2023 NCAA Division I softball tournament

2023 NCAA Division I
softball tournament
Teams64
Finals site
ChampionsOklahoma (7th title)
Runner-upFlorida State (12th WCWS Appearance)
Winning coachPatty Gasso (7th title)
MOPJordy Bahl (Oklahoma)

The 2023 NCAA Division I softball tournament was held from May 19 through June 8, 2023, as the final part of the 2023 NCAA Division I softball season. The tournament culminated with the 2023 Women's College World Series at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.[1]

Charlotte, Eastern Illinois, George Mason, North Carolina Central, Northern Colorado, Northern Kentucky, and Omaha made their NCAA Division I softball tournament debuts.[2] Arizona failed to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1986, while Michigan failed to make the tournament for the first time since 1994.[3][4]

Format

A total of 64 teams will enter the tournament, with 32 of them receiving an automatic bid by either winning their conference's tournament or by finishing in first place in their conference. The remaining 32 bids will be at-large, with selections extended by the NCAA Selection Committee.[5]

Bids

The Big West and West Coast Conference bids were awarded to the regular-season champion. All other conferences had their automatic bid go to the conference tournament winner.[6]

Automatic

Conference School Best finish Last NCAA appearance
America East UMBC Regionals
(2002, 2019, 2021, 2022) 		2022
American UCF Super Regional
(2022) 		2022
ASUN Central Arkansas Regionals
(2015) 		2015
ACC Florida State National Champion
(2018) 		2022
Atlantic 10 George Mason First appearance First appearance
Big 12 Oklahoma National Champion
(2000, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022) 		2022
Big East Seton Hall Regionals
(2005) 		2005
Big Sky Northern Colorado First appearance[a] First appearance[a]
Big South Campbell Regionals
(1995, 2008, 2009, 2021, 2022) 		2022
Big Ten Northwestern WCWS
(1984, 1985, 1986, 2006, 2007, 2022) 		2022
Big West Long Beach State WCWS
(1986, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993) 		2021
CAA Hofstra Super Regionals
(2012) 		2018
Conference USA Middle Tennessee Regionals
(2000) 		2018
Horizon Northern Kentucky First appearance First appearance
Ivy League Harvard Regionals
(1998, 2000, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2018, 2019) 		2019
MAAC Marist Regionals
(2006, 2013, 2016) 		2016
MAC Miami (OH) Regionals
(2005, 2009, 2012, 2016, 2021, 2022) 		2022
MEAC North Carolina Central First appearance First appearance
Missouri Valley Southern Illinois WCWS
(1970, 1977, 1978) 		2021
Mountain West San Diego State Regionals
(2001, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2022) 		2022
NEC LIU Regionals
(2008, 2012, 2016) 		2016
Ohio Valley Eastern Illinois First appearance[b] First appearance[b]
Pac-12 Utah WCWS
(1985, 1991, 1994) 		2017
Patriot Boston University Regionals
(1996, 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019) 		2021
SEC Tennessee WCWS Runner-Up
(2007, 2013) 		2022
Southern UNC Greensboro Regionals
(1997, 2018, 2021) 		2021
Southland McNeese Regionals
(1994, 2005, 2010, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022) 		2022
SWAC Prairie View A&M Regionals
(2018, 2022) 		2022
Summit Omaha First appearance[c] First appearance[c]
Sun Belt Louisiana Third Place
(1993) 		2022
WAC Grand Canyon Regionals
(2022) 		2022
West Coast Loyola Marymount Regionals
(2005, 2007) 		2022
  1. ^ a b Northern Colorado appeared in the AIAW Women's College World Series 11 times from 1969—1979 prior to the NCAA sponsoring women's athletics. Its best finish was runner-up (3 times: in 1974, 1976, and 1978).
  2. ^ a b Eastern Illinois appeared in the AIAW Women's College World Series twice (1971, 1974) prior to the NCAA sponsoring women's athletics. Its best finish was 5th place in 1974.
  3. ^ a b Omaha appeared in the AIAW Women's College World Series 10 times (1969—1973, 1975—1979) prior to the NCAA sponsoring women's athletics. Its best finish was a National Championship in 1975.

