The Big 12 Conference has nearly half of its membership in the NCAA Softball Tournament, which starts on Friday around the country.
Each school is playing in a regional this weekend, a double-elimination tournament in which the winner advances to super regionals. Two schools — Texas Tech and Oklahoma State — are hosting because they are Top 16 national seeds. Both will likely go on the road for supers if they get out of their regionals.
Below is each regional, the Friday schedule and what to watch for from each Big 12 team.
NCAA Tournament Regionals
(Big 12 Teams in Bold)
Lubbock Regional
Friday’s Games
3 Texas Tech vs. Marist, 3:30 p.m. CT
Boston U vs. 6 Ole Miss, 6 p.m. CT
The Red Raiders get to host a regional for the second straight season as Texas Tech enters the tournament with unfinished business — winning a national title. The Red Raiders were eliminated in the Women’s College World Series championship against Texas.
On paper, the Red Raiders have few peers. Pitchers NiJaree Canady and Kaitlyn Terry each have 22 wins, Terry leads the team with a .471 batting average and three other Texas Tech every day players are batting .400 or better. Mia Williams has a team-leading 22 home runs.
Ole Miss is the most likely impediment to Texas Tech getting to super regionals for the second straight year. Madi George has 21 home runs and is batting nearly .400 while the Rebels could start either Emilee Boyer or Kyra Aycock in the circle after their opener against Boston U.
Stillwater Regional
Friday’s Games
Princeton vs. 5 Stanford, 1:00 p.m. CT
4 Oklahoma State vs. Eastern Illinois, 3:30 p.m. CT
The Cowgirls are back to hosting a regional are hoping to get back to the WCWS after a one-year absence. Eastern Illinois won the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament but is 0-2 against Big 12 teams, with losses to Arizona and Arizona State in February. OSU hopes to have outfielder Tia Warsop, who missed the Big 12 Tournament due to injury.
Stanford will face Princeton in the other game and while OSU won’t look ahead, everyone in Stillwater wants a Cowgirls-Cardinal rematch. The two teams opened the season against one another in two games at Stanford. The Cardinal won both, 4-2 and 10-0. If both win their openers, that will be one of the big games on Saturday’s schedule.
College Station Regional
Friday’s Games
4 Texas A&M vs. UConn 1:00 p.m. CT
McNeese State vs. 5 Arizona State, 3:30 p.m. CT
Arizona State narrowly missed a shot at hosting a regional and heads to College Station on a roll after beating Texas Tech to win the Big 12 Tournament. McNeese won’t be an easy out. The Southland got two schools in the NCAA Tournament. The Cowgirls have won 40 games this year.
The last Big 12 Tournament champion to fail to reach super regionals was Kansas in 2006. Arizona State has seven batters hitting better than .300 this season and pitcher Kenzie Brown has been brilliant of late.
Texas A&M, notably, lost to Oklahoma State last month, a team ASU beat in the Big 12 Tournament.
Tallahassee Regional
Friday’s Games
3 Florida State vs. Stetson, 11 a.m. CT
Jacksonville State vs. 6 UCF, 1:30 p.m. CT
UCF won’t complain about staying close to home. With the regional in-state, the Knights will be able to carry their considerable fan base with them. While UCF has several in-state schools, FSU wasn’t on the schedule. Both will have to win on Friday to match up again on Saturday.
This is a powerful lineup. All five batters that are hitting better than .300 also have at least 10 home runs. All have an on-base percentage better than .400 and four have an OPS better than 1.000. If the Knights can get runners across, that helps take the heat off pitcher Isabella Vega, who is likely to be in the circle most of the weekend.
Durham Regional
Friday’s Games
3 Duke vs. Howard, 11 a.m. CT
Marshall vs. 6 Arizona, 1:30 p.m. CT
The Wildcats must go all the way to Tobacco Road to seek a trip to super regionals. While they stumbled a bit down the stretch, this is the time of year Arizona is built for. The Wildcats are 107-14 in regionals and have reached super regionals in each of their last three regional road appearances. In fact, Arizona has swept them.
The offense starts with Sydney Stewart, who has a mind-boggling 1.000 slugging percentage entering the postseason. Regan Shockey has the team’s best batting average at .447. Jalen Adams will probably start the first games and carries a 20-9 record into the postseason.
Norman Regional
Friday’s Games
1 Oklahoma vs. Binghamton, 2:30 p.m., CT
Michigan vs. 8 Kansas, 5 p.m. CT
Making the NCAA Tournament is a big deal for Kansas. It’s the Jayhawks’ first berth since 2015. KU’s top seven qualified hitters are batting over .300. Anna Soles, Hailey Cripe, Ella Boyer and Campbell Bagshaw all have at least 10 homers. It’s a hard lineup to put away. The Jayhawks can use four different pitchers. Lila Partridge and Chloe Barber each have nine wins.
KU would love to get a crack at Oklahoma on Saturday. But it must beat Michigan first. That game is a rematch of a game the two schools played in February, a 4-2 Michigan win in Tampa on the season’s first weekend.
Austin Regional
Friday’s Games
1 Texas vs. Wagner, 12:30 p.m. CT
Baylor vs. 8 Wisconsin, 3 p.m. CT
Baylor drew a short drive to Austin to vie for a chance to take on the Longhorns after the first round — assuming both win their games on Friday. The Bears can lean into the batting average of Amber Toven (.351) and the power of Kaygen Marshall (10 home runs) as they try to slide past Wisconsin. Baylor could go with either Cambree Creager or Peyton Tanner in the circle, depending on the matchup.
Wisconsin beat Iowa State twice and lost to Arizona State in non-conference.
