UCLA, one of the most decorated softball programs ever, will begin its trek toward a 30th Women’s College World Series on Friday. An Ole Miss team in the midst of a fantastic season stand in their way, as do two lesser-experienced programs in Loyola Marymount and Grand Canyon.
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 UCLA Bruins (43-8): The No. 5-seeded Bruins are the highest-seeded team out of the Pac-12 despite losing the regular-season conference title to Arizona State. They are making their tournament-record 37th NCAA appearance and won a national championship in 2019
No. 2 seed Ole Miss Rebels (39-17): This won’t be the Rebels’ first postseason experience in L.A.; they competed in the 2017 Super Regionals in the City of Angels. One more victory will give the Rebels 40 wins for only the fourth time ever as a program.
No. 3 seed Loyola Marymount Lions (36-15): This is LMU’s third regional appearance — and they have played in the UCLA Regional each time.
No. 4 seed Grand Canyon Antelopes (38-14): GCU punched its first NCAA Tournament ticket by winning its first WAC Tournament championship.
2022 NCAA Women’s Softball Los Angeles Regional
When: May 20-22
Where: Easton Stadium, Los Angeles, California
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
Los Angeles Regional Bracket
Friday, May 20
Game 1: No. 3 Loyola Marymount vs. No. 2 Ole Miss, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 2: No. 4 Grand Canyon vs. No. 1 UCLA, 10 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 (ESPN+)
Sunday, May 22
Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 7*: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5, 9:30 (ESPN+)
* If necessary, played only if winner of Game 5 wins Game 6
All times ET
The Durham Regional presents us with an NCAA Tournament rematch of sorts between Duke and Georgia. The Liberty Flames already know they can beat the Blue Devils, and the UMBC Retrievers have the pitching that can cause havoc in any short series.
No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils (41-8): The Blue Devils, No. 12, have earned a national seed for the second straight year. Peyton St. George heads the pitching staff with a 2.02 ERA and 171 strikeouts.
No. 2 seed Georgia Bulldogs (40-16): The Bulldogs defeated Duke in last year’s Athens Regionals en route to making the Women’s College World Series. Six Georgia players have hit double-digit homers this season.
No. 3 seed Liberty Flames (43-16): The back-to-back A-Sun champs are led by head coach and former two-time Olympic gold medalist Dot Richardson. The Flames defeated Duke on April 20.
No. 4 seed UMBC Retrievers (31-10): Good thing Virginia isn’t the No. 1 seed here. The Retrievers are the America East Conference champions. Two UMBC pitchers — Courtney Coopersmith and Kya Matter — each have an ERA under 1.00 through more than 100 innings this season.
2022 NCAA Women’s Softball Durham Regional
When: May 20-22
Where: Duke Softball Stadium, Durham, North Carolina
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
Durham Regional Bracket
Friday, May 20
Game 1: No. 3 Liberty vs. No. 2 Georgia, 12:00 p.m. (ESPNU)
Game 2: No. 4 UMBC vs. No. 1 Duke, 2:30 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 (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