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The 2022 NCAA Softball Tournament will get underway on Friday with regional rounds taking place across the country throughout the weekend. One corner of the bracket will feature the Norman Regional, hosted by the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners, and the Orlando Regional, hosted by the No. 16 Central Florida Knights.
The winners of the two regionals below will face off in the super regional round next week on the home field of the higher-seeded team. That will be a best-of-three format for a ticket to the 2022 Women’s College World Series.
No. 1 Oklahoma (49-2) enters the tournament as the reigning national champion and is the odds-on favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook to win the Women’s College World Series at -160. The Sooners enter as an at-large after getting upset by rival Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship last Saturday.
Texas A&M (29-26) is one of 12 SEC teams to earn a bid and is making its 20th straight trip to the tournament.
Minnesota (26-24-1) heads into the Norman Regional following a season where it battled its way through the eighth toughest schedule in the nation.
Prairie View A&M (20-28) grabbed an auto-bid after defeating Alabama State 9-1 to win the SWAC Championship last Saturday.
2022 NCAA Women’s Softball Norman Regional
When: May 20-22
Where: Marita Hynes Field at OU Softball Complex, Norman, OK
How to watch: WatchESPN or ESPN+ with subscription, some Saturday/Sunday games will also be shown on ESPN TV networks based on schedule
Odds: TBA from DraftKings Sportsbook
Norman Regional Bracket
Friday, May 20
Game 1: Texas A&M vs. Minnesota, 5 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Game 2: No. 1 Oklahoma vs. Prairie View A&M, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
Saturday, May 21
Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 5: Loser of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Sunday, May 22
Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 7*: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
* If necessary, played only if winner of Game 5 wins Game 6
All times ET
No. 16 UCF (46-12) was able to grab the final national seed after a successful campaign. It claimed an auto-bid and regional hosting privileges after run-ruling arch rival USF 11-0 in the AAC Championship on Saturday.
Michigan (36-16) heads into Orlando coming off a 3-1 extra innings loss to Nebraska in the Big Ten Championship last Saturday.
South Dakota State (40-11) ripped right through the Summit League this season, taking out blanking Omaha 5-0 in the league championship game on Sunday to earn the auto-bid.
Villanova (32-22) fought its way through the Big East and claimed the league title with a 3-0 victory over UConn on Saturday to grab an auto-bid.
2022 NCAA Women’s Softball Orlando Regional
When: May 20-22
Where: UCF Softball Complex, Orlando, FL
How to watch: WatchESPN or ESPN+ with subscription, some Saturday/Sunday games will also be shown on ESPN TV networks based on schedule
Odds: TBA from DraftKings Sportsbook
Orlando Regional Bracket
Friday, May 20
Game 1: No. 16 UCF vs. Villanova, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
Game 2: Michigan vs. South Dakota State, 6 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
Saturday, May 21
Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 11:00 a.m. (ESPN+)
Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 1:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 5: Loser of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 4:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Sunday, May 22
Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 7*: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
* If necessary, played only if winner of Game 5 wins Game 6
All times ET