NCAA Announces Predetermined Regional Hosting Sites
FeaturedThe paths to the Women’s College World Series gained a bit more clarity.
The NCAA Division I softball committee on Friday announced a total of 20 predetermined potential Regional sites that were selected from schools that submitted bids. The NCAA will trim that number to 16 during the selection show on May 16 (ESPN2, 9 p.m. ET). From those same 16 sites, eight Super Regional sites will be selected to host at the conclusion of regional play.
The 20 schools selected on Friday were:
- Oklahoma
- UCLA
- Florida
- Alabama
- Washington
- Florida State
- Arkansas
- Arizona State
- Oklahoma State
- LSU
- Oregon
- Texas
- Arizona
- Tennessee
- Clemson
- Kentucky
- Georgia
- Missouri
- Virginia Tech
- Michigan
The NCAA switched to predetermined sites this season to help comply with healthy and safety protocols stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. The maximum attendance capacity at all host schools and at the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City is 50 percent (if that or local authorities are more stringent, their guidance will supersede NCAA policy).
The NCAA will determine ticket allocations for each site, with priority consideration given to participating teams.
If an institution is selected to host a preliminary round(s), the institution is still required to host even if its team is not selected for the tournament.
The NCAA committee said the designation of predetermined sites will “have no bearing on the teams selected to participate or for seeding in the 2021 Division I Softball Championship.” The championship field will consist of 31 conference automatic qualifiers and 33 at-large qualifiers.
The Regionals will take place May 21-23, followed by the Super Regionals May 27-30. The Women’s College World Series at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City will be June 3-9.
“The committee would like to thank all of the schools who submitted bids to host. It was exciting that we received so many quality bids from schools around the country that were interested in being a part of this championship,” said Matthew Larsen, chair of the committee and director of athletics at North Dakota State. “We can’t wait to have the Division I Softball Championship back in 2021 and believe these hosts will provide a safe and memorable championship experience for all of the student-athletes, coaches and fans.”