HCS Softball Bracketology: Field of 64 for Week 12
There are just two weeks of regular season softball, which means the NCAA Tournament is coming up in just under a month. One of the most exciting times of the year is just around the corner, and Heartland College Sports is here to help you keep up with the action.
Our softball experts have taken the liberty of compiling the data and coming up with their projections for the entire Field of 64, as of Wednesday, April 26.
The field consists of 32 automatic qualifiers and 32 at-large bids. Of the 32 automatic qualifiers, 30 of them will earn bids by winning their conference tournament (the Big West and WCC regular season champions will earn the other two bids).
The Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) is used heavily in these projections, as it is when the selection committee creates the field during the Selection Show.
16 national seeds will be selected, with each team hosting a regional site for the first round of the tournament. At each campus site, a four-team, double-elimination tournament will be held, and the 16 winning teams advanced to the Super Regionals.
Super Regionals are hosted on eight campus sites, determined by Regionals winner’s seeding. At each site, two teams will play in a best-of-three tournament, with the winners going to Oklahoma City.
AUTOMATIC BIDS
America East:Â UMBC*
American:Â Wichita State*
ACC:Â Florida State*
Atlantic 10:Â Dayton*
Atlantic Sun:Â Central Arkansas*
Big 12:Â Oklahoma*
Big East:Â UConn*
Big Sky:Â Sacramento State*
Big South:Â Campbell*
Big Ten:Â Northwestern*
Big West:Â Cal St. Fullerton*
CAA:Â Delaware*
C-USA:Â Charlotte*
Horizon:Â Robert Morris*
Ivy:Â Princeton*
MAC:Â Miami (OH)*
MAAC:Â Canisius*
MEAC:Â Morgan State*
Missouri Valley:Â NIU*
Mountain West:Â SDSU*
NEC:Â Long Island*
OVC:Â SEMO*
PAC-12:Â UCLA*
Patriot League:Â Boston*
SEC:Â Tennessee*
SoCon:Â UNC Greensboro*
Southland:Â SE Louisiana*
SWAC:Â Prairie View A&M*
Summit League:Â S Dak. State*
Sun Belt:Â UL Lafayette*
WAC:Â Grand Canyon*
West Coast:Â Loyola Marymount*
NATIONAL SEEDS
1. OKLAHOMA
2. UCLA
3. TENNESSEE
4. FLORIDA STATE
5. STANFORD
6. DUKE
7. TEXAS
8. LSU
9. OKLAHOMA STATE
10. NORTHWESTERN
11. WASHINGTON
12. CLEMSON
13. GEORGIA
14. ALABAMA
15. ARKANSAS
16. OREGON
REGIONAL BRACKET
NORMAN REGIONAL
1. Oklahoma (1)*
4. Robert Morris*
2. Nebraska
3. Missouri
LOS ANGELES REGIONAL
1. UCLA (2)*
4. Loyola Marymount*
2. Louisville
3. Cal State Fullerton*
KNOXVILLE REGIONAL
1. Tennessee (3)*
4. Delaware*
2. Minnesota
3. Miami (OH)*
TALLAHASSEE REGIONAL
1. Florida State (4)*
4. Dayton*
2. Florida
3. UCF
PALO ALTO REGIONAL
1. Stanford (5)
4. Grand Canyon*
2. Michigan
3. San Diego State*
DURHAM REGIONAL
1. Duke (6)
4. Morgan State*
2. Liberty
3. Campbell*
AUSTIN REGIONAL
1. Texas (7)
4. Prairie View A&M*
2. Texas A&M
3. Indiana
BATON ROUGE REGIONAL
1. LSU (8)
4. SE Louisiana*
2. UL Lafayette*
3. Notre Dame
EUGENE REGIONAL
1. Oregon (16)
4. Princeton*
2. Auburn
3. South Dakota State*
FAYETTEVILLE REGIONAL
1. Arkansas (15)
4. UMBC*
2. Baylor
3. Utah
TUSCALOOSA REGIONAL
1. Alabama (14)
4. SEMO*
2. Central Arkansas*
3. Penn State
ATHENS REGIONAL
1. Georgia (13)
4. Canisius*
2. Cal
3. Boston*
CLEMSON REGIONAL
1. Clemson (12)
4. UNC Greensboro*
2. South Carolina
3. Charlotte*
SEATTLE REGIONAL
1. Washington (11)
4. Sacramento State*
2. Virginia Tech
3. Ohio State
EVANSTON REGIONAL
1. Northwestern (10)*
4. NIU*
2. Kentucky
3. UConn*
STILLWATER REGIONAL
1. Oklahoma State (9)
4. Long Island*
2. Wichita State*
3. Ole Miss
Other Potential Hosts: Wichita State, Florida, Baylor, Auburn
Last Four In: South Carolina, Notre Dame, Penn State, Missouri
First Four Out: Arizona, Arizona State, Maryland, Virginia
Next Four Out: Texas State, South Alabama, Marshall, McNeese
