D1Softball Bracketology: Preseason 2025
It's never too early to think about the road to Oklahoma City. Before a pitch is thrown, here's a look at what the NCAA tournament field might look like in May.
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
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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]
