Northwestern’s fabulous season was rewarded with a No. 9 national seed, the highest in program history. Can they make the best of it in the Evanston Regional versus Notre Dame, McNeese and Oakland?
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 seed Northwestern Wildcats (40-10): They won the Big Ten regular-season title and are led by star pitcher Danielle Williams, who is a finalist for national player of the year. Rachel Lewis has 20 homers and won Big Ten Player of the Year this season.
No. 2 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish (39-10): Still looking for their elusive first regional title, the Fighting Irish were one win away in the Lexington Regional last year. Katrina Gaskins, with a . 434 average and an .822 slugging percentage, is a player to watch.
No. 3 seed McNeese Cowgirls (38-19): The Southland Conference champs are making their eighth NCAA Tourney appearance.
No. 4 seed Oakland Golden Grizzlies (26-15): In the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015, the Horizon League champions are paced by star pitcher Sydney Campbell, who won 23 of their 26 games this year.
2022 NCAA Women’s Softball Evanston Regional
When: May 20-22
Where: Sharon J. Drysdale Field, Evanston, Illinois
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
All times ET
Evanston Regional Bracket
Friday, May 20
Game 1: No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 McNeese, 2 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 2: No. 4 Oakland vs. No. 1 Northwestern, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Saturday, May 21
Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 1:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 5: Loser of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Sunday, May 22
Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5, 4:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 7*: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
* If necessary, played only if winner of Game 5 wins Game 6
All times ET
The Tempe Regional is not going to be easy for host Arizona State. LSU and Cal State Fullerton have lots of tournament experience while San Diego State has one of the best players in the sport in the form of a freshman.
No. 1 seed Arizona State Sun Devils (39-9): The No. 8 national seed is the lowest-seeded Pac-12 champion in tournament history. It was the first Pac-12 Championship for the program since 2011.
No. 2 seed LSU Tigers (34-21): LSU is making its 17th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and 23rd overall.
No. 3 seed San Diego State Aztecs (37-14): The Aztecs won the Mountain West regular-season champions. Freshman Mac Barbara was named Mountain West Player of the Year after hitting .395 with 15 home runs this season.
No. 4 Cal State Fullerton Titans (36-20): Making their 30th NCAA Tournament appearance, the Titans took home the Big West regular-season title for the fifth time in the past six seasons.
2022 NCAA Women’s Softball Tempe Regional
When: May 20-22
Where: Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
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
Tempe Regional Bracket
Friday, May 20
Game 1: No. 3 San Diego State vs. No. 2 LSU, 8 p.m. (ESPNU)
Game 2: No. 4 Cal State Fullerton vs. No. 1 Arizona State, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Saturday, May 21
Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 5:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 5: Loser of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 10:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Sunday, May 22
Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 7*: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
* If necessary, played only if winner of Game 5 wins Game 6
All times ET