From the moment the NCAA Softball Tournament Bracket was revealed, many were shocked that Alabama was at the top with the No. 1 seed. It was even worse when it was shown who was in the Tuscaloosa Regional with the Crimson Tide, as three of the five best pitching staffs landed in the same part of the bracket with Belmont, Southeastern Louisiana, and Alabama.
With that, many had the Tide immediately on upset alert, believing they were dealt the worst hand even though they were given the No. 1 seed. Even though we thought the Tide had an uphill climb to make it to the Super Regional round.
In the end, it seemed like Alabama got the last laugh by being the only team in the NCAA Softball Tournament not to allow a single run throughout the Regional round. The Tide put together such a dominant performance that silenced the haters, and one that has been taken notice of.
Softball expert Michella Chester re-ranks 16 teams left in the NCAA Softball Tournament
After a hectic weekend of some top-seeded teams nearly missing the Super Regional round and a few being upset, like Oregon and Florida State, the tournament is down to 16 teams. These are the top 16 teams in the country, and while some might say they got lucky breaks or played their best ball at the right time, it doesn't take away from their greatness.
Softball expert Michella Chester spoke about the 16 teams left in the tournament and actually re-ranked them going into Super Regionals in just a few days, and Alabama fans are going to love it.
Chester did end up making some big changes to the re-seeding of the final 16 teams, but she was right in keeping Alabama at the top with the No. 1 seed. The rankings Chester did weren't based on the regular season, but on the performance each team put out in the Regional round.
After the first weekend of the tournament, @michellachester re-ranks her top 16 🥎#RoadToWCWS pic.twitter.com/DEpQh9wWhs
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) May 19, 2026
Chester gave credit to the pitching staff, who, as mentioned earlier, didn't give up a single run throughout the entire Regional round. Alabama proved that they were the top pitching staff in their region as they were also able to get the bats going against some tough pitching, especially Belmont's Maya Johnson, who came in with the best ERA in the country.
Things are about to get tougher for the Tide, though, as Alabama will head into Super Regionals facing SEC foe LSU in what could be one of the more electric matchups in Supers. The Tide and the Tigers actually did not meet at all this season, so this will be the first matchup between two longtime conference foes.
Alabama does have the advantage of hosting in this round, and the crowd is expected to be present and be loud for the Tide. If Alabama can get the pitching they got from Vic Moten and Jocelyn Briski like they did in the Regional Round, a ticket to the Women's College World Series is practically already in their hands.
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