Preseason Softball Bracketology

[Alum-Ni]

https://d1softball.com/2025-preseason-bracketology/

Preseason Bracketology from D1Softball.com

Top 16 National Seeds
1. Texas
2. Florida
3. Oklahoma
4. UCLA
5. Oklahoma State
6. Tennessee
7. Florida State
8. Texas A&M
9. Duke
10. Arkansas
11. Arizona
12. LSU
13. Georgia
14. Alabama
15. Michigan
16. Missouri

Big Ten Teams In: 8
Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon, Penn State, UCLA, Washington

AUSTIN REGION
#1 Texas (1)
#4 Binghamton

#2 Texas State
#3 BYU

COLUMBIA REGION
#1 Missouri (16)
#4 Eastern Illinois

#2 Nebraska
#3 Southern Illinois

==========================

Last Four In
Indiana, Northwestern, South Carolina, Central Florida

First Four Out
Utah, North Texas, James Madison, North Carolina

Next Four Out
Louisiana-Lafayette, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Arizona State

REGION HOSTS
LOCKS
1. Texas
2. Florida
3. Oklahoma
4. UCLA
5. Oklahoma State
6. Tennessee
7. Florida State

LIKELY
1. Texas A&M
2. Duke
3. Arkansas
4. Arizona
5. LSU
6. Georgia
7. Alabama
8. Michigan
9. Missouri

THE LINGERERS
1. Nebraska
2. Texas Tech
3. Virginia Tech
4. Oregon

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The Long (but Short) Of It

The NCAA Softball Committee is bound by the 400-mile radius busing rule. That means that when a team can bus to a certain regional and there are no additional disqualifying reasons for them not to go there (e.g. conference conflict), that's where they're going.

Several times in the field you see above, teams were placed in a certain region or on a certain seed line based on the 400-mile radius rule. Seemingly-annual tournament matchups, the placement of which SEC team in in each regional, and other results seen here can be directly attributed to this rule.

With where the game is at this point, it's an antiquated rule, but it's one that still has to be followed for right now.[/COLOR]

 

[SoCal_Corn]

I always appreciate all of your posts on all of the sports.

Thank you very much@!

 

[Alum-Ni]

Softball America also has a preseason bracketology out

Softball America Bracketology: 2025 Preseason

Softball America unveils its Softball Bracketology ahead of the 2025 season including the entire Field of 64.

www.on3.com

Nebraska is projected a 2-seed with the Big Ten getting eight teams in. This projection also has all 15 SEC teams in the field.

STILLWATER REGION
#1 Oklahoma State
#4 Youngstown State

#2 Nebraska
#3 Auburn

When I initially started this exercise, I did not plan to have all 15 SEC teams in the field of 64. However, once I started to put teams into the at-large section I think are locks to make the tournament, I felt better about the bubble SEC teams than I did teams from other rosters. I do believe it'll be hard for the SEC to have every team make it, especially this season with a few very young rosters, not because of RPI but it might be hard for them all to be over .500 to be eligible for an at-large bid.

The door is certainly open for many teams I'd consider to be on the bubble. The Big 12 could certainly get more than four bids if we see quick development from teams like BYU, Central Florida, Arizona State, Cockeye State or Utah. The ACC and Big Ten have a handful of teams that were left out that could find their way in, such as Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Purdue, Cockeye, North Carolina, North Carolina State and Georgia Tech if all breaks right. The Mid-Majors are a little more in the dark. We saw three Mid-Majors earn at-large bids, which was down from the five that made it in 2023. There's plenty of opportunity and it's much harder to predict story bids in February.

I will say that if all 15 SEC teams make the tournament, it sure turns into a headache. In that situation, there is only one regional without an SEC team. That becomes difficult to manage when trying to live by the 400-mile busing radius. In my model, I could've had all three teams in the Ann Arbor regional drive if I included Notre Dame, but that regional along with the Los Angeles regional, which also has three teams within distance to bus there, would mean not enough spots for the SEC teams to not face other SEC teams. SO that seems like a true nightmare scenario for the selection committee. And with that softball should focus more on seeding 1-32 as the volleyball and women's soccer tournaments do than the 400-mile radius.