College softball regionals: NCAA bracket analysis, WCWS paths - ESPN

For the fourth straight NCAA tournament, Oklahoma is the No. 1 overall seed. But can the Sooners reign atop the college softball world for a third straight time?

The 64-team tournament field was revealed on Sunday, and Oklahoma looks to make history as the third team in NCAA history to three-peat as Women's College World Series champions.

The Sooners are riding a 43-game winning streak, second-longest in NCAA history, and lead the country in scoring (8.1 runs per game), ERA (0.86) and fielding percentage (.989).

Can anyone stop the Sooners? There's UCLA, which is the last non-Oklahoma team to win the WCWS back in 2019 and had won 25 straight games before falling in the Pac-12 championship game. There's ACC champion Florida State, which has won 16 straight games. SEC champion Tennessee has one of the best pitching staffs in college softball.

But if history serves us right, don't be surprised if a sleeper team makes it to Oklahoma City. Last year, three unseeded teams reached the WCWS. In 2021, James Madison played Cinderella and reached the WCWS semifinals.

What can we expect for this weekend's games? Who are the players that will define the NCAA tournament? And who will advance? Our softball analysts break down the NCAA regionals.

Jump to:Toughest paths | Sleeper teamsPotential super regional matchupsTop players | Predictions

Michele Smith: Definitely Clemson, in my opinion. The Tigers are going to have to get through their own regional first, which means they need to beat Auburn, a team that surely thought it was worthy of a host yet was denied. Then if they do advance to the super regionals, they would be playing Oklahoma in Norman. Trying to beat OU isn't easy, and even more so when the Sooners play at home.

Regional