NCAA Softball Tournament 2015: Super Regionals Dates, Schedule, Matchups, More
The double-elimination regional play is out of the way, so the 2015 NCAA softball tournament moves into the Super Regionals with the field narrowed down to 16 teams.
Nearly half of the squads left on the path to the Women's College World Series are from the SEC. Seven of the conference's teams have advanced to this stage, and ESPN Stats & Info highlighted their prowess against another Power Five conference:
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Reigning World Series champion Florida is the No. 1 overall seed. The Gators will take on Kentucky to start, which presents a considerable challenge right out of the gate.
Here is an overview of the Super Regionals schedule, courtesy of NCAA.com, followed by a closer look at this particular stage of the NCAA softball tournament:
| No. 8 Tennessee vs. No. 9 Florida State | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 14 Georgia | 9 p.m. | ESPN 2 |
| No. 4 Auburn vs. No. 13 Louisiana-Lafayette | 2 p.m. | ESPNU |
| No. 8 Tennessee vs. No. 9 Florida State (Game 2) | 4 p.m. | ESPNU |
| No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 14 Georgia (Game 2) | 6 p.m. | ESPNU |
| No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 11 Oklahoma | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| No. 2 Oregon vs. North Carolina State | 9 p.m. | ESPNU |
| No. 4 Auburn vs. No. 13 Louisiana-Lafayette (Game 2) | 12 p.m. | ESPN |
| No. 1 Florida vs. Kentucky | 1 p.m. | ESPNU |
| No. 5 LSU vs. No. 12 Arizona | 3 p.m. | ESPN 3 |
| No. 2 Oregon vs. North Carolina State (Game 2) | 3 p.m. | ESPNU |
| No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 11 Oklahoma (Game 2) | 5 p.m. | ESPN |
| No. 7 UCLA vs No. 10 Missouri | 8 p.m. | ESPNU |
| No. 1 Florida vs. Kentucky (Game 2) | 12 p.m. | ESPN |
| No. 7 UCLA vs No. 10 Missouri (Game 2) | 3 p.m. | ESPNU |
| No. 5 LSU vs. No. 12 Arizona (Game 2) | 5 p.m. | ESPN |
Sporting News' Max Bultman has the list of potential third games in the best-of-three series, which will only be played if necessary.
Florida has lost just twice at home all season in ascending to No. 1 in the country with an overall record of 50-6. To emerge with such a tremendous record from an extremely competitive conference shows the Gators' bid to repeat as national champions is for real.
After tying for fifth in last year's Women's College World Series, Kentucky will have its work cut out to take two of three from Florida. The Wildcats' biggest issue is batting—they only hit .255 as a team and are facing a Gators stable of pitchers that has a stellar 1.73 ERA.
Kentucky head coach Rachel Lawson spoke about how much the bar has been raised at Kentucky, per UKAthletics.com:
"It is kind of like Kentucky basketball, if Kentucky basketball just gets to the Sweet 16, it is just an OK season. Kentucky basketball is expected to be in the Final Four and win the national championship. We are not Kentucky basketball, but we are definitely in the realm where we are only one of nine teams that have been to three straight Super Regionals, so it is one of those things where now when you are as good as you are everybody expects you to go the World Series all the time.
"
Two other SEC teams reign supreme atop the national rankings, with LSU ranking second and Auburn in third. LSU's baseball team is the best in the nation, so it's quite a reign of supremacy on the diamond in Baton Rouge, to say the least.
Still searching for their maiden World Series title, the Oregon Ducks at least have a stacked senior class on their side:
That talented crop is a nice complement to star third baseman Jenna Lilley, who was named the Pac-12's best freshman this season and anchors a Ducks lineup that bats .366 as a team.
Oregon is the second seed in the bracket and finished 3-0 in regionals. Oregon has lost just once in 17 games in Eugene this season, so North Carolina State will have a tough time knocking the Ducks off on their home field.
Dominant as the SEC has been, Oregon has the goods to topple any opponent that gets in its way. Its group of seniors will be driven as ever after finishing tied for third in last year's World Series.
But Florida still has to be viewed as the clear-cut favorite until another team proves capable of knocking off the defending champion Gators.
Note: Stats and information courtesy of NCAA.com unless otherwise indicated.
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