Softball On SI

Softball America Releases First In-Season Bracketology Update

Softball America unveils its first in-season bracketology update, analyzing tournament projections and potential postseason matchups.
Maren Angus-Coombs|
Oklahoma players celebrate after winning a replay challenge in the first inning during an NCAA softball game between the Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Tennessee Lady Volunteers at Love's Field in Norman, Okla., Friday, March 28, 2025.
Oklahoma players celebrate after winning a replay challenge in the first inning during an NCAA softball game between the Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Tennessee Lady Volunteers at Love's Field in Norman, Okla., Friday, March 28, 2025. | NATE BILLINGS/FOR THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The calendar has turned to April, and by this point in the college softball season, insiders believe they have a pretty good idea of what the NCAA Tournament will look like.

Brady Vernon of Softball America posted his first in-season bracketology Wednesday morning.

"Reminder," Vernon writes. "When the selection committee makes the bracket in May, they highly value RPI and the nitty-gritty. The seeding looks vastly different than our Top 25 poll.

Another thing the selection committee likes to focus on is the 400-mile radius. If teams can bus within the allotted mileage, the NCAA would rather have that scenario than fly teams across the country, even if it makes more sense for them to be in a different region.

"In this college softball bracketology, we have plenty of drama," Vernon adds. "Texas Tech makes the drive to Norman for Nijaree Canady against Oklahoma’s offense. Arkansas and Oklahoma State finally meet in the NCAA Tournament, but Ruby Meylan also sees her former team in Fayetteville."

With Vernon mentioning Norman and Fayetteville, here is a closer look at those two sites.

The Norman Regional is projected to host No. 7 seed Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Michigan, and Marist. Both the Red Raiders and Wolverines will be at-large bids, while the Red Foxes are predicted to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).

Marist is a team to watch for even as a projected four-seed. The Red Foxes currently hold the longest active winning streak in Division I with 17 and are 28-5. The MAAC Player of the Week has also hailed from Marist in all eight weeks this season.

Vernon projects Arkansas to be the No. 11 seed and play host to Oklahoma State, Washington, and Boston. The Cowgirls have a chance to get an automatic bid if they win the Big 12, but in this exercise, they are an at-large team just like UW.

To see what the rest of the bracket looks like, visit Softball America.

Hosts by conference:

SEC: 9
ACC: 5
Big 12: 1
Big Ten: 1

Bids by conference:

SEC: 15
ACC: 9
Big 12: 6
Big Ten: 6
American 2
All Other Conference: 1

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Maren Angus-Coombs
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+.

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