OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Texas is in prime position to successfully defend its national softball championship The Longhorns will need to navigate perhaps the most balanced and unpredictable field in NCAA Championships history to do it.
Texas, which takes the No. 2 overall seed into regional play, will open against Wagner on Friday in the Austin Regional.
The Longhorns (42-10) still have Teagan Kavan, the Most Outstanding Player of last year’s Women’s College World Series, leading the way from the circle. She has a 21-4 record with a 2.65 earned run average and got the win against Alabama in the Southeastern Conference title game. The prolific offense features Katie Stewart, who is batting .434 with 25 home runs.
Even with that star power, plenty of other contenders are lined up and ready to go.
Alabama (49-7), with star pitcher Jocelyn Briski, is the No. 1 overall seed and looks to add to its 2012 national title. No. 3 seed Oklahoma (48-8), the SEC regular-season champion, has won four of the last five national titles under coach Patty Gasso.
But none of those teams have the No. 1 ranking in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. That honor goes to Nebraska, the No. 4 overall seed. The Cornhuskers (46-6) defeated UCLA in the Big Ten championship game.
Then, there’s the team with the top RPI — Arkansas. The Razorbacks (42-11) haven’t reached the World Series, despite playing in super regionals in 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2025. This might be the year for the No. 5 overall seed — the Razorbacks rank No. 11 nationally with a 2.52 ERA and boast a .337 team batting average.
No. 6 Florida, with two-time national champion coach Tim Walton, always is a threat. No. 7 seed Tennessee (42-10) won its first 26 games this season and leads the nation with a 1.33 ERA. Hard-throwing Karlyn Pickens was the No. 1 overall pick in the AUSL draft. No. 8 seed UCLA leads the nation in scoring and home runs.
Regional play starts Friday, with the top 16 seeds hosting four-team double-elimination brackets. The eight teams that get through super regionals the following week will play in the World Series, which starts May 28 at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.
Home run races
UCLA’s Megan Grant broke the Division I single-season home run record last Saturday when she hit No. 38 in the Big Ten title game against Nebraska.
She’s not certain to hold the record at season’s end. Oklahoma freshman Kendall Wells has 36 and Grant’s UCLA teammate, Jordan Woolery, has 33.
Oklahoma and UCLA also are competing for the team all-time single-season home record. Oklahoma broke the record earlier this season, but UCLA passed the Sooners up and now lead 182-174. The previous record was 161, set by Oklahoma in 2021.
New name, same game
Nebraska pitcher Jordy Frahm might look familiar, even if her name doesn’t.
The all-around star for the Cornhuskers was Jordy Bahl until she got married before this season.
She was still Jordy Bahl last season when she was named 2025 National Fastpitch Coaches Association’s Division I Player of the Year. This season, the woman with the new name is getting familiar results. She has an 18-4 record with a 1.24 ERA and has hit .434 with 19 home runs and 50 RBIs.
The Papillion, Nebraska, native was a two-time national champion at Oklahoma and the World Series’ most outstanding player in 2023 before transferring and returning to her home state.
Major mid-major arms
Belmont’s Maya Johnson and Southeastern Louisiana’s combination of Cera Blanchard and Hallie Burns could be significant roadblocks for top-seed Alabama.
Johnson was picked third overall in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League draft. The 6-foot left-hander has a 25-2 record and leads the nation with a 0.66 earned run average.
Blanchard ranks third nationally with a 1.08 ERA. Burns has a 20-4 record and a 1.73 ERA.
Their teams face off Friday. The winner of that game will face Alabama or USC Upstate on Saturday for a spot in the regional final. Belmont or Southeastern Louisiana could be legitimate threats to advance, depending on how their pitchers feel after Friday’s action.
Raiders too low?
Texas Tech might feel snubbed, and that could be a problem for the field.
The Red Raiders are seeded No. 11 overall, despite a 52-6 record this season following a trip to the championship series last year.
NiJaree Canady remains the ace. She wore down in the championship series last year, but she now has help from pitcher Kaitlyn Terry, a transfer from UCLA.
If Tech wins the Lubbock Regional and the brackets go according to form, the Red Raiders could face No. 6 overall seed Florida on the road in super regionals. Tech is actually ranked No. 6 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll, while Florida is No. 10.
Watch out
There are a few spots where lower seeds could get through in regionals.
Texas A&M is the top seed in the College Station Regional, but Arizona State is a threat with elite pitcher Kenzie Brown, who just led the Sun Devils to the Big 12 tournament championship. She has a 15-6 record with a 2.29 ERA and 238 strikeouts in 143 2/3 innings.
Virginia Tech could win the Baton Rouge Regional at LSU. The Hokies rank fifth nationally with a .355 batting average and are actually ranked ahead of LSU in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll — Tech is No. 14 while LSU is No. 18.
Arizona could present trouble for Duke at the Durham Regional and Mississippi State could be a tough out for Oregon at the Eugene Regional.
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