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Yep. You read that right.
Let’s go down the list, shall we?
Alabama Crimson Tide
The Tide earned a No. 16 seed in the 2017 tournament. The Tide went 42-16 overall this past year and finished fifth in the SEC standings behind Florida, Auburn, Tennessee, and Texas A&M.
This is the Tide’s 19th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. In turn, this is also the Tide’s 19th straight appearance in the Tourney, having not missed a single tourney since all the way back in 1999. They’ll be looking to make the WCWS for the 12th time in program history and what would be the fourth straight year dating back to 2014.
Alabama will be playing for their second National Championship this year with the first coming back in 2012.
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Arkansas Razorbacks are back in the NCAA Tournament!
After not seeing the tournament since 2013, the Hogs are back in after a successful season in Fayetteville. They went 31-22 this year, which was good enough to earn a bid despite a 7-17 mark in conference play.
This is the seventh time that they have made it to the NCAA Tournament and they’ll be seeking an appearance in the WCWS and a National Championship, with both being first-time feats for the program if achieved.
Auburn Tigers
The Auburn Tigers made it all the way to the Championship Game in 2016, and now will be looking to avenge their loss to Oklahoma this time around in 2017.
The Tigers garnered a No. 7 seed in the 2017 NCAA Softball Tournament, making it four years in a row that they have partaken. It’s the ninth time in the last 10 years that they’ve made the tournament, with 2013 being the lone year that the Tigers missed out. Overall, this is their 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament dating back to their first go-around back in 2002.
Auburn has made it to the WCWS in each of the last two years and will seek a three-peat as well as their first-ever National Championship.
Florida Gators
The Gators were picked as a No. 1 seed in this year’s tournament after a season in which they went 50-6 while capturing the SEC regular season championship.
This marks the 18th time that the Gators have made the NCAA Softball Tournament. They haven’t missed the tourney since all the way back in 2002, as their 2017 appearance marks the 15th consecutive year that they’ve partaken in the festivities.
Florida will be looking to make it to the WCWS for the first time since 2017. Should they get to Oklahoma City, it would be the eighth time in program history that they have achieved such a feat. They are also pursuing their third National Championship with the first two coming in 2014 and 2015.
Georgia Bulldogs
Despite finishing with a 33-21 record and a 6-18 mark in conference, the Georgia Bulldogs are in the NCAA Tournament for the 16th year in a row.
The ‘Dawgs missed the SEC Tournament but did more than enough in the committee’s eyes to warrant themselves a bid in this year’s tourney, continuing a stretch of success for the Bulldogs’ program.
The ‘Dawgs will be out to get their fourth WCWS appearance, with the most recent one being last year’s terrific run to OKC. UGA will also be out for their program’s first-ever National Championship as well.
Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky softball earned a 14 seed after a very successful year in Lexington. The Wildcats went 36-17 overall with a 12-12 mark in SEC play, good enough to tie with LSU for seventh place in the standings.
UK has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last nine years dating back to 2009. They will aim to get to the WCWS for the first time since 2014, when the ‘Cats made it for the first time in program history.
They will look to lay claim to their first-ever National Championship.
LSU Tigers
After making it to the SEC Softball Tournament final, the LSU Tigers are once again back in the mix as they’ve made the NCAA Tournament as a 13 seed.
The Tigers finished the year with a 41-18 record and were 12-12 in the SEC before making their run to the final. Ultimately, they were defeated by the Ole Miss Rebels, but that loss obviously did not hurt their tourney chances or their national seed chances, either.
This is business as usual for LSU, as any fan would tell you. The Bayou Bengals are making their 19th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. It’s their 12th straight appearance dating back to 2006, and they have only missed the tourney once in the 21st century (2005).
LSU seeks a third straight appearance in the WCWS, having made it in 2015 and 2016. Overall, they will be looking for their sixth WCWS appearance this year as well as what would be the program’s first National Championship.
Ole Miss Rebels
As expected, the Ole Miss Rebels are among the pack of teams in the NCAA Tournament. The Rebels won the SEC Tournament, granting them an automatic bid into the tourney. At 40-18 and 10-14 in the SEC, they may’ve scrapped together an at-large bid had they not won the whole dang thing, but they’ll certainly take the auto-bid in Oxford.
The Rebels softball program is in the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row. Furthermore, this is only the second time in program history that they’ve made the NCAA Tournament. They will be seeking their first trip to OKC and their first National Championship once they begin play.
After winning the SEC Tourney title, Ole Miss earned a No. 12 seed.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Mississippi State has made it back to the NCAA Tournament!
The Bulldogs finished 36-20 in the 2017 season with a mark of 10-14 in SEC play. They were tied in the regular season standings with Ole Miss, and would go on to be knocked out by the eventual SEC Tournament Champions, whom of course are their archrivals from their own state.
This is State’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since the 2015 edition, but their fifth appearance in six years and 13th overall. They’ve yet to make it to the WCWS or win a National Championship, so we’ll see if this group is the one who can make that happen.
Missouri Tigers
Mizzou is once again participating in the NCAA Tournament. This time though, the Tigers will be unseeded a year after earning the 15th seed while hosting a regional.
The Tigers will be making their 21st overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament. It’s the 11th straight time that they’ve made the field, with the year 2006 being the last time that Mizzou completely missed out.
Missouri seeks a return trip to OKC, having not made the WCWS since 2011. They, like many others, are looking for their first National Championship.
South Carolina Gamecocks
For the 20th time in program history, the South Carolina Gamecocks made it to the NCAA Tournament.
South Carolina has made it to the tourney in each of the last five years now after going 32-23 in the regular season in 2017. The Gamecocks’ five-year stretch, per their official website, is the second-longest appearance streak in the program’s history.
They have not made it to the WCWS since 1997, so we’ll see if that drought can be extinguished this time around.
Texas A&M Aggies
The Texas A&M Aggies were given a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Aggies went 42-10 in the 2017 season, finishing with a 16-7 record in SEC play, which was good for a tie for third in the standings with the Tennessee Volunteers.
The Aggies have made the NCAA Tournament for the 28th time in their program’s long history, their 16th consecutive appearance and their fifth since joining the SEC. The Aggies will aim to make it back to the WCWS for the first time since 2008 and the eighth time in program history.
Should they get to OKC, the Ags will be seeking their third National Championship in program history and first since all the way back in 1987.
Tennessee Volunteers
After going 44-10 and 16-7 in SEC play, the Vols earned a No. 8 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament. Tennessee was tied with Texas A&M for third in the SEC and of course boasts both the SEC Player of the Year (Meghan Gregg) and the SEC Freshman of the Year (Caylan Arnold).
The Vols are back in the NCAA Tournament, having made it every year dating back to 2004. This stretch of 14 appearances in a row brings them up to 15 overall, with the lone other appearance coming back in 1999.
Tennessee seeks their eighth appearance in the WCWS this year and their first National Championship as well.