Casey Brooke Lawson/Associated Press

NCAA Softball Championships 2019 Bracket: Schedule, Matchups and More

Rob Goldberg

The 2019 NCAA softball championship bracket is set as 64 teams try to begin their run at a national championship.

Oklahoma is the No. 1 overall seed, although there will be a lot of competition as the squad tries to bring home a title. Florida State is the defending champion with the experience necessary to succeed in the postseason, while top teams from all over the country have the talent to go all the way this year.

Even with a double-elimination format, this tournament could be full of surprises.

         

NCAA Tournament Schedule

May 17-19: Regional Tournaments

May 23-26: Super Regionals

May 30-June 5: Women's College World Series

Full bracket available at NCAA.com.

              

First-Round Matchups

Normal Regional

No. 1 Oklahoma vs. UMBC

Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame

      

Los Angeles Regional

No. 2 UCLA vs. Weber State

Missouri vs. Cal State Fullerton

     

Seattle Regional

No. 3 Washington vs. Fordham

Seattle U vs. Mississippi State

        

Tallahassee Regional

No. 4 Florida State vs. Bethune-Cookman

South Carolina vs. South Florida

       

Gainesville Regional

No. 5 Florida vs. Boston University

Stanford vs. Boise State

     

Tuscon Regional

No. 6 Arizona vs. Harvard

Auburn vs. Colorado State

      

Minneapolis Regional

No. 7 Minnesota vs. North Dakota State

Drake vs. Georgia

       

Tuscaloosa Regional

No. 8 Alabama vs. Alabama State

Arizona State vs. Lipscomb

      

Austin Regional

No. 9 Texas vs. Sam Houston State

Houston vs. Texas A&M

       

Baton Rouge Regional

No. 10 LSU vs. Monmouth

Texas Tech vs. Louisiana Tech

         

Oxford Regional

No. 11 Ole Miss vs. Chattanooga

Southeast Missouri State vs. Louisiana

        

Knoxville Regional

No. 12 Tennessee vs. Longwood

North Carolina vs. Ohio State

       

Stillwater Regional

No. 13 Oklahoma State vs. BYU

Tulsa vs. Arkansas

       

Lexington Regional

No. 14 Kentucky vs. Toledo

Virginia Tech vs. Illinois

      

Ann Arbor Regional

No. 15 Michigan vs. St. Francis (Pa.)

DePaul vs. James Madison

      

Evanston Regional

No. 16 Northwestern vs. Detroit Mercy

Louisville vs. Southern Illinois

       

Teams to Watch

Oklahoma

Casey Brooke Lawson/Associated Press

The Big 12 tournament was canceled due to weather, but there was no debate about which team was the best in the conference. Oklahoma was dominant all season long, going 18-0 in conference play and 49-2 overall during an incredible season.

Not only did the Sooners find ways to win nearly every time out, but they also excelled in nearly every phase of the game.

Their .365 batting average easily leads the country ahead of second-place James Madison with a .349 mark. The pitching has somehow been even better, ranking first in the nation at 1.15 compared to second-place Louisiana at 1.37.

Shannon Saile, a transfer from FIU, has shut down opponents to become one of the best pitchers in college softball.

"Anytime I say there's a chance they can't do something, they show me they can," coach Patty Gasso said of her team, per Jake Trotter of espnW.com. "It's a different kind of team. They act, they feel, their style is very invincible."

With three championships in the last six years, we also know this program knows how to get it done.

Considering each of the Sooners' two losses came in February, it will be difficult for any team to beat them in this tournament.

      

UCLA

Washington sits above UCLA in the latest coaches poll, but the Bruins are the most dangerous Pac-12 squad in this tournament.

Not only did the Bruins clinch the automatic bid from the conference by winning the regular-season title, but they also swept the Huskies in their only three head-to-head games this year. They are also more well-built for the NCAA tournament despite the fact that Washington reached the College World Series Finals a year ago.

UCLA has one of the best two-person pitching tandems in the country between Rachel Garcia and Megan Faraimo, who combined to pick up some significant hardware this year:

These two combined for 35 wins during the regular season and could get quite a few more over the next month.

With Bubba Nickles anchoring a deep lineup, there are all the tools necessary for a deep run.

A 3-3 record to close the year raises some concern, but UCLA will be a top contender for a championship.

      

Louisiana

Bill Feig/Associated Press

Major conference teams like Florida State, Florida, Alabama and Arizona are all capable of winning it all, but don't count out Louisiana out of the Sun Belt Conference.

The Ragin' Cajuns had a 50-4 record this season, including 25-0 in league play, before cruising to a conference tournament title with two wins over Coastal Carolina.

Summer Ellyson was a machine this year, appearing in 46 games (41 starts) while totaling 249.1 innings. She was more than effective on the mound, totaling an incredible 37-4 record with a 0.98 ERA.

If Louisiana is going to win games this tournament, you can be certain Ellyson will have a significant role in them.

The offense also has quite a few hitters who can get on base or hit it out of the park, although there are question marks about their level of competition during the year.

It won't be an easy run to the CWS, but this team could surprise people during this postseason.

      

Note: All statistics courtesy of team sites and NCAA.com.

   

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