Here’s who I think has the toughest regional schedule and most challenging path to the Women's College World Series, before the 2025 NCAA softball tournament gets underway.
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When I first looked at the bracket, my immediate reaction was that Arizona, Tennessee, LSU and Alabama have the toughest regionals. Arizona has a red-hot Ole Miss coming off a SEC tournament quarterfinal run as well as Grand Canyon. Tennessee has Ohio State, which leads the country in home runs, North Carolina led by Kat Rodriguez and Miami (OH), which has 24 losses but is led by Jenna Golembiewski and has previously knocked off top teams.
READ MORE: Bracket picks for the 2025 NCAA softball tournament, from regionals through the WCWS
LSU probably has the toughest regional with Nebraska, UConn and Southeastern Louisiana. Anyone who was paired with Jordy Bahl and the Huskers would've had an unlucky draw. Bahl is one of the best players in the country and impacts the game on both sides of the ball. Plus, UConn has some big-time bats in its lineup.
But, since this analysis also includes the toughest path to the Women’s College World Series, I had to go with Alabama. The Crimson Tide earned the No. 15 national seed and is matched up with Virginia Tech, Belmont and Jackson State in their regional. Many would argue that Virginia Tech should have been a regional host itself. With the nation’s top home run hitter in Cori McMillan and one of the top pitchers in Emma Lemley, the Hokies are no joke.
2025 TOURNAMENT: NCAA softball bracket: Women's College World Series scores, schedule
Belmont, too, could present some problems with Maya Johnson in the circle.
If Alabama does make it out of its regional, which it very well could, it's likely the Tide will match up with Oklahoma in super regionals. In this situation, the Tide would be making a trip to Norman to play in front of one of the toughest crowds in college softball and the four-time reigning national champs.
