After winning 45 games in the program’s first year in the Big 12, the Arizona Wildcats are set to host the Tucson Regional in the 2025 NCAA Softball Tournament this weekend.
The Wildcats (45-11) bring a host of top-flight talent into the tournament with Devyn Netz, Dakota Kennedy, Sydney Stewart, and Miranda Stoddard all earning unanimous First-Team All-Big 12 honors.
As the No. 13 seed in the bracket, Arizona will host Ole Miss (37-17), Grand Canyon (46-6), and Santa Clara (32-20) in a double-elimination four-team pod.
Here’s an overhead view of what each team brings to the field.
Bracket Breakdown: Tucson Regional
| Team | Conf. | Record | RPI | SOS | ERA | OBP | FLD% | Runs/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (13) Arizona | Big 12 | 45–11 | 12 | 27 | 2.47 | .434 | .974 | 7.1 |
| Ole Miss | SEC | 37–17 | 20 | 15 | 2.99 | .399 | .969 | 5.8 |
| Grand Canyon | WAC | 46–6 | 32 | 151 | 1.74 | .439 | .971 | 6.5 |
| Santa Clara | WCC | 32–20 | 119 | 177 | 2.90 | .360 | .970 | 4.5 |
The Favorite: Arizona
Arizona has spent the entire 2025 season living in the shadow of Texas Tech, but with conference play behind them, the tournament feels like a chance for this group to spread its wings. The Wildcats have the most potent offense in the Big 12, and with the combination of Netz and Stoddard in the circle, this is a team that has a chance to surprise some folks over the next two weekends.
The Contender: Ole Miss
Ole Miss is tough, battle-tested, and balanced—the three things that you don’t want to see in an upset-minded contender come Regional weekend. There’s not a statistical anomaly that sticks out for the Rebels, other than they’re good at about every part of the game. Lexie Brady is the big bat in the lineup, while the circle has been a three-way split all season with Miali Guachino (137.2 IP), Brianna Lopez (111.1 IP), and Baylor transfer Aliyah Binford (95.1 IP) all near or above 100 IP on the season.
The Dark Horse: Grand Canyon
Kind of like we see in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, it’s hard to know whether a mid-major really stacks up to its statistics until we see them on the field against elite competition. Grand Canyon will be a perfect case study for such a matter, as the Lopes lead the country in team ERA (1.74) and rank inside the top 25 in several other offensive and defensive categories. Savannah Kirk (.505 BA, .550 OBP) is the name to know on offense. It’s worth noting that GCU was 3-1 against the Big 12 this season—their lone loss coming to Arizona in extra innings.
Regional X-Factor: Devyn Netz, RHP, Arizona
Arizona’s roster is full of talent, but it feels like the Wildcats will go as far as their senior leader takes them. One of the best two-way players in the country, Netz will play a pivotal role in every game for Arizona from this point on. She’s got WCWS experience, and she truly one of the few players in this field that can change the game in the circle and at the plate.
Tucson Regional Schedule
Tucson, Arizona
Friday, May 16
Game 1: Santa Clara vs. No. 13 Arizona | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
Game 2:Â Grand Canyon vs. Ole Miss | 10Â p.m. | ESPNU
Saturday, May 17
Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 | 4 p.m. | TV TBD
Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 | 6:30 p.m. | TV TBD
Loser eliminated
Game 5: Loser of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 | 9 p.m. | TV TBD
Loser eliminated
Sunday, May 18
Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5 | 7:30 p.m. | TV TBD
Game 7 (if necessary): TBD vs. TBD | 10:00 p.m. | TV TBD
The winner of the Tucson Regional will advance to play the winner of the Fayetteville Regional, hosted by No. 4 seed Arkansas.
Prediction: Arizona Advances, 3-1
Arizona’s regional is much tougher than it might seem, and it’s going to take one heck of an effort for this group to get out of Tucson on Sunday. They should have no trouble dispatching Santa Clara on Friday, but the winner of Ole Miss-Grand Canyon is going to be the team that could cause some issues.
I’m going to put it this way—I’m not sure which game it will be, but the Wildcats will be staring elimination the face at some point this weekend after a loss. Whether that means they play two games on Saturday or two on Sunday, I don’t know. But, with the competition coming to town, I think it will be a stiff test. However, when the smoke clears on Sunday evening, it will be Arizona that moves on to Supers.
