Last Four in: Houston, Texas, Mississippi, Missouri
First Four Out: Nebraska, San Jose State, Mercer, Notre Dame
Oregon locked down the Pac-12 Championship and most likely the number one national seed as the Ducks defeated California 2-0 on Saturday in Berkeley. The conference title for the Ducks was their fifth in six seasons. Oklahoma finished the conference championship double in the Big 12 as the Sooners held off Baylor 6-4 on Saturday afternoon in Oklahoma City. This tournament run also included a game against Iowa State that forced Oklahoma to rise to the occasion after the Sooners fell behind against the Cyclones 4-0 before rallying to win 9-6. Florida took South Carolina’s best shot in the SEC Conference Tournament title game. The Gamecocks did strike first to take a 1-0 lead, however Amanda Lorenz blasted a three-run homerun in the bottom of the third inning to give the Gators a 3-1 lead that they would not relinquish. Aleshia Ocasio took care of business for the Florida in the circle, limiting South Carolina to just two hits on the night.
Florida State had a flair for the dramatic in the ACC Championship game on Saturday against Pittsburgh. The Seminoles were only able to score one run despite having multiple opportunities against the Panthers in the first six innings. However, Florida State was not to be denied in the bottom of the seventh inning as Anna Shelnutt’s three-run, walk-off homerun gave the Seminoles a 5-4 win over Pittsburgh. The conference tournament title was the fifth in a row and should set up Florida State with a top eight national seed.
Boise State punched their ticket to its first NCAA Tournament. The Broncos defeated New Mexico 10-1 in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday. This trip to the NCAA Tournament has been the culmination of a gradual building process for what is still a very young program as Boise State didn’t start playing softball until 2009. Kennesaw State will also be making its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament too. The Owls defeated USC Upstate 8-4 in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament title game. Prairie View A&M showed some tremendous resilience in the SWAC Conference Tournament. The Panthers won six straight elimination games to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998.
ACC: Florida State*, Pittsburgh
American: South Florida, Houston, Wichita State, Tulsa*
Big East: DePaul*
Big 12: Baylor, Oklahoma*, Oklahoma State, Texas
Big Ten: Michigan, Minnesota*, Ohio State, Northwestern
Pac-12: Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon*, Oregon State, UCLA, Washington
SEC: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida*, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M
A-10: Fordham*
America East: Albany*
A-Sun: Florida Gulf Coast, Kennesaw State*
Big Sky: Sacramento State*
Big South: Liberty*
Big West: Long Beach State, Cal State Fullerton*
CAA: James Madison, Hofstra*
C-USA: Middle Tennessee State*
Horizon: Illinois-Chicago*
Ivy: Harvard*
MAAC: Monmouth*
MAC: Ohio*
MEAC: Bethune-Cookman*
MVC: Drake*
MWC: Boise State*
NEC: St. Francis*
OVC: Jacksonville State*
Patriot: Boston U*
Southern: UNC Greensboro*
Southland: McNeese State*
Summit: North Dakota State*
Sun Belt: Louisiana, Texas State*
SWAC: Prairie View A&M*
WAC: New Mexico State*
WCC: BYU*
