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Latest Softball America Bracketology Features Potential Bedlam Super Regional

Florida State resurfaces in the top 16, while Oklahoma State earns its first host site prediction this year as of April 22, 2026.
Oklahoma State Cowgirls pitcher Ruby Meylan (66) celebrates during a Bedlam softball game between the Oklahoma State Cowgirls and the Oklahoma Sooners at Devon Park in Oklahoma CIty, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. Oklahoma State won 6-4.
Oklahoma State Cowgirls pitcher Ruby Meylan (66) celebrates during a Bedlam softball game between the Oklahoma State Cowgirls and the Oklahoma Sooners at Devon Park in Oklahoma CIty, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. Oklahoma State won 6-4. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With two weeks left of the regular season, programs are making their last push leading up to conference tournaments.

Per usual in the last four weeks, a new No. 1 has emerged, Jordy Frahm's Nebraska Cornhuskers.

On a 12-game win streak, following a three-game sweep over Washington, the Oregon Ducks re-earned Softball America's forecast at a Regional host site. Florida State is back in it as well after three dominant ACC victories over North Carolina.

The Cowgirls of Oklahoma State also busted into the top 16 for the first time in this year's Bracketology, after a Big 12 series win against Arizona.

Alternatively, Virginia Tech, Stanford, and Mississippi State all got the boot out of the predicted Regional home-field advantage.

As a reminder, 31 automatic bids from each conference and 33 at-large bids will determine the Field of 64. Each conference tournament winner claims an automatic bid to the NCAA postseason, excluding the WCC, which has yet to add a conference tournament. The regular-season standings will decide which program goes dancing in that case.

The automatic bids are selected based on a combination of current conference standings and RPI in Softball America’s bracketology prediction. The at-large bids are rooted in RPI, wins against the different RPI quadrants, and Strength of Schedule, while factoring in other datasets such as KPI and DSR.

The SEC continues to set the standard at 14 total bids, followed by the ACC and Big Ten at eight apiece, and the Big 12 not far behind with six.

New Postseason Seeding in 2026

This year, the WCWS will now seed 32 teams, mimicking recent changes made to Women's Volleyball and Women's Soccer. These additions will not alter the 16 national seeds, but will help boost the top seeds with "better", well-deserved head-to-head contests.

By using "buckets" (see below) to seed teams, the hope is to prevent league matchups in the Regional tournaments and thus protect the 400-mile geographic proximity parameters.

The Buckets

National Seeds: 1, 2, 3, 4-29, 30, 31, 32

National Seeds: 5, 6, 7, 8-25, 26, 27, 28

National Seeds: 9,10,11,12-21,22, 23, 24

National Seeds: 13,14,15,16-17,18,19, 20

Here are the projected hosts and top two seeds per Regional as predicted by Softball America for the week of April 22.

Austin Regional

1. Texas (2), SEC
2. Texas State, Sun Belt

Athens Regional

1. Georgia (10), SEC
2. Clemson, ACC

Baton Rouge Regional

1. LSU (12), SEC
2. Central Florida, Big 12

College Station Regional

1. Texas A&M (8), SEC
2. Arizona State, Big 12

Durham Regional

1. Duke (14), ACC
2. Mississippi State, SEC

Eugene Regional

1. Oregon (13), Big Ten
2. Virginia Tech, ACC

Fayetteville Regional

1. Arkansas (5), SEC
2. Washington, Big Ten

Gainesville Regional

1. Florida (7), SEC
2. Virginia, ACC

Knoxville Regional

1. Tennessee (4), SEC
2. Marshall, Sun Belt

Lincoln Regional

1. Nebraska (6), Big Ten
2. Auburn, SEC

Los Angeles Regional

1. UCLA (9), Big Ten
2. South Carolina, SEC

Lubbock Regional

1. Texas Tech (11), Big 12
2. Ole Miss, SEC

Norman Regional

1. Oklahoma (1), SEC
2. Louisville, ACC

Stillwater Regional

1. Oklahoma State (16), Big 12
2. Stanford, ACC

Tallahasse Regional

1. Florida State (15), ACC
2. Arizona, Big 12

Tuscaloosa Regional

1. Alabama (3), SEC
2. Southeastern Louisiana, Southland

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Published | Modified
Maddy Lewis
MADDY LEWIS

Maddy Lewis was a four-year starting infielder for UC San Diego Softball (2015–19), helping lead the Tritons to two conference championships, a West Region title, and a trip to the Division II National Championship in her senior season. She graduated from UC San Diego with a degree in Communication, where she also wrote for the student newspaper, The Guardian. After college, Maddy spent two years as a Sports Information Director, working closely with the softball, basketball and running programs, deepening her appreciation for the stories behind the stats. She has continued her playing career on the international stage as a member and captain of the Israeli Women’s National Softball Team for the past four years, facing top talent at European Championships, Canada Cups, and the Maccabi Games. Beyond competing, Maddy remains deeply committed to growing the game. She co-hosts the Jewish Softball: More Than A Game podcast, offers private instruction in the Bay Area and has coached teams at the Triple Crown Sports International Challenge and the JCC Maccabi Games. With a passion for storytelling and softball, she is dedicated to giving back to the sport that has shaped her both on and off the field and making an impact on the next generation in any way she can.

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