The Road to Oklahoma City Runs Through the SEC: 2026 Super Regional Preview
The SEC dominated the regional round, sending nine teams into Super Regional play and setting up three all-conference matchups. Six of the eight super regional sites belong to teams in the conference.
Here’s a look at every super involving an SEC program, with the schedule and the latest on each matchup heading into Thursday’s opener in Knoxville.
Knoxville Super Regional — No. 10 Georgia at No. 7 Tennessee
Game 1: Thursday, May 21 — 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Game 2: Friday, May 22 — 3 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Game 3 (if necessary): Saturday, May 23 — 11 a.m. ET, ESPN
The only SEC super opening Thursday night, Tennessee and Georgia meet at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium with a trip to Oklahoma City on the line.
Tennessee (45-10) is hosting its fourth straight super regional, the first time in program history. The Lady Vols are chasing their 10th WCWS appearance, which would be their third in the past four seasons.
Karen Weekly’s group rolled out of the Knoxville Regional with wins over Northern Kentucky and two over Virginia. Karlyn Pickens and Sage Mardjetko were named Softball America Second Team All-Americans this week. Erin Nuwer rounds out the staff with a solid 1.00 ERA and a 15-1 record.
Georgia (41-18) is back in a super for the fourth straight year. Tony Baldwin (204-93 at UGA) is in his fifth season and worked his group through Athens with wins over Charleston, UNC Greensboro and Clemson.
Tennessee leads the all-time series 48-41. The teams last met on March 9, 2025, with the Lady Vols winning 5-2 in Athens. Rain is in the Knoxville forecast all weekend, so start times could move.
Tuscaloosa Super Regional — No. 16 LSU at No. 1 Alabama
Game 1: Friday, May 22 — 6 p.m. CT, ESPN2
Game 2: Saturday, May 23 — 2 p.m. CT, ESPN
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, May 24 — TBD
Alabama (52-7) punched its NCAA-record 20th super regional ticket with a 9-0 run-rule of USC Upstate in the Tuscaloosa Regional final.
The Crimson Tide didn’t allow a single run in regional play, just the second time that’s happened in program history. Vic Moten carried a perfect game into the fifth against USC Upstate.
LSU (40-17) worked through Baton Rouge with run-rule wins over Akron (8-0) and Virginia Tech (8-0) before closing the regional 7-2 over Virginia Tech behind a Jalia Lassiter home run that sparked a four-run rally.
The two SEC programs did not play during the regular season. LSU was knocked out of the SEC Tournament in the second round by Georgia.
Fayetteville Super Regional — No. 12 Duke at No. 5 Arkansas
Game 1: Friday, May 22 — 11 a.m. CT, ESPNU
Game 2: Saturday, May 23 — 4 p.m. CT, ESPN2
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, May 24 — TBD
Arkansas (45-11) is making its fifth super regional appearance and fourth as a host. The Razorbacks are 2-8 all-time in super regional games and still searching for the program’s first WCWS bid after falling at Oklahoma in 2018, then home losses to Arizona (2021), Texas (2022), and Ole Miss (2025).
Courtney Deifel’s group looked like a team that found something in the regional. They run-ruled Fordham 8-0, then South Florida 9-1 and 10-2 to finish at a combined 27-3 across three games.
Karlie Davison’s first-inning grand slam against South Florida was the eighth grand slam by Arkansas this season, a single-season program record.
Duke (43-15) is the toughest 12 seed Arkansas could have drawn. The Blue Devils came out of the loser’s bracket in the Durham Regional, beating Arizona twice on Sunday including a 9-4 winner-take-all.
This is Duke’s fourth super regional appearance in five years. They’ve been here before, beating Missouri in 2024 to reach Oklahoma City.
Gainesville Super Regional — No. 11 Texas Tech at No. 6 Florida
Game 1: Friday, May 22 — 11 a.m. ET, ESPN2
Game 2: Saturday, May 23 — 12:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, May 24 — TBD
Florida (51-10) is hosting its 16th super regional under 21st-year head coach Tim Walton. The Gators steamrolled through the Gainesville Regional, including a 12-0 win over Florida A&M and a 5-2 finish over Georgia Tech where Keagan Rothrock took a no-hitter into the sixth.
Texas Tech (55-6) is the polarizing team of college softball. Second-year head coach Gerry Glasco took the Red Raiders to the WCWS championship series last season as national runners-up behind NiJaree Canady, then reloaded again through the portal, including pulling former Florida second baseman Mia Williams to Lubbock.
Texas Tech’s regional included one of the most stunning comebacks in NCAA softball history. Down 8-0 to Ole Miss with one out left, Lauren Allred hit a game-tying grand slam, then Taylor Pannell delivered a walk-off sac fly in extras to win it 10-9. Teams had been 0-640 all-time when trailing by 8+ in NCAA tournament play.
The two programs have met only four times, with the Gators winning all four. But none of that history matters now. Whoever wins this one is a real threat to win it all in Oklahoma City.
Norman Super Regional — Mississippi State at No. 3 Oklahoma
Game 1: Friday, May 22 — 12 p.m. CT, ESPN2
Game 2: Saturday, May 23 — 12 p.m. CT, ESPN
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, May 24 — TBD
Oklahoma (51-8) is into its 16th straight super regional under Patty Gasso, now in her 32nd season. The Sooners outscored Binghamton (11-0), Kansas (9-0) and Michigan (8-1) 28-1 in the regional, with Michigan’s Erin Hoehn home run the only run an opponent scored on OU all weekend.
Two more wins this weekend will send Oklahoma to its 10th consecutive Women’s College World Series.
Mississippi State (41-18) is the surprise of the regional round, advancing to the supers for just the second time in program history and first since 2022. The Bulldogs swept the Eugene Regional, beating Saint Mary’s 3-2 in extras, then Oregon 4-0 behind an Alyssa Faircloth no-hitter, then Saint Mary’s again 5-0.
Faircloth, a transfer from Troy, picked up all three wins and struck out 26 batters across the weekend, the most for a pitcher in Mississippi State regional history. Her 14-strikeout shutout in the regional final set a new program single-game strikeout record.
This series features great pitching and great hitting. Which one overcomes the other will be interesting to see.
Austin Super Regional — Arizona State at No. 2 Texas
Game 1: Friday, May 22 — 8 p.m. CT, ESPN2
Game 2: Saturday, May 23 — 6 p.m. CT, ESPN
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, May 24 — TBD
Texas (45-10) is the defending national champion and never broke a sweat in the regional, outscoring Wagner, Wisconsin and Baylor 25-1 across three games. The Longhorns ran past Wagner 9-1 (five innings), Wisconsin 9-0 (six innings) and Baylor 7-0 in the final.
This is the seventh straight super regional appearance for Mike White’s group. Texas won the SEC Tournament earlier this month with a win over Alabama.
Arizona State (44-16) is one of three teams to advance to supers without being a top-16 seed, along with Mississippi State and UCF. The Sun Devils swept the College Station Regional with wins over McNeese and two over host Texas A&M, the second a 9-1 walk-off grand slam from Brooklyn Ulrich that run-ruled the Aggies in the regional final.
It’s ASU’s first super regional appearance since 2022. The Sun Devils already have wins this season over Arizona, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech from the Big 12 Tournament, where they captured the program’s first Big 12 title.
