The Final 16: a regional weekend for the ages, and a bracket built on mayhem
Super Regionals are set after the wildest regional weekend in years — Texas Tech
The Final 16: a regional weekend for the ages, and a bracket built on mayhem
Regional weekend delivered a record-shattering eight-run comeback, the first 40-homer season in college softball history, and a No. 9 national seed knocked out at home. Eight Super Regionals start Thursday.
Lead Off
The Final 16 — mayhem, comebacks, and a bracket built on upsets
The road to OKC narrowed from 64 to 16 over the weekend, and almost every story line broke against the favorites. Thirteen of the top 16 national seeds advanced — but UCF, Mississippi State, and Arizona State crashed the Super Regional field, host Florida State went out at home, and Texas Tech staged the largest comeback in NCAA Tournament history to keep its season alive. The eight best-of-three Super Regionals tip Thursday and Friday across ESPN and ABC.
Why it matters: the new national-seeding format was supposed to deliver cleaner regionals — and on paper it did. But the three crashers all play big-program softball, and the next round is where the new bracket math either holds or breaks. Full Super Regional recap and schedule →
By the Numbers
1–640 — the all-time record for teams trailing by eight or more runs in an NCAA softball tournament game this century. Until Saturday in Lubbock, it was 0–640. Texas Tech, down 8–0 in the bottom of the seventh against Ole Miss, changed history. Source · NCAA / Texas Tech Athletics
Scoreboard
Last 7 days — regional weekend
| Final | Highlight |
|---|---|
| Texas Tech 10–9 Ole Miss (Regional, 8 inn.) | Allred grand slam erases 8-run deficit — largest NCAA comeback ever |
| UCLA 15–1 South Carolina (Regional final) | Grant's record 40th HR comes with the bases loaded |
| UCF 4–2 Florida State (Regional final) | Knights bounce No. 9 seed at home after replay-aided rally |
| Miss. State 4–0 Oregon (Regional) | Faircloth no-hits the Ducks; Bulldogs to second-ever Super |
| Arizona State 9–4 Texas A&M (Regional final) | Walk-off grand slam; ASU back in supers since 2022 |
This week — 5 to watch
| When | What | Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Thu May 21 · 9 pm ET | No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 13 Oklahoma State (Lincoln Super) | ESPN2 |
| Fri May 22 · 11 am ET | No. 6 Florida vs. No. 11 Texas Tech (Gainesville Super) | ESPN2 |
| Fri May 22 · 1 pm ET | No. 3 Oklahoma vs. Mississippi State (Norman Super) | ESPN2 |
| Fri May 22 · 7 pm ET | No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 16 LSU (Tuscaloosa Super) | ESPN2 |
| Fri May 22 · 9 pm ET | No. 2 Texas vs. Arizona State (Austin Super) | ESPN2 |
One weekend left between the Final 16 and Devon Park.
Hot Corner
1. Texas Tech rewrites the comeback record book
Down 8–0 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the No. 11 Red Raiders strung together six straight at-bats — capped by Lauren Allred's grand slam — to tie Ole Miss, then walked off in extras 10–9 on a Taylor Pannell sac fly. First team this century to win an NCAA Tournament game when trailing by eight-plus. They run-ruled Ole Miss 14–2 the next day to lock down the Gainesville Super. On3 →
2. UCF crashes Tallahassee and ends Florida State's season
The No. 9 national seed never recovered from a Friday-night upset by Stetson, and after fighting back to the regional final, FSU watched UCF take the deciding game 4–2 — aided by a replay that vacated three FSU runs after a baserunner left early. The Knights head to just their second Super Regional ever, against No. 8 UCLA on Friday. NCAA.com →
3. Megan Grant clears 40 — first ever in college softball
UCLA's senior outfielder dropped a bases-clearing slam in the fifth inning of Sunday's 15–1 regional clincher over South Carolina — her 40th home run of the season, the first 40-homer year in NCAA Division I history. Grant drove in six in the win; UCLA's eight different home-run hitters on the weekend pushed the program's single-season team HR record to 194. UCLA Athletics →
4. Frahm, Grant, Torres named POY Top 3
Nebraska ace Jordy Frahm, UCLA slugger Megan Grant, and Florida State shortstop Isa Torres are the three finalists for USA Softball's Collegiate Player of the Year. Frahm leads the nation in saves; Grant owns the single-season HR record; Torres is hitting .530. Winner announced May 26 at the WCWS banquet. USA Softball →
5. Faircloth's no-hitter sends Mississippi State to supers
The junior lefty tossed 10-strikeout no-hit ball at host Oregon in Saturday's winners-bracket game, then came back with 14 Ks in a 5–0 regional-final win over Saint Mary's (CA). Mississippi State joins UCF and Arizona State as the three unseeded teams to crash the Super Regional field — the Bulldogs head to Norman to face top-seeded Oklahoma on Friday. NCAA.com →
From the Dugout
Podcast pick: "In the Circle" (D1Softball) — "From 64 to 16." Eric and Victor recap regional weekend, walk every Super matchup, and flag two top-eight seeds they think are on upset watch. Takeaway: in a best-of-three super, the team with the better No. 2 starter usually controls Game 2 — the ace is on fumes from the day before. Read your bracket through that lens. Listen →
Clip of the week: @d.r.hitting — Coach DR's slow-mo swing breakdowns translate straight to a backyard tee session. His "stay through the ball, don't pull off it" reel this week is a clean fix for any hitter who keeps yanking foul in pressure ABs.
Play of the Week
Lauren Allred's grand slam: 8 down, 2 out, one swing, one record
Texas Tech was down 8–0, two outs, one swing from a brutal road through Sunday's bracket. A Jackie Lis two-run homer cut it to 8–3. Then the bases loaded. Then Lauren Allred — who'd singled to start the rally — turned on the first pitch and sent it over the left-field wall. Tie game. Tracy Sellers Field came apart; an inning later, Tech walked it off. The biggest swing of regional weekend by some distance.
Source: @NCAAsoftball · Watch the full clip →
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