Road to the WCWS: D1Softball Staff Picks
Top Stories
D1Softball Staff - May 15, 2022
The road to Oklahoma City and the 2022 Women’s College World Series is sure to be full of twists and turns. Why not try to predict them all?
With the NCAA Tournament bracket in hand, the best three weeks in college softball are ready to commence. Does defending champion Oklahoma’s No. 1 seed come with the easiest path to Oklahoma City? Did the selection committee get it right with the national seeds? Which of the teams whose bubbles burst have the most reason to feel aggrieved?
The ACC made a splash with a record four seeded teams, including the first opportunity to host regionals for Virginia Tech, Duke and Clemson. But how big a presence will the conference have by the time we convene in Oklahoma City?
After a third place finish in the Big 12, Texas looked mighty surprised Sunday night when its name wasn’t called for a seed. But are the Longhorns the best team going on the road in a regional?
D1Softball’s Graham Hays, Tara Henry, Rhiannon Potkey and Brady Vernon studied the bracket Sunday night (quickly) and offer up their picks and first impressions below.
Hardest Regional
| D1Softball | Pick |
| Graham Hays | Tempe (ASU, LSU, SDSU, Fullerton) |
| Tara Henry | Tempe |
| Rhiannon Potkey | Tempe |
| Brady Vernon | Orlando (UCF, Michigan, South Dakota St., Villanova) |
Easiest Regional
| D1 Softball | Pick |
| Graham Hays | Tuscaloosa (Alabama, Stanford, Murray St., UTC) |
| Tara Henry | Tuscaloosa |
| Rhiannon Potkey | Tuscaloosa |
| Brady Vernon | Gainesville (UF, GT, Wisconsin, Canisius) |
Friday's Best Game
| D1Softball | Pick |
| Graham Hays | South Dakota St.-Michigan |
| Tara Henry | Oregon St.-Ohio St. |
| Rhiannon Potkey | San Diego St.-LSU |
| Brady Vernon | Liberty-Georgia |
Best Potential Super Regional
| D1Softball | Pick |
| Graham Hays | Arkansas-Washington |
| Tara Henry | FSU-Missouri |
| Rhiannon Potkey | Arkansas-Washington |
| Brady Vernon | Arkansas-Washington |
Deserved Better Seed
| D1Softball | Pick |
| Graham Hays | (13) Washington |
| Tara Henry | (8) Arizona State |
| Rhiannon Potkey | (8) Arizona State |
| Brady Vernon | (8) Arizona State |
Most Generous Seed
| D1Softball | Pick |
| Graham Hays | (10) Clemson |
| Tara Henry | (10) Clemson |
| Rhiannon Potkey | (9) Northwestern |
| Brady Vernon | (5) UCLA |
Biggest Snub
| D1Softball | Pick |
| Graham Hays | Western Kentucky |
| Tara Henry | Utah |
| Rhiannon Potkey | Western Kentucky |
| Brady Vernon | Utah |
Best Unseeded Team
| D1Softball | Pick |
| Graham Hays | LSU |
| Tara Henry | Notre Dame |
| Rhiannon Potkey | LSU |
| Brady Vernon | Michigan |
Under-the-Radar Player
| D1Softball | |
| Graham Hays | Alexa Langeliers, SS, Louisiana |
| Tara Henry | Georgia Blair, 2B, LMU |
| Rhiannon Potkey | Mac Barbara, DP, SDSU |
| Brady Vernon | Caroline Hudson, C, Liberty |
Under-the-Radar Pitcher
| D1Softball | Pick |
| Graham Hays | Courtney Coppersmith, UMBC |
| Tara Henry | Maggie Balint, San Diego St. |
| Rhiannon Potkey | Tori Kniesche, S. Dakota St. |
| Brady Vernon | Jenna Perez, LMU |
World Series Teams
| D1Softball | Picks |
| Graham Hays | OU, FSU, VT, Arkansas, UCLA, Tenn., OSU, Northwestern |
| Tara Henry | OU, FSU, VT, Arkansas, UCLA, Tenn., OSU, ASU |
| Rhiannon Potkey | OU, FSU, VT, Arkansas, UCLA, Alabama, OSU, ASU |
| Brady Vernon | OU, FSU, VT, Arkansas, UCLA, Alabama, Clemson, ASU |
Championship Series
| D1Softball | Picks |
| Graham Hays | Oklahoma-VT |
| Tara Henry | FSU-Arkansas |
| Rhiannon Potkey | Oklahoma-FSU |
| Brady Vernon | Oklahoma-FSU |
National Champion
| D1Softball | Pick |
| Graham Hays | Oklahoma |
| Tara Henry | Arkansas |
| Rhiannon Potkey | Oklahoma |
| Brady Vernon | Florida State |
