#2 National Seed

Austin Regional

2026 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament · Regional Round

#2 Seed·Austin Regional

SEC Champs Open With An In-State Soft Spot

Our Pick

Texas

STRONG

Defending national champions just took the inaugural SEC Tournament title. Stewart's program-record 25 HR and Kavan in the circle make Texas a problem from pitch one. Wisconsin's Blomberg can swing a momentum game, but Baylor at 28-26 and Wagner at 22-26 don't have the firepower.

TexasFAVORITE

BatKatie Stewart — UT-record 25 HR

CircleTeagan Kavan — 22-4, 2.62 ERA, 192 K

WisconsinTHREAT

BatHilary Blomberg — .367 BA, 14 HR, 48 RBI

CircleShelby Jacobson / Lauryn Herr (by committee)

Big Ten Tournament Final Four as the 7-seed.

BaylorDARK HORSE

BatAmber Toven — .352 BA, 47 RBI

CircleSadie Ross — 3.19 ERA

First NCAA appearance since 2024.

WagnerEASY OUT

CircleKarson Zavala — 2.87 ERA, NEC strikeout leader

First NCAA Tournament in program history.

X-Factor

Kavan getting through Blomberg's at-bats. If Wisconsin's All-Big Ten bat doesn't make contact, this is a wrap by Saturday night.

National Seed

Host

Texas

City

Austin, TX

Dates

May 15-17, 2026

Format

4-team double-elim

Bracket

Friday's first-round matchups

Game 1 — Fri 12:00 PM ET

Game 2 — Fri 2:30 PM ET

Winners meet Saturday at 2:30 PM ET. Losers play an elimination game at 12:00 PM ET. Regional championship Sunday at 12:00 PM ET, with an if-necessary game at 2:30 PM ET.

Schedule

All times Eastern

Game	Date	Time	Matchup	TV
Game 1	Fri, May 15	12:00 PM ET	#1 Texas vs #4 Wagner	ESPN+
Game 2	Fri, May 15	2:30 PM ET	#2 Wisconsin vs #3 Baylor	ESPN+
Game 3	Sat, May 16	12:00 PM ET	Loser G1 vs Loser G2 (Elimination)	ESPN+
Game 4	Sat, May 16	2:30 PM ET	Winner G1 vs Winner G2	ESPN+
Game 5	Sat, May 16	5:00 PM ET	Winner G3 vs Loser G4 (Elimination)	ESPN+
Game 6	Sun, May 17	12:00 PM ET	Regional Championship	ESPN2
Game 7	Sun, May 17	2:30 PM ET	Regional Championship (if necessary)	ESPN2

Path Forward

Super Regional pairing

The Austin Regional winner advances to face the winner of the College Station Regional (#2 vs #15) in the Super Regional round May 21-24, hosted at the higher national seed (Texas). Super Regionals are best-of-three; the winner advances to the Women’s College World Series at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, May 28 - June 5.

About the Host

Texas

Texas hosts the Austin Regional in Austin, TX as the #2 national seed of the 2026 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament. Hosting rights are awarded to the top 16 seeds, and the Texas program earned its bid on the strength of its regular-season resume.

All games at this regional are played at the Texas home softball venue, with first pitch on Friday, May 15 and the championship round on Sunday, May 17.