city or town in which the host school is located. The regionals are double elimination, and the 16 winners advance to best-of-three super regionals that will take place next weekend. The eight winners of those series will move on to the WCWS in Oklahoma City.
How can I watch the NCAA softball tournament?
The ESPN family of channels will be airing selected contests throughout the day. But don’t worry if your favorite team doesn’t happen to be on the lineup. Every game is available for streaming via ESPN+. Keep in mind, however, that the TV coverage might bounce around if Mother Nature intervenes and some venues experience weather delays.
Here’s the full Friday schedule of 32 games (all times eastern).
Bryan/College Station (Texas)
Liberty vs. Marist, 1 p.m.
No. 1 Texas A&M vs. St. Francis, 3:30 p.m., SECN
Norman (Okla.)
California vs. Nebraska-Omaha, 3:30 p.m.
No. 2 Oklahoma vs. Boston University, 6 p.m., ESPNU
Gainesville (Fla.)
Florida Atlantic vs. Georgia Tech, 2 p.m., ESPNU
No. 3 Florida vs. Mercer, 4:30 p.m.
Fayetteville (Ark.)
Oklahoma State vs. Indiana, 4 p.m., ESPN2
No. 4 Arkansas vs. Saint Louis, 6:30 p.m.
Tallahassee (Fla.)
Auburn vs. South Florida, noon, ESPNU
No. 5 Florida State vs. Robert Morris, 2:30 p.m., ACCN
Austin (Texas)
Central Florida vs. Michigan, 2 p.m., ESPN2
No. 6 Texas vs. Eastern Illinois, 4:30 p.m.
Knoxville (Tenn.)
No. 7 Tennessee vs. Miami (Ohio), 1:30 p.m., SECN
Ohio State vs. North Carolina, 4 p.m., ESPNU
Columbia (S.C.)
Virginia vs. North Florida, 3 p.m.
No. 8 South Carolina vs. Elon, 5:30 p.m.
Los Angeles
No. 9 UCLA vs. UC Santa Barbara, 7:30 p.m.
Arizona State vs. San Diego State, 10 p.m., ESPN2
Baton Rouge (La.)
Nebraska vs. Connecticut, 3 p.m.
No. 10 LSU vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 5:30 p.m., SECN
Clemson (S.C.)
Kentucky vs. Northwestern, 2 p.m.
No. 11 Clemson vs. USC Upstate, 4:30 p.m., ACCN
Lubbock (Texas)
No. 12 Texas Tech vs. Brown, 5:30 p.m.
Mississippi State vs. Washington, 8 p.m., ESPN2
Tucson (Ariz.)
No. 13 Arizona vs. Santa Clara, 7:30 p.m.
Mississippi vs. Grand Canyon, 10 p.m., ESPNU
Durham (N.C.)
No. 14 Duke vs. Howard, noon, ACCN
Georgia vs. Coastal Carolina, 2:30 p.m.
Tuscaloosa (Ala.)
Virginia Tech vs. Belmont, 3:30 p.m.
No. 15 Alabama vs. Jackson State, 6 p.m.
Eugene (Ore.)
Stanford vs. Binghamton, 5 p.m.
No. 16 Oregon vs. Weber State, 7:30 p.m.
