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If the Virginia Tech Hokies want to advance out of the Blacksburg Regional, they will have to overcome a couple of teams with plenty of tournament experience in Kentucky and St. Francis. Meanwhile, the No. 3 seed Miami Redhawks feature one of the best power hitters in the country.
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 Virginia Tech Hokies (41-7): The Hokies, the No. 3 national seed and a regional host for the first time in school history, are looking to get back to the Women’s College World Series for the first time since 2008.
No. 2 seed Kentucky Wildcats (35-17): Big Blue is making its 13th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance under head coach Rachel Lawson. Erin Coffel is hitting above .400 and has crushed 17 homers.
No. 3 seed Miami (Ohio) Redhawks (39-15-1): The Redhawks are coached by Kirin Kumar, who was a former assistant coach at Regional host Virginia Tech. Karli Spaid is second in the nation with 27 home runs.
No. 4 seed St. Francis (Penn.) Red Flash (37-16): The Red Flash are making their fifth NCAA consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
2022 NCAA Women’s Softball Blacksburg Regional
When: May 20-22
Where: Tech Softball Park, Blacksburg, Virginia
How to watch: ACC Network, 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
Blacksburg Regional Bracket
Friday, May 20
Game 1: No. 4 St. Francis (Penn.) vs. No. 1 Virginia Tech, 2 p.m. (ACC Network)
Game 2: No. 3 Miami (Ohio) vs. No. 2 Kentucky, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Saturday, May 21
Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 3:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 5: Loser of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 8:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Sunday, May 22
Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5, 12:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 7*: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
* If necessary, played only if winner of Game 5 wins Game 6
All times ET
You don’t typically see the Florida Gators as a No. 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament. After a relatively up-and-down season, the Gators might be ripe for an upset by either Georgia Tech or Wisconsin.
No. 1 seed Florida Gators (43-16): The Gators have been a Regional host for every tournament since 2005.
No. 2 seed Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (37-16): The Yellow Jackets are led by head coach and GT alum Aileen Morales, whose final career game came in this Regional in 2008. The Jackets are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2012.
No. 3 seed Wisconsin Badgers (28-19): One of the last four teams into the tournament, the Badgers are paced by Kayla Konwent. The 2019 Big Ten Player of the Year leads the offense with a .377 average and 10 home runs.
No. 4 seed Canisius Golden Griffins (32-16): The Golden Griffins are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2009 after winning the MAAC.
2022 NCAA Women’s Softball Gainesville Regional
When: May 20-22
Where: Katie Seashole Pressly, Gainesville, Florida
How to watch: ESPNU, 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
Gainesville Regional Bracket
Friday, May 20
Game 1: No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 2 Georgia Tech, 2 p.m. (ESPNU)
Game 2: No. 4 Canisius vs. No. 1 Florida, 4:30 p.m. (TV ESPN+)
Saturday, May 21
Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 3:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 5: Loser of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 8:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Sunday, May 22
Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5, 12:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 7*: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
* If necessary, played only if winner of Game 5 wins Game 6
All times ET