2022 NCAA Softball Tournament

[nwhoopfan]

Oregon St. going to OKC. First time in 16 years, only second trip in school history.

 

[Urshurak]

Anything can happen, but man Oklahomas offense is just scary. Going to be hard to beat them.

 

[SimpleDawg]

Very unsmart pitching change by Duke in the Top of the 7th. What a time to make that change with the game still 3-2.

Gregg Popovich: "soon as we substituted, everything went to crap"

 

[nwhoopfan]

Arizona St. up 4-3 B7, 2 down, runner on third, ball hit to the warning track...CF totally misplayed it, should've been 3rd out and end of game. Instead tying run comes in, extra innings for the second game in a row.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Arizona St. bounced back w/ 3 runs in the 8th to force a Game 3 tomorrow. W/ 2 games left tomorrow, make up of WCWS is looking like:

Big 12--3
Pac 12--3 or 4
ACC--1 or none
SEC--1 or none
Big 10--1 or none

 

[SimpleDawg]

Florida is putting a 10-0 thumping on Virginia Tech. Do us all a favor, and run-rule this game so I can leave soon.


The team with a lot of history this weekend won all 6 times against the team with not much history or significantly less history. History and tradition matters. Whoever says it doesn't is obviously wrong. More interestingly is that 3 of those won on the road so it wasn't like they were all favored.


Oklahoma > UCF
Oklahoma St > Clemson
UCLA > Duke
Arizona > Mississippi State
Texas > Arkansas
Florida > Virginia Tech

 

[Centerstream]

And the announcers at the Arkansas vs Texas final and the Virginia Tech vs Florida games stated that neither of the game 2 losers (Ark and VT) had lost 2 games in a row during the season. Jinx!!!

 

[HuskyFan1125]

softball wise it’s going to make the SEC very interesting when Texas and OU are added. Will be some battles for sure!

 

[nwhoopfan]

Congrats to Florida. I've been criticizing the SEC, but the Gators answered the bell today.

 

[Wbbnut]

Oregon St. going to OKC. First time in 16 years, only second trip in school history.

Actually it’s the Beavs 7th trip if you include the AIAW College World Series (before the NCAA started sponsoring women's sports).

 

[undersized]

Northwestern takes down Arizona St in game 3. Trailed 0-5 but came back to win 8-6. The entirety of the series was hands down the most exciting softball I've seen all year.

 

[nwhoopfan]

So...Pac 12 Champ and 3rd place team don't make it to OKC, but tied for last place team and tied for second to last both did. WACKY! I think for the second year in a row, the selection committee did just an absolutely horrid job of seeding.

 

[SimpleDawg]

When was the last time only 3 out of the top 8 made it to Oklahoma City?

 

[Centerstream]

In the Supers, each game 3 was won by the visitors. I am guessing that this is a rarity since the NCAA went to the Super Regional format.

 

[undersized]

So...Pac 12 Champ and 3rd place team don't make it to OKC, but tied for last place team and tied for second to last both did. WACKY! I think for the second year in a row, the selection committee did just an absolutely horrid job of seeding.

It's called UPSETs. They happen more frequently in sports with as much random variance as softball/baseball. Seeding was actually way better this year than most. That said, I think the seeding criteria could certainly use an overhaul as could the tournament setup.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

It's called UPSETs. They happen more frequently in sports with as much random variance as softball/baseball. Seeding was actually way better this year than most. That said, I think the seeding criteria could certainly use an overhaul as could the tournament setup.

I'm not sure on the seeding being better - the whole point of seeding is that the #1 - #8 seeds move through, and that sure didn't happen. Also, if not the top #8, you surely don't expect 3 unseeded teams. While there can be a lot of variance I suppose, the home field is a very real advantage that didn't manifest itself as consistently this year as it usually does.

As to the seeding criteria - I'm sure I don't quite know how they get the Regional groupings. I know geography has often played a part. It could use a "look". As to the format - if it is double elimination, I'm not sure what could be done.

 

[nwhoopfan]

It's called UPSETs. They happen more frequently in sports with as much random variance as softball/baseball. Seeding was actually way better this year than most. That said, I think the seeding criteria could certainly use an overhaul as could the tournament setup.