At-large

Team Conference
Alabama SEC
Arkansas SEC
Auburn SEC
Baylor Big 12
California Pac-12
Cal State Fullerton Big West
Charlotte Conference USA
Clemson ACC
Duke ACC
Florida SEC
Georgia SEC
Indiana Big Ten
Kentucky SEC
Liberty ASUN
Louisville ACC
LSU SEC
Minnesota Big Ten
Missouri SEC
Nebraska Big Ten
Notre Dame ACC
Oklahoma State Big 12
Ole Miss SEC
Oregon Pac-12
South Carolina SEC
Stanford Pac-12
Texas Big 12
Texas A&M SEC
Texas State Sun Belt
UCLA Pac-12
Virginia Tech ACC
Washington Pac-12
Wichita State American

By conference

Conference Total Schools
SEC 12 Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M
ACC 6 Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Louisville, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech
Pac-12 6 California, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, Utah, Washington
Big 12 4 Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas
Big Ten 4 Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern
American 2 UCF, Wichita State
ASUN 2 Central Arkansas, Liberty
Big West 2 Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State
Conference USA 2 Charlotte, Middle Tennessee
Sun Belt 2 Louisiana, Texas State
America East 1 UMBC
Atlantic 10 1 George Mason
Big East 1 Seton Hall
Big Sky 1 Northern Colorado
Big South 1 Campbell
CAA 1 Hofstra
Horizon 1 Northern Kentucky
Ivy League 1 Harvard
MAAC 1 Marist
Mid-American 1 Miami (OH)
MEAC 1 North Carolina Central
Missouri Valley 1 Southern Illinois
Mountain West 1 San Diego State
Northeast 1 LIU
Ohio Valley 1 Eastern Illinois
Patriot 1 Boston University
SoCon 1 UNC Greensboro
Southland 1 McNeese
Southwestern 1 Prairie View A&M
Summit 1 Omaha
WAC 1 Grand Canyon
West Coast 1 Loyola Marymount

National seeds

Sixteen national seeds were announced on the Selection Show, on Sunday, May 14 at 7 p.m. EDT on ESPN2. Teams in italics advanced to Super Regionals. Teams in bold advanced to the Women's College World Series.[7][8]

Regionals and Super Regionals

The Regionals took place May 19–21. The Super Regionals will take place May 25–28.

Norman Super Regional

Round 1 Round 2 Regional Finals Super Regionals
               
1 Oklahoma 11(5)
Hofstra 0
1 Oklahoma 11(6)
Missouri 0
California 1
Missouri 5(8)
1 Oklahoma 16(5) —
Norman Regional – Marita Hynes Field
California 3 —
Hofstra 0
California 7
Missouri 5
California 7
1 Oklahoma 9 8(9) —
16 Clemson 2 7 —
16 Clemson 17(5)
UNC Greensboro 2
16 Clemson 7
Auburn 0
Auburn 12(5)
Cal State Fullerton 2
16 Clemson 2 5
Clemson Regional – McWhorter Stadium
Auburn 5 1
UNC Greensboro 0
Cal State Fullerton 5
Auburn 5
Cal State Fullerton 0

Durham Super Regional

Round 1 Round 2 Regional Finals Super Regionals
               
8 Duke 2
George Mason 1
8 Duke 5
Charlotte 0
Charlotte 7
Campbell 2
8 Duke 4 —
Durham Regional – Duke Softball Stadium
Charlotte 2 —
George Mason 1
Campbell 7
Charlotte 6
Campbell 4
8 Duke 1 2 —
9 Stanford 3 7 —
9 Stanford 1
Long Beach State 0
9 Stanford 8(6)
Florida 0
Florida 3
Loyola Marymount 2
9 Stanford 11 —
Stanford Regional – Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium
Florida 2 —
Long Beach State 1
Loyola Marymount 2
Florida 10
Loyola Marymount 6

Tuscaloosa Super Regional

Round 1 Round 2 Regional Finals Super Regionals
               
5 Alabama 5
LIU 0
5 Alabama 12
Middle Tennessee 5
Central Arkansas 0
Middle Tennessee 8(5)
5 Alabama 1 1
Tuscaloosa Regional – Rhoads Stadium
Middle Tennessee 4 0
LIU 0
Central Arkansas 15(5)
Middle Tennessee 3
Central Arkansas 0
5 Alabama 1 2 3
12 Northwestern 3 1 2
12 Northwestern 2
Eastern Illinois 0
12 Northwestern 10
Kentucky 8
Kentucky 9(6)
Miami (OH) 1
12 Northwestern 5 —
Evanston Regional – Sharon J. Drysdale Field
Miami (OH) 4 —
Eastern Illinois 0
Miami (OH) 4
Kentucky 0
Miami (OH) 9(5)

