HCS Softball Bracketology: Field of 64 for Conference Championship Week
We’ve reached conference championship weekend for the 2023 college softball season, which means that the fun is just beginning for the fastest-growing sport in America.
With just conference tournaments remaining, the NCAA Tournament field is coming into view and we have taken the liberty of compiling the data and coming up with their projections for the entire Field of 64, as of Monday, May 8.
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.
HCS Projected Field of 64: May 8
*-Denotes Automatic Bid
NORMAN REGIONAL
1. Oklahoma (1)*
4. Robert Morris*
2. California
3. Missouri
LOS ANGELES REGIONAL
1. UCLA (2)*
4. Loyola Marymount*
2. Cal State Fullerton*
3. Ohio State
TALLAHASSEE REGIONAL
1. Florida State (3)*
4. Dayton*
2. Florida
3. UCF
PALO ALTO REGIONAL
1. Stanford (4)
4. Grand Canyon*
2. Auburn
3. San Diego State*
KNOXVILLE REGIONAL
1. Tennessee (5)*
4. Delaware*
2. Utah
3. Miami (OH)*
BATON ROUGE REGIONAL
1. LSU (6)
4. McNeese*
2. UL Lafayette*
3. Notre Dame
STILLWATER REGIONAL
1. Oklahoma State (7)
4. Saint Francis*
2. Wichita State*
3. South Dakota State*
EVANSTON REGIONAL
1. Northwestern (8)*
4. NIU*
2. Kentucky
3. Louisville
WACO REGIONAL
1. Baylor (16)
4. Canisius*
2. Oregon
3. Ole Miss
ATHENS REGIONAL
1. Georgia (15)
4. Morgan State*
2. Indiana
3. Boston*
CLEMSON REGIONAL
1. Clemson (14)
4. Princeton*
2. South Carolina
3. Charlotte*
FAYETTEVILLE REGIONAL
1. Arkansas (13)
4. SEMO*
2. Central Arkansas*
3. Nebraska
TUSCALOOSA REGIONAL
1. Alabama (12)
4. Binghamton*
2. Virginia Tech
3. South Alabama
AUSTIN REGIONAL
1. Texas (11)
4. Prarie View A&M*
2. Texas A&M
3. Texas State
SEATTLE REGIONAL
1. Washington (10)
4. Sacramento State*
2. Minnesota
3. UConn*
DURHAM REGIONAL
1. Duke (9)
4. Longwood*
2. Liberty
3. UNC Greensboro*
Other Potential Hosts: Oregon, Louisiana, Central Arkansas, Wichita State
Last Four In: Texas State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State
First Four Out: Penn State, Maryland, Mississippi State, Arizona
Next Four Out: Boise State, Michigan, Virginia, Wisconsin
