NCAA Softball Postseason Parity Sees Overall No. 1 Seed Texas A&M Fall
On Sunday night Liberty Lady Flames softball beat the overall No.1 seeded Texas A&M to advance to Super Regional play for the first time in program history. However and perhaps the most shocking first was the premature exit of the overall No. 1 seed, a feat that had yet to happen in the modern collegiate softball era.
The 64-team regional post season play that began on Friday, May 16 saw several upsets demonstrating the parity and growth within collegiate softball, especially in the NIL era.
University of California-Santa Barbara (UCSB) knocked out Power 4 foe Arizona State, a program with a history steeped in post season play including winning the national title in 20o8 and 2011. UCSB eventually fell to 12 time national champions and softball powerhouse UCLA in the championship game, but not before knocking out the Sun Devils and San Diego State Aztecs.
In a similar trajectory to Liberty, Southeastern Louisiana shocked and eliminated the No. 10 LSU Tigers in the opening game 4-3, booting them into the losers bracket. The Lady Lions would defeat the Tigers a second time, 8-7, eliminating them from the tournament. Southeastern would eventually fall in the championship game to the Nebraska Cornhuskers led by Player of the Year finalist, two way player Jordy Bahl (formerly of Oklahoma softball).
This parity continues to evolve in the game with more teams not only making the post season, but taking games from larger, stacked Power 4 teams. Despite this parity, only eight mid-majors (Fresno State in 1997, 1998, & 1999; UMass in 1998; DePaul in 1999, 2000, 2005, & 2007; Louisiana-Lafayette in 2003, 2008, & 2014; Hawaii in 2010; South Florida in 2012; Southern Mississippi in 1999 & 2000; and James Madison University in 2021) have made the Women's College World Series since 1997 when the tournament took its permanent residence at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, OK.
The Lady Flames will look to be the ninth team added to this small, but mighty list of mid-major teams etching their name into the Women's College World Series history books.
For the full schedule and bracket for Super Regionals, click here.
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