2023 NCAA Softball Championship features 12 SEC teams

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (May 14, 2023) – Twelve teams from the Southeastern Conference were selected to compete in the 2023 NCAA Division I Softball Championship.

The SEC earned five national seeds, including two of the top six. Tennessee (44-8), the 2023 SEC regular-season and tournament champion, garnered the No. 4 seed. Alabama (40-18) was awarded the No. 5 seed, while LSU (40-15) was tabbed the No. 10 seed. Arkansas (38-17) received the No. 11 seed, and Georgia (39-13) earned the No. 14 seed.

In addition, Auburn (40-17) earned a spot in the Clemson Regional, and Florida (36-20) will play in the Stanford Regional. Kentucky (30-20-1) is slated to compete in the Evanston Regional, while Ole Miss (30-26) will be a part of the Salt Lake City Regional. Missouri (34-24) is headed to the Norman Regional, and South Carolina (37-20) is set to compete at the Tallahassee Regional. Texas A&M (33-19) was selected to play at the Austin Regional.

Regionals will be held May 19-21 on 16 campus sites. At each campus site, a four- team, double-elimination tournament will be conducted, and the 16 winning teams advance to the super regionals. Super regionals for the championship will be held either May 25-27 or May 26-28 on eight campus sites. At each site, two teams play in a best-of-three tournament format. The eight super regional winners will earn a spot to the NCAA Women’s College World Series®, which will begin June 1 at OGE Energy Field at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Since 1997, the SEC has had nine teams advance to the Women’s College World Series: Alabama (2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021), Auburn (2015, 2016), Florida (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022), Georgia (2009, 2010, 2016, 2018, 2021), Kentucky (2014), LSU (2001, 2004, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017), South Carolina (2007), Tennessee (2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015) and Texas A&M (2017).

Thirteen schools have been crowned the NCAA Division I softball champion since the tournament started in 1982, with two SEC schools among the winners on that list. Alabama claimed the first national championship in SEC history when it downed Oklahoma, 5-4, on June 7, 2012. Florida defeated Alabama in the best-of-three series in 2014 and then became the third program in NCAA softball history to win back-to-back national titles after defeating Michigan in the 2015 WCWS Championship Series.

SITES/PAIRINGS (*Indicates Host Institution, SEC teams in bold):

Norman Regional (Norman, Okla.)
No. 1 seed Oklahoma* (51-1) vs. Hofstra (29-25)
Missouri (34-24) vs. California (33-19-1)

Clemson Regional (Clemson, S.C.)
No. 16 seed Clemson* (46-9) vs. UNC Greensboro (37-20)
Auburn (40-17) vs. Cal State Fullerton (33-19)

Stanford Regional (Stanford, Calif.)
No. 9 seed Stanford* (40-13) vs. Long Beach State (31-21)
Florida (36-20) vs. Loyola Marymount (27-20)

Tuscaloosa Regional (Tuscaloosa, Ala,)
No. 5 seed Alabama* (40-18) vs. LIU (32-24)
Middle Tennessee (39-18) vs. Central Arkansas (44-10)

Evanston Regional (Evanston, Ill.)
No. 12 seed Northwestern* (38-11) vs. Eastern Illinois (34-19)
Kentucky (30-20-1) vs. Miami (Ohio) (37-18)

Austin Regional (Austin, Texas)
No. 13 seed Texas* (42-13-1) vs. Seton Hall (42-16)
Texas A&M (33-19) vs. Texas State (34-23-1)

Knoxville Regional (Knoxville, Tenn.)
No. 4 seed Tennessee* (44-8) vs. Northern Kentucky (23-30)
Indiana (42-16) vs. Louisville (35-18)

Tallahassee Regional (at Tallahassee, Fla.)
No. 3 seed Florida State* (50-8) vs. Marist (29-28)
South Carolina (37-20) vs. UCF (39-19)

Athens Regional (Athens, Ga.)
No. 14 seed Georgia* (39-13) vs. N.C. Central (19-33)
Virginia Tech (37-18) vs. Boston University (51-8)

Fayetteville Regional (Fayetteville, Ark.)
No. 11 seed Arkansas* (38-17) vs. Harvard (29-15-1)
Notre Dame (29-17-1) vs. Oregon (35-15)

Baton Rouge Regional (Baton Rouge, La.)
No. 10 seed LSU* (40-15) vs. Prairie View (30-18)
Louisiana (46-13) vs. Omaha (32-15)

Salt Lake City Regional (Salt Lake City, Utah)
No. 15 seed Utah* (52-5) vs. Southern Illinois (36-18)
Ole Miss (30-26) vs. Baylor (39-16)