College Softball Insider Blasts NCAA Committee for Snubbing Mid-Majors
For the second consecutive season, the Florida Atlantic Owls received an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament.
However, the Owls were the only mid-major to make the tourney without winning their conference. Three mid-majors earned at-large bids a year ago.
For D1Softball podcaster Victor Anderson, that's a problem.
Anderson ripped the selection committee in a post on X (formerly Twitter) shortly after the field of 64 was revealed on Sunday evening.
"Only 1 Mid-Major got an at-large bid tonight. And yet yall keep pushing this "Growing the game" narrative," Anderson wrote in one of three posts.
"And the part that ticks me off is we have all these national outlets who they talk about all softball yet we hear about the same schools every single year. Maybe it's time we recognize softball is played in more than just four conferences.
And while I'm at (it), let's actually tell the stories of those schools/players/coaches during their games. Not use their moment to prop up someone else who doesn't need any more shine than what they've gotten. But what do I know, I'm just a co-host who's known for wearing a goat mask."
And while I'm at, let's actually tell the stories of those schools/players/coaches during their games. Not use their moment to prop up someone else who doesn't need any more shine than what they've gotten. But what do I know, I'm just a co-host who's known for wearing a goat mask
— Victor Anderson 💙 (@CatbirdRed) May 12, 2025
Anderson does make a good point because teams like Nevada and North Texas were two of the first four teams out.
This year's tournament has the Power 4 conferences on display, with the SEC getting 14 teams in. The ACC follows with nine, the Big Ten has eight and the Big 12 has five. According to the math, 32 of those teams are considered to be at-large.
Nevada head coach Victoria Hayward noticed the selections and was also harsh with the committee's decision to leave out mid-majors.
So proud of @Nevada_Softball and what we were able to accomplish in year 1: 41-14 and a CHAMPIONSHIP.
— Victoria Hayward, OLY (@VictoriaHayward) May 12, 2025
Crushed to see the same old, same old and the lack of representation of Mid-Majors schools.
The future is bright and we’re ready to leave no doubt. Go Packsters 🐺🏆
"Definitely disappointed," Hayward told Nevada Sports Net. "We knew this was a chance. Obviously, we knew this was an option. Disappointed but just really proud of our season and the résumé we were able to put together for the committee. Disappointed with the lack of representation of mid-major schools, but trying to step away and just be proud of our season and what we were able to accomplish this year.
"Motivation to leave no doubt and just see our name confidently in the mix, whether it's us scheduling better or just competing better in certain games or coaching decisions, coaching our team better, and being more prepared for those moments when it matters. Definitely some fire under our butts and ready to get after it."
Who knows what those numbers will look like next year, but the only way to get more mid-majors into the tournament is to schedule tougher non-conference and try to play more Quad 1 games.
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-1d7db99dccc9abef7b9378f016b22b68.webp "Maren Angus-Coombs")
Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.