Could Stanford Softball Win the Eugene Regional?

On Sunday, the NCAA Softball tournament bracket was released. Texas A&M won the top seeded spot, while Oklahoma, Florida, and Arkansas followed. The SEC dominated the seeding with 14 teams, including the top four, while the ACC followed with eight. The Big Ten finished with seven, and the Big 12 saw five spots to round out the power four.

Despite the abundance of power conference teams, the Cardinal got lucky.

Stanford has been seeded as the two seed in the Eugene regional, along with Oregon, Weber State, and Binghamton. The Cardinal got the perfect draw, as despite not hosting a regional, they get to stay close to home. To add, Oregon is the 16 seed and Stanford, being the second-best team in the regional, is technically the 17 seed.

Stanford's appearance in the ACC tournament ended when they fell to Duke in the quarterfinal. Despite the loss, the Cardinal had a phenomenal season, going 40-11, and a successful 16-8 record in ACC play. Going into the tournament, the Cardinal would have likely preferred to host a regional in Stanford Stadium, and will use that as motivation to hunt the Ducks in Eugene.

Although Stanford had a phenomenal season, the Ducks might have just topped them. Finishing 47-7, the Ducks were incredible all year, including a 19-3 Big Ten record. After a surprising underdog Michigan took them down in the first round of the Big Ten tournament, the Ducks have cooled off, and that could be massive for a possible upset in the regional.

The Binghamton Bearcats had a successful season as a mid-major, where they won 36 games, and took home their first American East Championship in 10 years. They will surely make the regional much more interesting.

Finally, Weber State is a bit lower in terms of their resume. The Wildcats went just 28-30, going just 8-7 in conference play at the mid-major level. In most cases, that would be a recipe for disaster, and get them nowhere near the tournament.

However, a Big Sky run where they took down Montana, Sac State, and Idaho State gave them the automatic bid from the Big Sky. The Wildcats are surely the least likely program to win the regional of the four, but they are also one of the hotter teams in the country.

This will be an incredible regional that will showcase lots of talent and great programs from all over the country. It looks like Oregon and Stanford will surely be the two top competitors to win it, but don’t sleep on the mid-majors, because anything can happen.

Looking at all of the resumes, the Cardinal have the best, showcasing tons of wins, a tougher strength of schedule, and they're pretty hot going in. Although they may not be the favorites, Stanford has a great chance to take down the competition and win the Eugene Regional.

First pitch for Stanford is scheduled for 2 p.m. (PT) on Friday as the Cardinal are set to face Binghamton for their first game in this double elimination tournament. The game will air on ESPN+.