#8 National Seed

Los Angeles Regional

2026 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament · Regional Round

#8 Seed·Los Angeles Regional

Bruin Bats vs. South Carolina's Hidden Ace

Our Pick

UCLA

CAUTIOUS

UCLA leads the nation in scoring (11.30), SLG (.846), and OBP (.504) — and Tinsley has 23 wins. But South Carolina's Jori Heard (1.97 ERA, 4th in SEC) already beat Tennessee this season. If Heard steals a game, UCLA gets pushed.

UCLAFAVORITE

BatMegan Grant — 26 HR (Big Ten record)

CircleTaylor Tinsley — 23 wins (2nd in nation), 140 IP

South CarolinaTHREAT

BatKarley Shelton — 33 RBI, 7 HR

CircleJori Heard — All-SEC, 1.97 ERA, win over Tennessee

Heard is the most dangerous arm in this regional outside Tinsley.

Cal State FullertonDARK HORSE

40-13, won Big West regular-season AND tournament.

Cal BaptistEASY OUT

BatMatti Severns — 26 SB, NCAA leader pace

CircleMiranda De Nava — 133 IP workhorse

6th NCAA appearance in program history.

X-Factor

Heard vs. UCLA's lineup — if she throws a quality 5 innings in Game 1, the regional is suddenly open. UCLA's depth still wins, but it goes to Sunday.

National Seed

Host

UCLA

City

Los Angeles, CA

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 UCLA vs #4 Cal Baptist	ESPN+
Game 2	Fri, May 15	2:30 PM ET	#2 South Carolina vs #3 Cal State Fullerton	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 Los Angeles Regional winner advances to face the winner of the Tallahassee Regional (#8 vs #9) in the Super Regional round May 21-24, hosted at the higher national seed (UCLA). 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

UCLA

UCLA hosts the Los Angeles Regional in Los Angeles, CA as the #8 national seed of the 2026 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament. Hosting rights are awarded to the top 16 seeds, and the UCLA program earned its bid on the strength of its regular-season resume.

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