Knoxville Super Regional

Round 1 Round 2 Regional Finals Super Regionals
               
4 Tennessee 12(5)
Northern Kentucky 0
4 Tennessee 9(5)
Indiana 1
Indiana 4
Louisville 3
4 Tennessee 7 —
Knoxville Regional – Sherri Parker Lee Stadium
Indiana 3 —
Northern Kentucky 1
Louisville 9(5)
Indiana 4
Louisville 2
4 Tennessee 5 9 —
13 Texas 2 0 —
13 Texas 8(5)
Seton Hall 0
13 Texas 2
Texas A&M 1
Texas A&M 2(8)
Texas State 1
13 Texas 11 —
Austin Regional – Red and Charline McCombs Field
Texas A&M 5 —
Seton Hall 3
Texas State 4
Texas A&M 4
Texas State 2

Tallahassee Super Regional

Round 1 Round 2 Regional Finals Super Regionals
               
3 Florida State 9(5)
Marist 0
3 Florida State 5
UCF 1
South Carolina 1
UCF 6
3 Florida State 0 1
Tallahassee Regional – JoAnne Graf Field
South Carolina 4 0
Marist 1
South Carolina 2
UCF 1
South Carolina 10
3 Florida State 8 4 —
14 Georgia 1 2 —
14 Georgia 12(5)
North Carolina Central 0
14 Georgia 8
Virginia Tech 3
Virginia Tech 6
Boston University 1
14 Georgia 12(6) —
Athens Regional – Jack Turner Stadium
Virginia Tech 3 —
North Carolina Central 0
Boston University 8(6)
Virginia Tech 9(5)
Boston University 0

Stillwater Super Regional

Round 1 Round 2 Regional Finals Super Regionals
               
6 Oklahoma State 9(6)
UMBC 0
6 Oklahoma State 6
Wichita State 0
Wichita State 6
Nebraska 5
6 Oklahoma State 5 —
Stillwater Regional – Cowgirl Stadium
Nebraska 2 —
UMBC 2
Nebraska 3
Wichita State 8
Nebraska 9(9)
6 Oklahoma State 8 9 —
Oregon 1 0 —
11 Arkansas 11(5)
Harvard 0
11 Arkansas 4
Oregon 10
Oregon 5
Notre Dame 4
Oregon 14(5) —
Fayetteville Regional – Bogle Park
11 Arkansas 4 —
Harvard 2
Notre Dame 5
11 Arkansas 5
Notre Dame 0

Seattle Super Regional

Round 1 Round 2 Regional Finals Super Regionals
               
7 Washington 10(6)
Northern Colorado 2
7 Washington 3
McNeese 1
Minnesota 4
McNeese 5(13)
7 Washington 0 7
Seattle Regional – Husky Softball Stadium
McNeese 1 6
Northern Colorado 0
Minnesota 4
McNeese 1
Minnesota 0
7 Washington 8(5) 2 —
Louisiana 0 0 —
10 LSU 12(5)
Prairie View A&M 2
10 LSU 4
Louisiana 0
Louisiana 5
Omaha 0
10 LSU 4 8
Baton Rouge Regional – Tiger Park
Louisiana 7 9
Prairie View A&M 0
Omaha 3
Louisiana 9(5)
Omaha 0

Salt Lake City Super Regional

Round 1 Round 2 Regional Finals Super Regionals
               
2 UCLA 2
Grand Canyon 3
Grand Canyon 0
San Diego State 6
Liberty 0
San Diego State 7
San Diego State 6 —
Los Angeles Regional – Easton Stadium
Liberty 3 —
2 UCLA 1
Liberty 2
Grand Canyon 1
Liberty 5
San Diego State 4 1 2
15 Utah 3 10(5) 7
15 Utah 11
Southern Illinois 9
15 Utah 7
Ole Miss 1
Baylor 0
Ole Miss 3
15 Utah 4 —
Salt Lake City Regional – Dumke Family Softball Stadium
Ole Miss 1 —
Southern Illinois 9
Baylor 13(9)
Ole Miss 9
Baylor 2

Women's College World Series

The Women's College World Series will be held June 1 through June 9 in Oklahoma City.

Participants

School Conference Record (conference) Head coach WCWS appearances†
(including 2023 WCWS) 		WCWS best finish†* WCWS W–L record†
(excluding 2023 WCWS)
Alabama SEC 44–20 (14–10) Patrick Murphy 14
(last: 2021)		 1st
(2012)		 22–25
Florida State ACC 55–8 (22–2) Lonni Alameda 12
(last: 2021)		 1st
(2018)		 18–20
Oklahoma Big 12 56–1 (18–0) Patty Gasso 16
(last: 2022)		 1st
(2000, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022)		 43–23
Oklahoma State Big 12 46–14 (10–8) Kenny Gajewski 11
(last: 2022)		 3rd
(1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 2022)		 15–20
Stanford Pac-12 44–13 (14–10) Jessica Allister 3
(last: 2004)		 4th
(2001, 2004)		 4–4
Tennessee SEC 49–8 (19–5) Karen Weekly 8
(last: 2015)		 2nd
(2007, 2013)		 15–14
Washington Pac-12 43–13 (16–8) Heather Tarr 15
(last: 2019)		 1st
(2009)		 26–23
Utah Pac-12 42–14 (15–9) Amy Hogue 4
(last: 1994)		 5th
(1994)		 1–6

