Kentucky Softball enters 2022 NCAA Tournament ranked No. 15

Even though the NCAA Softball Championship Selection Committee didn’t feel the same way, ESPN and USA Softball made sure to recognize Kentucky as a top-16 program in the country.

The Wildcats will enter the postseason as the No. 15 ranked team in the country, according to the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25. Kentucky finished the regular season with a 35-16 record before falling in their opening round of the SEC Tournament last week to Florida. Despite that, UK dropped just one spot from No. 14 to No. 15, now sitting on a 35-17 overall record and a 13-11 mark in conference action.

What makes this news extra interesting is the fact that Kentucky did not end up hosting a Regional in the upcoming NCAA Softball Championships, which were awarded to the top 16 teams by the Selection Committee. Instead, the ‘Cats were unseeded and landed in the Blacksburg Regional, which is hosted by three-seeded Virginia Tech. UK will face off against Miami (OH) in the regional opener on Friday, May 20 at 4:30 p.m. EST on ESPN+.

The two teams that received the 15- and 16-seed, Missouri and Central Florida, respectively, came in tied for No. 16 in the country, per USA Softball’s rankings. One would have to think that Kentucky was *this close* to snagging a top-16 seed and hosting the Lexington Regional at John Cropp Stadium. Unfortunately, the committee went against UK’s resume. Getting swept at home against Mizzou in April probably didn’t help Kentucky’s chances, either.

In total, the Southeastern Conference produced nine nationally ranked programs heading into the NCAA Tournament. Additionally, unranked teams Texas A&M, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State also made the 64-team field, meaning 12 of the league’s 14 schools made the final postseason event of the year. Not bad.