Softball America Bracketology Remains Steady Entering Final Week of 2026 Regular Season
The final week of the regular season is on the horizon, with several programs holding steady and a handful of programs in crunch time.
The Oklahoma Sooners rose back to power claiming the No. 1 spot in the latest rankings.
All 16 Bracketology host predications remain the same from just seven days ago. Stanford and Arizona are among a group of four on the hosting bubble.
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 leads all conferences with 14 bids total, but Missouri and Auburn have some major work to do in the SEC Tournament. The ACC is predicted to receive eight bids, with the Big Ten and Big 12 tied at seven each. The Sun Belt and one other conference make up the last three.
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 29.
What teams will make one final run for the postseason? We take a look at the at-large bubble and hosting picture, including a projected Super Regional matchup between Alabama and Georgia.
— Softball America (@SoftbalAmerica) April 29, 2026
Read the entire bracketology here: https://t.co/E3OFcBzvxw pic.twitter.com/Uvc4AgeasU
Austin Regional
1. Texas (3), SEC
2. Texas State, Sun Belt
Athens Regional
1. Georgia (15), SEC
2. Arizona, Big 12
Baton Rouge Regional
1. LSU (14), SEC
2. Stanford, ACC
College Station Regional
1. Texas A&M (11), SEC
2. Clemson, ACC
Durham Regional
1. Duke (9), ACC
2. UCF, Big 12
Eugene Regional
1. Oregon (16), Big Ten
2. Virginia Tech, ACC
Fayetteville Regional
1. Arkansas (4), SEC
2. Washington, Big Ten
Gainesville Regional
1. Florida (7), SEC
2. Virginia, ACC
Knoxville Regional
1. Tennessee (5), SEC
2. Marshall, Sun Belt
Lincoln Regional
1. Nebraska (6), Big Ten
2. Auburn, SEC
Los Angeles Regional
1. UCLA (10), Big Ten
2. Arizona State, Big 12
Lubbock Regional
1. Texas Tech (8), Big 12
2. South Carolina, SEC
Norman Regional
1. Oklahoma (1), SEC
2. Louisville, ACC
Stillwater Regional
1. Oklahoma State (12), Big 12
2. Ole Miss, SEC
Tallahassee Regional
1. Florida State (13), ACC
2. Mississippi State, SEC
Tuscaloosa Regional
1. Alabama (2), SEC
2. Southeastern Louisiana, Southland
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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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