Bracket

First round Second round Semifinals Finals
               
1 Oklahoma 2
9 Stanford 0
1 Oklahoma 9(5)
4 Tennessee 0
4 Tennessee 10
5 Alabama 5
1 Oklahoma 4(9) —
9 Stanford 2 —
9 Stanford 2
5 Alabama 0
7 Washington 0
9 Stanford 1
1 Oklahoma 5 3 —
3 Florida State 0 1 —
3 Florida State 8(6)
6 Oklahoma State 0
3 Florida State 3
7 Washington 1
7 Washington 4
15 Utah 1
3 Florida State 5 —
4 Tennessee 1 —
6 Oklahoma State 8(5)
15 Utah 0
4 Tennessee 3
6 Oklahoma State 1

Game times are based on the local time (CDT) in Oklahoma City

Game results

Date[9] Game Winning team Score Losing team Winning pitcher Losing pitcher Save Notes
June 1 Game 1 Tennessee 10–5 Alabama Ashley Rogers (19–1) Jaala Torrence (9–3) Payton Gottshall (3) Boxscore
Game 2 Oklahoma 2–0 Stanford Jordy Bahl (19–1) NiJaree Canady (16–2) – Boxscore
Game 3 Florida State 8–0 (6) Oklahoma State Kathryn Sandercock (27–3) Kelly Maxwell (16–6) – Boxscore
June 2 Game 4 Washington 4–1 Utah Lindsay Lopez (14–3) Mariah Lopez (23–7) – Boxscore
Game 5 Stanford 2–0 Alabama Alana Vawter (21–8) Montana Fouts (25–11) NiJaree Canady (4) Alabama eliminated
Boxscore
Game 6 Oklahoma State 8–0 (5) Utah Lexi Kilfoyl (16–5) Sydney Sandez (13–6) – Utah eliminated
Boxscore
June 3 Game 7 Oklahoma 9–0 (5) Tennessee Jordy Bahl (20–1) Karlyn Pickens (9–7) – Boxscore
Game 8 Florida State 3–1 Washington Kathryn Sandercock (28–3) Ruby Meylan (18–6) – Boxscore
June 4 Game 9 Stanford 1–0 Washington NiJaree Canady (17–2) Ruby Meylan (18–7) – Washington eliminated
Boxscore
Game 10 Tennessee 3–1 Oklahoma State Ashley Rogers (20–1) Kelly Maxwell (16–7) – Oklahoma State eliminated
Boxscore
June 5 Game 11 Oklahoma 4–2 (9) Stanford Jordy Bahl (21–1) NiJaree Canady (17–3) – Stanford eliminated
Boxscore
Game 12 Florida State 5–1 Tennessee Makenna Reid (13–0) Payton Gottshall (16–2) Kathryn Sandercock (10) Tennessee eliminated
Boxscore
Finals
June 7 Game 1 Oklahoma 5–0 Florida State Jordy Bahl (22–1) Mack Leonard (2–2) – Oklahoma 1–0
June 8 Game 2 Oklahoma 3–1 Florida State Alex Storako (19–0) Kathryn Sandercock (28–4) Jordy Bahl (4) Oklahoma wins WCWS

Finals

Game 1

June 7, 2023 – 7:00 p.m. (CDT) at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Florida State 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1
Oklahoma 0 0 0 3 1 1 x 5 9 2
WP: Jordy Bahl (22–1)   LP: Mack Leonard (2–2)
Attendance: 12,142
Boxscore

Game 2

June 8, 2023 – 6:30 p.m. CDT at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Oklahoma 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 3 8 1
Florida State 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3 0
WP: Alex Storako (19–0)   LP: Kathryn Sandercock (28–4)   Sv: Jordy Bahl (4)
Home runs:
OKLA: Cydney Sanders, Grace Lyons
FSU: Mack Leonard
Attendance: 12,195
Boxscore

All-tournament Team

The following players were members of the Women's College World Series All-Tournament Team.

