Softball World Series 2012: Bracket, Live Stream, TV Info & More

With the NCAA Division I Softball Championship Regionals in the rear-view mirror and the Super Regionals under way, the World Series is right around the corner. There are currently 16 teams remaining in the tournament, but that number will be cut to eight by Sunday, and those eight teams will make up the World Series field.

There have already been several upsets as high seeds like Florida, Texas A&M and UCLA have been eliminated. There's no question the Softball World Series can be quite unpredictable and that's what makes it so much fun to watch.

There are several excellent teams still alive and it should make for a very interesting tournament.

Here is everything you need to know about when and where to catch the Softball World Series, complete with an up-to-date bracket.

Where: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

When: Thursday, May 31 through Wednesday, June 6

Watch: ESPN, ESPN2

Live Stream: ESPN3

Bracket

Super Regionals and World Series 

Teams to Watch

California

The top seed in the tournament, the California Golden Bears went an astounding 54-5 during the regular season and will play the Pac-12 rival Washington Huskies for a chance to compete in the World Series.

The Bears are led by a pair of top-flight starting pitchers that will make them extremely tough to beat in the form of Jolene Henderson and Valerie Arioto.

They factored into every decision for the Bears this season with a collective record of 54-5, while Henderson sported an ERA of 1.16 and Arioto was nearly as impressive at 1.32.

Offensively, Cal has a top-flight table setter in Jamia Reid and power hitters like Danielle Henderson, Breana Kostreba and Arioto who can clear the bases.

Alabama

The Alabama Crimson Tide are the tournament's No. 2 seed and can certainly give California a run for its money.

Bama's record was nearly as impressive at 54-7, so deciding which team is better is nearly impossible. Alabama doesn't have as much pitching depth as Cal, but the Tide do sport one of the best starting pitchers in the nation in Jackie Traina. She went an incredible 36-2 this season, with a 1.66 ERA and an astounding 311 strikeouts in nearly 240 innings. 

Alabama also has a fantastic lineup as eight players hold batting averages of .300 or higher.

Jennifer Fenton and Kayla Braud are the spark plugs, while Kaila Hunt and Amanda Locke do most of the run producing in the middle of the lineup. Bama's hopes essentially ride on the arm of Traina, but she has gotten the Tide this far, so she may have enough to go all the way.

Arizona State

As the No. 3 seed in the tournament, the Arizona State Sun Devils are obviously a force to be reckoned with. They went 49-9 during the regular season, but got the job done a bit differently than California and Alabama.

The Devils' pitching wasn't as dominant, but they have a triumvirate of starters in Hillary Bach, Mackenzie Popescue and Dallas Escobedo who can all be trusted in big games and big moments.

Arizona State may have more pop than any other team in the tournament, though.

Not only did four Sun Devils hit over .400 on the season, but they had five players with double digits in home runs, as well. Katelyn Boyd is going to lead the way as she led ASU in nearly every offensive category with a .445 average, 19 home runs, 61 RBI and 72 runs scored.

If she remains hot, then the Devils will be tough to beat.

Prediction

California defeats Arizona State in the Championship Series 

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