Most Intriguing NCAA Softball Regionals: Just a Minute
Welcome to BamaCentral's "Just a Minute," a video series featuring Alabama Crimson Tide on SI's beat writers. Multiple times per week, the writers will group up or film solo to provide their take on a topic concerning the Crimson Tide or the landscape of college sports.
Watch the above video as BamaCentral assistant editor Katie Windham talks about which NCAA softball regionals that she's keeping an eye on this weekend.
This weekend kicks off the best time of the year for college softball fans as the NCAA tournament begins with 16 regionals around the country, including one at Rhoads Stadium hosted by No. 1 Alabama.
However, not all regionals are created equal. Some of the host teams will breeze through the weekend while some others are on upset alert and will have to fight their way to the super regional round.
Even though Alabama is the No. 1 overall seed, two of the best mid-majors in the country will be playing at Rhoads this weekend in Southeastern Louisiana (46-14) and Belmont (40-11.) The two teams face each other in the opening round, and the winner will likely get to face Alabama on Saturday.
There are some other entertaining regionals across the country starting with the one paried on the bracket with the Crimson Tide: the Baton Rouge Regional. No. 16 LSU will have to stave off Virginia Tech, who was just outside of the hosting range, plus South Alabama and Akron. LSU lost at home in regionals last year to Southeastern Louisiana.
Tricia Ford will have to face her former team (Arizona State) in the College Station Regional hosted by Texas A&M. Oklahoma State and Stanford should provide sone interesting matchups in the Stillwater Regional. The only regional with three teams ranked in the latest edition of the USA Softball poll is in Nebraska where the No. 4 overall seed Nebraska hosts Louisville, Grand Canyon and South Dakota.
2026 NCAA Softball Regionals
Tuscaloosa Regional
1 Alabama
Southeastern Louisiana
Belmont
USC Upstate
Austin Regional
2 Texas
Wisconsin
Baylor
Wagner
Norman Regional
3 Oklahoma
Kansas
Michigan
Binghamton
Lincoln Regional
4 Nebraska
Louisville
Grand Canyon
South Dakota
Fayetteville Regional
5 Arkansas
Washington
South Florida
Fordham
Gainesville Regional
6 Florida
Texas State
Georgia Tech
Florida A&M
Knoxville Regional
7 Tennessee
Virginia
Indiana
Northern Kentucky
Los Angeles Regional
8 UCLA
South Carolina
Cal State Fullerton
Cal Baptist
Tallahassee Regional
9 Florida State
UCF
Jacksonville State
Stetson
Athens Regional
10 Georgia
Clemson
UNC Greensboro
College of Charleston
Lubbock Regional
11 Texas Tech
Ole Miss
Boston University
Marist
Durham Regional
12 Duke
Arizona
Marshall
Howard
Stillwater Regional
13 Oklahoma State
Stanford
Eastern Illinois
Princeton
Eugene Regional
14 Oregon
Mississippi State
Saint Mary's
Idaho State
College Station Regional
15 Texas A&M
Arizona State
UConn
McNeese State
Baton Rouge Regional
16 LSU
Virginia Tech
South Alabama
Akron
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/alabama as Most Intriguing NCAA Softball Regionals: Just a Minute.
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This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 6:04 PM.