NCAA Softball Tournament 2016: Super Regionals Bracket and Schedule Info
The Florida Gators' quest for a three-peat is underway.
After winning three games by a combined score of 24-0, the back-to-back NCAA softball champions are moving on to the Super Regionals for the ninth time in 10 years and are two wins away from heading back to the Women's College World Series.
On the opposite side of the bracket are the No. 2-seeded Michigan Wolverines, who are moving on after defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 6-2, on Sunday to set up a date with the Missouri Tigers.
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Florida, meanwhile, will meet the Georgia Bulldogs in the next round. Here's a breakdown of the upcoming schedule for the Super Regionals:
| Gainesville | No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Georgia |
| Game 1 | May 26, 7 p.m. ET |
| Game 2 | May 27, 5 p.m. ET |
| Game 3 (if necessary) | May 27, 8 p.m. ET |
| Tallahassee | No. 8 Florida State vs. Utah |
| Game 1 | May 27, 5 p.m. ET |
| Game 2 | May 28, 4:30 p.m. ET |
| Game 3 (if necessary) | May 28, 7:30 p.m. ET |
| Eugene | No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 UCLA |
| Game 1 | May 28, 9:30 p.m. ET |
| Game 2 | May 29, 7 p.m. ET |
| Game 3 (if necessary) | May 29, 10 p.m. ET |
| Auburn | No. 4 Auburn vs. Arizona |
| Game 1 | May 28, 6:30 p.m. ET |
| Game 2 | May 29, 2 p.m. ET |
| Game 3 (if necessary) | May 29, 5 p.m. ET |
| Norman | No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 Louisiana-Lafayette |
| Game 1 | May 26, 9 p.m. ET |
| Game 2 | May 27, 7 p.m. ET |
| Game 3 (if necessary) | May 27, 10 p.m. ET |
| Tuscaloosa | No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 11 Washington |
| Game 1 | May 27, 9 p.m. ET |
| Game 2 | May 28, 5:30 p.m. ET |
| Game 3 (if necessary) | May 28, 8:30 p.m. ET |
| Harrisonburg | No. 7 James Madison vs. No. 10 LSU |
| Game 1 | May 27, 3 p.m. ET |
| Game 2 | May 28, noon ET |
| Game 3 (if necessary) | May 28, 3 p.m. ET |
| Ann Arbor | No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 15 Missouri |
| Game 1 | May 28, 3 p.m. ET |
| Game 2 | May 29, noon ET |
| Game 3 (if necessary) | May 29, 3 p.m. ET |
The Gators have the bats to show why they've been the best team in the nation for the last three years. Their pitching, though, has been otherworldly.
Florida has two of the best pitchers in the game, both posting ERAs under 1.00. Aleshia Ocasio pitched five scoreless innings and allowed only three hits in Florida's 8-0 win over the Central Florida Knights on Sunday. The Gators scored six runs in the fourth inning to enforce the mercy rule in the fifth.
"When you don't give up runs, you can't ever lose. That's been our mantra since 2007, ever since we went to our first Super Regional," head coach Tim Walton said Sunday, per NCAA.com. "It's our ninth Super Regional as a program. That's something that's very difficult to do and I think our kids make it look easy at times."
Florida, however, has made it look easy with its 56-5 mark this year and is the overwhelming favorite to win the title for the third year in a row.
Delanie Gourley is the other ace teams will have to deal with. She's posted a 0.70 ERA this year, trailing only Ocasio's national-best 0.68. As long as those two are pitching at a high level, Florida may not lose.
Michigan, the team Florida defeated last year to win its second consecutive national title, sits on the opposite side of the bracket.
While the Gators dominate on the mound, Michigan has a star of its own at the plate. Sierra Romero hit her team-leading 19th home run in the Wolverines' win over Notre Dame on Sunday, as the team showed:
Collectively, Michigan is third in the nation with a .355 team batting average. Though it has one of the most powerful offenses in the nation, just like last year, it might not be enough against Florida's dominant pitching rotation.
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