2017 NCAA Softball Tournament

[flyingMoose]

Southern Illinois is at the Oxford Regional to play Ole Miss, the winner of the SEC Tournament and the #12 National Seed. The other two teams in Oxford are Arizona State and North Carolina.

Tulsa is at the Norman Regional to play Arkansas. Oklahoma, the #10 National Seed, plays North Dakota State.

Both Regionals are Friday-Saturday-Sunday.

These are the only teams representing their respective conferences, the MVC and the AAC.

[shockerfanmas]

How about Minnesota not getting a national seed but going something like 44-3 this season? And Georgia, who didn't even qualify for the SEC tournament and only winning maybe 4-5 conference games, gets an at-large. In fact, all 13 SEC teams got in.

I love college softball and will have my eyes glued to the tv all weekend, but this might be one of the worst, most conference biased tournaments put together, in any sport. I hope the SEC only gets 2 teams to OKC

[WuDrWu]

Wow, shouldn't you at least make your conference tournament to get an at large? Too funny. A little surprised they aren't hosting.

[WuShock16]

They want to have their cake and eat it too. They get all the benefits of being in the SEC (money, exposure, etc.) and also get rewarded for being forced to compete in such a tough conference.

One of the big things that I hate about college athletics...

[flyingMoose]

How about Minnesota not getting a national seed but going something like 44-3 this season?

Minnesota (RPI of 11) and James Madison (13) did not get National Seeds. Ole Miss (18) and Utah (19) did. RPI has serious flaws I am told, but I have never bothered to understand the arguments against it. And on the NCAA site, the Minnesota record is 54-3 which further emphasizes the question.

Minnesota was sent to Tuscaloosa where Alabama is the the #16 National Seed. I suppose you could argue the Golden Gophers are the "#17 seed."

[flyingMoose]

Toward an answer toward the softball RPI question I asked in another thread:

The lowest RPIS to get an at-large bid are Wisconsin (45) and Oregon State (46).

The highest RPIs to not get an at-large bid are SIU-E (41) of the OVC and San Diego State (42) of the Mountain West.

Those numbers appear to be similar to those we are familiar with in volleyball. With sixty-four teams in both tournaments, I suppose that is not surprising.

[flyingMoose]

Norman Regional

Arkansas 4-5 Tulsa

After giving up a game-tying homer to lead off the top of the seventh, the Golden Hurricane has a first-pitch homer in the bottom half for the win.

[WuDrWu]

I looked up Minnesota's schedule. Certainly not the toughest ever, but they did win at LSU which is hosting I believe.

They lost to Illinois and 2 games at #9 Washington, one of them a 3-2 nailbiter. I lost count of how many shutouts and mercy rule games they played.

If your winning % is .947 and you have a win AT a national seed, it seems to me you probably should be a host. But then I'm crazy like that.

[shoxlax]

FWIW, Butler County going for their second straight national championship tomorrow.

[flyingMoose]

Oxford Regional

Southern Illinois 0-8(5) Ole Miss

After Ole Miss scored five in the second, three more in the fifth ended a run-rule win. The Salukis next play North Carolina in an elimination game.

[Onegreatracer]

Hopefully SIU can pick up a win today and stay alive.

[flyingMoose]

Norman Regional

Arkansas 4-5 Tulsa

After giving up a game-tying homer to lead off the top of the seventh, the Golden Hurricane has a first-pitch homer in the bottom half for the win.

North Dakota State and Oklahoma began the second game in this Regional, but it was suspended in the bottom of the first. It rained during the last half-hour of the preceding Arkansas-Tulsa matchup.

[WuDrWu]

The SEC is 10-4 so far. Mississippi State went 2 and Q in Utah. Missouri and Arkansas are the other losers.

North Dakota State did score 2 in the top of the 1st to give the Sooners something to think about overnight. The 2 run home run by the Bison's Anderson snapped a 38.1 consecutive scoreless inning stretch for the OU pitcher. As a team, OU had only given up 2 runs THIS MONTH before yesterday.

SIU lost to Mississippi 8-0 in a mercy shortened game. As mentioned earlier by @flyingMoose:, new conference mate Tulsa was victorious against Arkansas 5-4. Former WSU coach Tim Walton has his Florida Gators #1, again, and they opened with a 9-0 5 inning game against Florida A&M.

Coach Walton is 660-133 since leaving WSU for Gainsville, and so far has made it to the WCWS 7 of 11 seasons with 2 National Championships and 2 other runners up. Strong.

More scores of interest include Minnesota run ruling yet another team, this time Louisiana Tech 11-3 in 5, their 24th mercy rule win this season. Texas State beat Texas 2-1 in 12 innings. USC-Upstate scored 5 in the top of the 7th to beat THE Ohio State University 7-3. James Madison, who at 51-6 probably deserved to host (split 2 games with Auburn for instance) beat Oregon State 3-2 and will get host Baylor at 2pm today. The Bears no hit Kent State (1 of 5 no hitters yesterday) but only won 1-0 on a throwing error following a triple in the 5th.

[flyingMoose]

I looked up Minnesota's schedule. Certainly not the toughest ever, but they did win at LSU which is hosting I believe.

They lost to Illinois and 2 games at #9 Washington, one of them a 3-2 nailbiter. I lost count of how many shutouts and mercy rule games they played.

If your winning % is .947 and you have a win AT a national seed, it seems to me you probably should be a host. But then I'm crazy like that.

I just watched the post-game for the Tuscaloosa Regional on ESPNW. The SOS for Minnesota was 114 which doomed the seeding chances said the Committee. The SOS for Alabama was 13.

[WuDrWu]

Interesting start to Saturday. USC-Upstate led host Tennessee 3-0 into the 7th. Even after a fielding error, UCSU got a popup out to get the 2nd out with 2 on. A HPB, 2 run single, 3 run HR, infield single and a 2 run HR and UT wins 7-3. You live by pinball scored board (they won by scoring 5 in the 7th last night) and you die by it.

Auburn nips Cal 4-3 with a walk off run in the bottom of thhe 9th. Florida one hits Oklahoma State 2-0.

Minnesota and Bama are scoreless into the 8th with the Gophers having the bases loaded and 2 outs in the top of 8th. Only 3 hits combined in this game.

North Dakota State continues to live the dream for now with a 2-0 lead at Oklahoma in the bottom of the 3rd. The SEC is now 14-5 with Georgia losing 7-1 to Florida State.

Still no score going to the bottom of the 8th in Alabama.

0-0 Bottom 9. Alabama pitcher Alexis Osorio has thrown ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY pitches so far. Somewhere Charlie Boyce is shuddering surrounded by cans of R-22.

Bama wins on a bases loaded walk 1-0.