Position Player School
P Jordy Bahl (MOP) Oklahoma
NiJaree Canady Stanford
Kathryn Sandercock Florida State
2B Tiare Jennings Oklahoma
3B Zaida Puni Tennessee
OF Rylie Boone Oklahoma
Taylor Gindlesperger Stanford
Kiki Milloy Tennessee
Kaley Mudge Florida State
C Michaela Edenfield Florida State
Kinzie Hansen Oklahoma
U Jayda Coleman Oklahoma

Record by conference

Conference # of Bids Record Win % RF SR WS NS F NC
Big 12 4 20–6 .769 3 3 2 1 1 1
ACC 6 18–14 .563 4 3 1 1 1 –
Pac-12 6 23–14 .622 5 4 3 1 – –
SEC 12 33–26 .559 10 3 2 1 – –
Mountain West 1 4–2 .667 1 1 – – – –
Big Ten 4 9–8 .529 3 1 – – – –
Sun Belt 2 5–5 .500 1 1 – – – –
Conference USA 2 5–4 .556 2 – – – – –
Southland 1 3–2 .600 1 – – – – –
MAC 1 2–2 .500 1 – – – – –
ASUN 2 3–4 .429 1 – – – – –
American 2 2–4 .333 – – – – – –
Big South 1 1–2 .333 – – – – – –
Patriot 1 1–2 .333 – – – – – –
Summit 1 1–2 .333 – – – – – –
WAC 1 1–2 .333 – – – – – –
West Coast 1 1–2 .333 – – – – – –
Big West 2 1–4 .200 – – – – – –
America East 1 0–2 .000 – – – – – –
Atlantic 10 1 0–2 .000 – – – – – –
Big East 1 0–2 .000 – – – – – –
Big Sky 1 0–2 .000 – – – – – –
CAA 1 0–2 .000 – – – – – –
Horizon 1 0–2 .000 – – – – – –
Ivy League 1 0–2 .000 – – – – – –
MAAC 1 0–2 .000 – – – – – –
MEAC 1 0–2 .000 – – – – – –
Missouri Valley 1 0–2 .000 – – – – – –
NEC 1 0–2 .000 – – – – – –
Ohio Valley 1 0–2 .000 – – – – – –
SoCon 1 0–2 .000 – – – – – –
SWAC 1 0–2 .000 – – – – – –

Media coverage

Radio

For the third consecutive year Westwood One provided nationwide radio coverage of every game in the Women's College World Series. Ryan Radtke and Leah Amico returned as two of the broadcasters. Chris Plank and Destinee Martinez worked select games, while Radtke and Amico called the Championship Series while Taylor Davis worked as a field reporter.[10]

Television

ESPN held exclusive rights to the tournament. The network aired games across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+, SEC Network, Longhorn Network, and ACC Network. For just the sixth time in the history of the women's softball tournament, ESPN covered every regional.[11]

Broadcast assignments

References

  1. ^ "Softball Division I Championship". NCAA.com. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  2. ^ Becerra, Jenna (May 15, 2023). "2023 NCAA Softball Tournament Breakdown". softballamerica.com. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  3. ^ Brown, PJ (May 18, 2023). "Arizona's streak of 35 consecutive berths in NCAA Tournament comes to an end". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  4. ^ Zuke, Ryan (May 14, 2023). "Michigan softball misses NCAA Tournament for first time since 1994". MLive.com. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  5. ^ "College softball 2023: NCAA tournament scores, schedule, watch". ESPN.com. May 14, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  6. ^ "2023 college softball conference tournaments: Schedules, brackets, auto-bids". NCAA.com. May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  7. ^ "NCAA Division I Softball Committee announces 2023 championship field". NCAA.com. May 14, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  8. ^ Hale, David (May 14, 2023). "Oklahoma Sooners get No. 1 overall seed in NCAA softball tournament". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  9. ^ "2023 NCAA softball bracket: Scores, schedule, TV times for college softball championship". NCAA.com. May 26, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  10. ^ "Cumulus Media's Westwood One Presents Exclusive Full-Court Audio Coverage of the 2023 NCAA® Men's and Women's Final Four® and National Championship Games on Multiple Platforms". globenewswire.com. March 30, 2023. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  11. ^ a b c Elchlepp, Kimberly (May 15, 2023). "#RoadtoWCWS: ESPN Platforms Present Every Pitch of the NCAA Softball Regionals". espnpressroom.com. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  12. ^ a b Elchlepp, Kimberly (May 22, 2023). "#RoadtoWCWS: ESPN Platforms Present Every Pitch of the NCAA Softball Super Regionals". espnpressroom.com. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  13. ^ a b Elchlepp, Kimberly (May 29, 2023). "#WCWS: ESPN Presents Comprehensive Coverage of NCAA Softball Women's College World Series". espnpressroom.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.