The journey to Oklahoma City kicks off this Friday, marking the start of the 2025 NCAA Softball Tournament. The brackets for this year’s competition were revealed on Sunday evening, and a few things stand out about the tournament.
To begin with, the SEC stands out as the dominant conference in the sport, with 14 of its 16 teams making the cut.
Interestingly, seven of the top eight seeds belong to SEC teams, with the lone exception being No. 5, Florida. The Seminoles, part of a strong representation from the ACC with nine teams in total, were one of just three to secure weekend play, along with No. 14 Duke and No. 11 Clemson.
This sets the stage for a possibly SEC-dominated series of super regionals if the regional round gets crowded. It seems quite likely that seven of the eight super regional sites might end up on SEC campuses, pushing us toward a heavily SEC-focused World Series.
Texas A&M, meanwhile, hasn’t faced Oklahoma State in Oklahoma at all this season, despite being slated as the second-seed four times. With the SEC Championship Game overshadowed by rain, fans were left wondering how a matchup between the Sooners and Aggies would have played out last weekend in Athens, Georgia. Still, Texas A&M secured some notable top-25 victories this season, including strong wins against Florida and Texas Tech, which might bolster their case for a No. 1 seed.
South Carolina captured the last of the top spots and stands to host a super-regional if they advance. It’s been a remarkable season for the Gamecocks, who have racked up 40 wins under first-year coach Ashley Chastain Woodard, despite being predicted to finish at the bottom. Remarkably, this is the first time since 2018 that South Carolina has hosted a regional.
Kurt McGuffin, chair of the NCAA Softball Committee, noted, “If you look at South Carolina, they have 17 top 25 victories, which was crucial in their selection. They really pushed themselves with a tough schedule.” Six of those victories were against highly ranked opponents, emphasizing the importance of challenging non-conference games.
If the Gamecocks make it to the second weekend, they could find themselves up against UCLA. The Bruins, who earned the No. 9 seed with a 49-10 record, haven’t finished in the top eight since 2016. UCLA is a powerhouse in collegiate softball, boasting eight World Series appearances since 2015.
Alabama also made the list as the last SEC team, finishing 15th and earning the right to host a regional. This marks their 20th consecutive season in which they’ve secured a top 16 seed. They face tough competition in their regional, with two other teams boasting 40 wins: Virginia Tech and Belmont. The Tide split their earlier two-game series with the Hokies in February.
On the other hand, Belmont is ready with one of the nation’s top pitchers, Maya Johnson, leading the country with 343 strikeouts.
Other notable regional matchups include North Carolina taking on Ohio in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Tar Heels, led by Cat Rodriguez, who is the national leader in RBIs, are competing for the first time since 2019. But Ohio comes in strong too, hitting a remarkable 137 home runs, positioning them as a particularly explosive offensive team.
The game between UNC and Ohio is set for ESPNU at 4 PM on Friday. The winner will likely face Tennessee, backed by the SEC Pitcher of the Year.
