SEC lands 6 of top 8 seeds in NCAA softball tournament bracket - ESPN

The SEC received six of the top eight seeds in the NCAA Division I softball championship when the 64-team field was revealed Sunday, including Alabama at No. 1 and defending national champion Texas at No. 2.

In all, the SEC got 12 of its 15 teams into the field.

Regional play starts Friday, with the top 16 seeds hosting. The eight teams that get through super regionals the next week will play in the Women's College World Series, which starts May 28 at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.

Alabama (49-7) didn't catch a break in the seeding — the Crimson Tide could face Belmont superstar pitcher Maya Johnson in regional play. Johnson leads the nation with a 0.66 ERA and was the No. 3 pick in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League draft.

Texas (42-10) returns pitcher Teagan Kavan, who was the Most Outstanding Player of the WCWS last year and led the Longhorns to the SEC tournament title this season. The Longhorns beat Alabama in the SEC championship game.

Oklahoma (48-8) is the No. 3 overall seed despite losing in its opening game at the SEC tournament. The Sooners have won four of the past five national titles and reached the semifinals last year. Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso, also the USA national coach, has won eight national championships.

Nebraska is seeded fourth. The Cornhuskers (46-6) beat UCLA to win the Big Ten tournament title Saturday. Nebraska's Jordy Frahm led Oklahoma to a national title in 2023 as Jordy Bahl before transferring, then getting married and changing her name.

The SEC also has Arkansas (42-11) as the No. 5 seed, Florida (48-10) at No. 6 and Tennessee (42-10) at No. 7.

UCLA (47-8) is the No. 8 seed. Megan Grant just set the single-season record with 38 home runs. Jordan Woolery, who bats behind her at third