Kentucky softball makes 15th straight NCAA Tournament

It’s Selection Sunday! Postseason play for softball is officially upon us, and the NCAA Tournament has the bracket set.

Kentucky (30-22; 8-16 SEC) finds themselves vying for the national title for the 15th season in a row after receiving an at-large bid on Sunday. The ‘Cats will play in a tough regional in Stillwater, OK hosted by No. 5 Oklahoma State. The Wildcats will face Michigan on Friday at 3:00 p.m. EST on ESPN2.

13 Southeastern Conference schools will compete for the opportunity to take the crown. This marks the fourth time in five seasons that every SEC team made the NCAA Tournament (Vanderbilt does not have a softball program). Of the 16 teams that host regional tournaments, eight of those belong to the SEC.

Kentucky picked up 10 quad one (RPI 1-25) wins on the season, one of 12 NCAA teams to reach that mark. All regional tournaments are double-elimination and will take place May 17-19.

🥎 Welcome to #MAYhem! 🥎 pic.twitter.com/PXNT593MwL

— Kentucky Softball (@UKsoftball) May 13, 2024

2024 NCAA Stillwater Regional Schedule

Friday, May 18

• Game 1: 3:00 p.m. ET – (2) Kentucky vs. (3) Michigan [ESPN2]
• Game 2: 5:30 p.m. ET – (1) Oklahoma State vs. (4) Northern Colorado [ESPN+]

Saturday, May 19

• Game 3: TBA – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
• Game 4: TBA – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 (Elimination Game)
• Game 5: TBA – Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 (Elimination Game)

Sunday, May 20

• Game 6: TBA – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5 (Regional Final, Elimination game for 2-1 team)
• Game 7 (if necessary) TBA – Loser Game 6 vs. Winner Game 6 (Winner to Super Regional)

2024 NCAA Softball Tournament field

Austin Regional: No. 1 Texas (46-6) will open against Siena (33-20), and St. Francis (40-12) will play Northwestern (33-11).

Norman Regional: No. 2 Oklahoma (49-6) will play Cleveland State (22-24), and Boston (52-4-1) will take on Oregon (28-19).

Knoxville Regional: No. 3 Tennessee (40-10) plays Dayton (33-19), and Miami (OH) (48-7) takes on Virginia (32-18).

Gainesville Regional: No. 4 Florida (46-12) hosts Florida Gulf Coast (37-19), and Florida Atlantic (41-14) plays South Alabama (32-18-1).

Stillwater Regional: No. 5 Oklahoma State (44-10) plays Northern Colorado (27-24), and Michigan (41-16) takes on Kentucky (30-22).

Los Angeles Regional: No. 6 UCLA (37-10) hosts Grand Canyon (48-11), and San Diego State (31-18) plays Virginia Tech (39-12-1).

Columbia Regional: No. 7 Missouri (43-15) will take on Omaha (41-13), and Indiana (40-18) plays Washington (31-13).

Stanford Regional: No. 8 Stanford (43-13) takes on St. Mary’s (CA) (30-22), and Cal State Fullerton (36-17) plays Mississippi State (33-18).

Baton Rouge Regional: No. 9 LSU (40-15) plays Jackson State (33-17), and Southern Illinois (42-9) takes on California (36-17).

Durham Regional: No. 10 Duke (47-6) hosts Morgan State (35-18), and Utah (34-20) plays South Carolina (34-22).

Athens Regional: No. 11 Georgia (39-16) hosts UNC Wilmington (33-21), and Liberty (36-23) will play Charlotte (38-16).

Fayetteville Regional: No. 12 Arkansas (36-16) takes on Southeast Missouri State (28-24), and Villanova (31-22) will play Arizona (34-16-1).

Lafayette Regional: No. 13 Louisiana (42-17) hosts Princeton (29-16), and Ole Miss (31-25) plays Baylor (32-20).

Tuscaloosa Regional: No. 14 Alabama (33-17) hosts USC Upstate (30-21), and Southeastern Louisiana (45-13) takes on Clemson (34-17).

Tallahassee Regional: No. 15 Florida State (43-14) plays Chattanooga (42-14), and UCF (30-23) takes on Auburn (27-19-1).

Bryan-College Station Regional: No. 16 Texas A&M (40-13) hosts UAlbany (33-12), and Penn State (34-18) takes on Texas State (45-13).