Aggies lead SEC-heavy top 8 in softball tourney

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Texas A&M earned the wide No. 1 effect successful the NCAA Division I softball tourney connected Sunday, edging four-time defending nationalist champion Oklahoma for the apical spot and starring 7 Southeastern Conference teams seeded successful the apical eight.

Oklahoma won the SEC regular-season rubric by a crippled implicit Texas A&M successful its archetypal play successful the conference. Texas A&M and Oklahoma tied for the league tourney rubric aft the title crippled was canceled due to the fact that of atrocious weather.

No. 3 effect Florida, a nationalist semifinalist past season, and No. 4 Arkansas besides correspond the SEC. Oklahoma State, which has made 5 consecutive Women's College World Series appearances, is successful the determination with Arkansas.

The last 8 teams successful the 64-team tract volition play successful the WCWS from May 29-June 5 successful Oklahoma City.

No. 5 effect Florida State, the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season champion, is the top-seeded squad from extracurricular the SEC. The Seminoles won the nationalist rubric successful 2018 and were runners-up successful 2021 and 2023.

Florida State is followed by 3 much SEC teams. Texas, the nationalist runner-up 2 of the past 3 seasons, is No. 6. Tennessee, with hard-throwing Karlyn Pickens, is No 7. South Carolina is No. 8 aft being picked 15th retired of 15 teams successful the preseason SEC poll.

No. 9 UCLA hosts a determination successful its archetypal play arsenic a Big Ten member.

No. 10 effect LSU could beryllium challenged. Nebraska, led by erstwhile Oklahoma pitcher Jordyn Bahl, besides volition beryllium successful the Baton Rouge Regional. Bahl was the Most Outstanding Player of the World Series successful 2023.

Clemson, the ACC tourney champion aft knocking disconnected Florida State successful the rubric game, is No. 11.

No. 12 effect Texas Tech, the Big 12 regular-season and tourney champion, features NiJaree Canady, the reigning National Fastpitch Coaches Association Player of the Year. Canady did not let a tally successful 16 2/3 innings astatine the Big 12 Tournament and was named its Most Outstanding Player.

Arizona, which mislaid to Texas Tech successful the Big 12 rubric game, earned the No. 13 seed.

Duke reached the WCWS for the archetypal clip past play and volition big a determination this twelvemonth arsenic the No. 14 seed.

Another SEC team, Alabama, is the No. 15 seed.

Oregon (47-7), the Big Ten regular-season champion, was seeded 16th.