INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The University of Alabama was named the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division I Softball Championship today when the NCAA Division I Softball Committee announced the 64-team field. The Crimson Tide, champions of the Southeastern Conference, are 48-9 and will play Alcorn State University, an automatic qualifier from the Southwestern Athletic Conference, May 21, in front of a home crowd in Tuscaloosa. 

Thirty conferences were awarded automatic qualification, and the remaining 34 slots were filled with at-large selections to complete the bracket. The top 16 teams were seeded nationally and will play at campus sites this weekend. 

Team pairings were determined by geographical proximity, with the exception that teams from the same conference were not paired during regional competition, when possible. 

The Big 12 Conference, the Pacific-10 Conference and the SEC led all conferences with seven teams in the championship. The Atlantic Coast Conference placed five in the championship. California State University, Fresno, remains the only team to be selected to all 29 championships. Nine teams are making their initial appearances in the tournament: University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alcorn State University, Bucknell University, Elon University, Fordham University, Lipscomb University, McNeese State University, St. Mary’s College of California and University of Virginia. 

Only 10 schools have been crowned the NCAA Division I softball champion since the tournament started in 1982, and nine are in this year’s bracket. 

To view the entire release, click here. 

To view a printable bracket, click here. 

- Courtesy of the NCAA