Last 2 years have shown quite obviously that the committee is over valuing, over representing and over seeding SEC teams. It can't be a fluke or bad luck 2 years in a row.

Last years Big 10 champ was unseeded. That is a huge slap in the face. The SEC hosted EIGHT Regionals, one of the teams wasn't even seeded and still got to play on their home field. Absolutely ridiculous. This year wasn't quite as bad, but 5 hosting was still too many.

 

[undersized]

Last 2 years have shown quite obviously that the committee is over valuing, over representing and over seeding SEC teams. It can't be a fluke or bad luck 2 years in a row.

Last years Big 10 champ was unseeded. That is a huge slap in the face. The SEC hosted EIGHT Regionals, one of the teams wasn't even seeded and still got to play on their home field. Absolutely ridiculous. This year wasn't quite as bad, but 5 hosting was still too many.

All you do is sit back and scream SEC bias at every opportunity. (The ACC actually faired worse, btw.) Using the selection committee's current criteria, tell me who should have been seeded lower/higher this year. I'll wait... As I said, I'm on board with an overhaul of the criteria. But that is a different conversation. According to their current criteria, the bracket this year was actually well done.

I'm not sure on the seeding being better - the whole point of seeding is that the #1 - #8 seeds move through, and that sure didn't happen. Also, if not the top #8, you surely don't expect 3 unseeded teams. While there can be a lot of variance I suppose, the home field is a very real advantage that didn't manifest itself as consistently this year as it usually does.

As to the seeding criteria - I'm sure I don't quite know how they get the Regional groupings. I know geography has often played a part. It could use a "look". As to the format - if it is double elimination, I'm not sure what could be done.

lmao, no. The point of seeding is to rank teams according to their regular season resumes. That doesn't mean "the whole point is that the top 8 advance."
As for 3 unseeded teams making the WCWS, sure it's a rarity. But compare to men's basketball -- that's just the equivalent of 3 teams in say the 5-8 seed range making the Elite 8. Perfectly normal actually. It's a sign of parity and the fact that upsets are more common in softball and baseball.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

All you do is sit back and scream SEC bias at every opportunity. (The ACC actually faired worse, btw.) Using the selection committee's current criteria, tell me who should have been seeded lower/higher this year. I'll wait... As I said, I'm on board with an overhaul of the criteria. But that is a different conversation. According to their current criteria, the bracket this year was actually well done.


lmao, no. The point of seeding is to rank teams according to their regular season resumes. That doesn't mean "the whole point is that the top 8 advance."
As for 3 unseeded teams making the WCWS, sure it's a rarity. But compare to men's basketball -- that's just the equivalent of 3 teams in say the 5-8 seed range making the Elite 8. Perfectly normal actually. It's a sign of parity and the fact that upsets are more common in softball and baseball.

Rephrasing my point - that the seeding - as you state - is a ranking based on regular season resumes. However, the seeded teams have home-field advantage in the regional - and if they advance to the super regional - again, home field for the top 8, and the expected match-ups 1-16, 2-15, etc. giving the increased match-up advantage for the higher seeds. I have always maintained, in a perfect situation, the top 8 seeds would advance. Obviously, it isn't going to happen often, but every lower seeded and unseeded team is ultimately unexpected.

On the other hand, I'm not specifically criticizing their seeding. But it amazes me that Arizona, the team I follow, and which I did not feel deserved to be in the tourney, is in the World Series.

 

[LoTrader]

GO BEAVS!

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

GO BEAVS!

Go Wildcats. Yes, really, both of them. But especially - Bear Down Cats!

I actually feel sorry for the Northwestern ones. All that work to be the presumed first Oklahoma victim.

 

[nwhoopfan]

WCWS Day 1, Texas beat UCLA 7-2 and Oklahoma pounded Northwestern 13-2. Looking like the Big 12 Invitational.

 

[Centerstream]

And the Sooners had 2 grand slams, one by their #9 hitter.

 

[eebmg]

And the Sooners had 2 grand slams, one by their #9 hitter.

It would be an interesting exercise to see if you match the OK team position by position, how many teams have any players you would pick over the OK player.


I imagine the betting odds for OK even higher than UConn during the Breanna Stewart years

 

[nwhoopfan]

Well, the Pac 12 sucks today.