Ranking the NCAA Softball Tournament Draws For the Big 12

Originally posted on Heartland College Sports
By Bryan Clinton | Last updated May 12, 2025 1:27 PM ET

The 2025 NCAA Softball Tournament field is set after Selection Sunday, and five Big 12 teams are still in the fight to make a run to the Women’s College World Series.

Texas Tech, the Big 12 Regular Season and Tournament Champions, is the No. 12 seed in the bracket, followed closely by Arizona, which earned the No. 13 seed after putting together a 45-11 record to this point. The rest of the Big 12 teams in the field—Arizona State, Oklahoma State, and UCF—are all on the road for Regionals as two- and three-seeds in the opening weekend of action.

Not all paths are created equal, and based on what’s ahead for a few of these squads, we expect a tough road for the conference to get multiple teams to Oklahoma City this year.

Here, we’ll take an in-depth look at each Big 12 regional and what their landing spots mean for their respective chances as we examine each team’s path to Oklahoma City, ranked from hardest to easiest.

1. UCF Knights

UCF was about as unpredictable a team as there was in the Big 12 this season. Still, they played a Top 25 schedule, ranked inside the RPI Top 30, and deserved an at-large bid in this field. Unfortunately for the Knights, they land in perhaps the toughest situational spot of any Big 12 team.

For starters, they’ll open up tournament play against Michigan, which just upset Oregon and UCLA to win its second consecutive Big Ten Tournament. The Wolverines are among the hottest teams in America, and drawing them to start the weekend is rough.

If the Knights find a way to cool off UM, they’ll face a talented and experienced Texas team that spent all season ranked inside the top-three and on the heels of a 14-2 beatdown at the hands of Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament. No thanks.

Austin Regional

Team	Conf.	Record	RPI	SOS	ERA	OBP	FLD%	Runs/G
UCF	Big 12	33–22	30	23	1.35	.410	.980	6.3
(6) Texas	SEC	46–10	9	18	1.10	.440	.990	7.5
Michigan	Big Ten	38–19	40	52	2.20	.380	.975	5.7
Eastern Illinois	OVC	34–20	137	216	3.00	.350	.960	4.2

2. Oklahoma State Cowgirls

Oklahoma State has an argument for the toughest draw of all Big 12 teams, but there are a couple of reasons I put them in the two spot. First, the Cowgirls are lucky to be headed to Fayetteville and not Norman, as their early exit from the Big 12 Tournament had many feeling that they’d be headed south to face the Sooners.

The other reason they’re below UCF is that it’s clear that OSU is the second-best team in this region. The Pokes are the only team that’s played a schedule remotely as difficult as the Razorbacks, and they’ve got the combination of pitching and offense to push the host team.

Granted, that’ll be much easier said than done, as Arkansas was the hottest team in the country before allowing Oklahoma to come back and steal a game in the SEC semifinals.

Fayetteville Regional

Team	Conf.	Record	RPI	SOS	ERA	OBP	FLD%	Runs/G
Oklahoma State	Big 12	33–18	21	20	1.70	.390	.980	6.0
(4) Arkansas	SEC	40–12	7	3	1.40	.420	.985	6.8
Indiana	Big Ten	33–18	43	47	2.30	.370	.970	5.5
Saint Louis	Atlantic 10	34–22	150	215	3.10	.340	.965	4.0

3. Arizona State Sun Devils

The last time we saw Arizona State on the field was also the worst loss they’ve suffered all season—an 18-0 shellacking at the hands of Texas Tech. Despite that, the Sun Devils had a tournament resume and will be the No. 3 seed in the Los Angeles Regional.

They draw a tricky matchup against a San Diego State team that split a two-game series with Arizona a couple of weeks ago and has plenty of experience against top-tier opponents this season.

The larger threat in LA, though, is obviously the host team, UCLA. The Bruins rank just outside the top five in RPI and have one of the most talented rosters in the country. This is a tough draw for the Sun Devils, just not quite as tough as UCF or Oklahoma State.

Los Angeles Regional

Team	Conf.	Record	RPI	SOS	ERA	OBP	FLD%	Runs/G
Arizona State	Big 12	35–19	33	36	1.29	.400	.980	6.2
(9) UCLA	Big Ten	49–10	6	18	1.20	.430	.985	7.2
San Diego State	MWC	37–17	29	38	1.90	.380	.975	5.9
UC Santa Barbara	Big West	34–24	128	178	3.00	.350	.960	4.0

4. Arizona Wildcats

It’s not an easy regional, but Arizona’s draw for the first round of the NCAA Tournament was about as good as they could’ve hoped for.

Ole Miss is tricky, no doubt, and their SEC Tournament run shows just how high the ceiling is for the Rebels. However, with Devyn Netz and company coming into this tournament with experience and something to prove, you’ve got to like their chances.

If the Wildcats can avoid disaster against the other teams and get past Ole Miss, they’ll likely head to Fayetteville for a Super Regional between two of the best offenses in the country.

Tucson Regional

Team	Conf.	Record	RPI	SOS	ERA	OBP	FLD%	Runs/G
(13) Arizona	Big 12	45–11	12	27	1.50	.420	.985	7.0
Ole Miss	SEC	37–17	20	15	2.00	.390	.980	6.0
Grand Canyon	WAC	46–6	32	151	1.80	.400	.975	6.8
Santa Clara	WCC	32–20	119	177	2.90	.360	.970	4.5

5. Texas Tech Red Raiders

Texas Tech is coming off a dominant run through the Big 12 Tournament and looks like one of the most dangerous teams in the field, with NiJaree Canady leading the Red Raiders into the tournament.

Seeing a traditional power like Washington on the list of teams headed to Lubbock might have some folks wondering, but the Huskies are down this year and are actually the No. 3 seed in this regional. The team to worry about would be Mississippi State. A top 25 team in both RPI and SOS, the Bulldogs are battle-tested out of the SEC and could be a tough out for Gerry Glasco’s squad.

Still, they should be able to take care of business and advance to the Super Regionals, where they’d likely face Florida State in Tallahassee. Now that would be a series to tune in for.

Lubbock Regional

Team	Conf.	Record	RPI	SOS	ERA	OBP	FLD%	Runs/G
(12) Texas Tech	Big 12	45–12	18	43	0.81	.410	.980	6.5
Mississippi State	SEC	37–17	22	23	2.10	.380	.975	5.8
Washington	Big Ten	34–17	38	40	2.50	.370	.970	5.5
Brown	Ivy League	33–15	121	231	3.20	.340	.965	4.2