Following the completion of 2024 DI softball regionals, Michella Chester re-ranks all 16 teams who have advanced to super regionals.
Here is the top 16 teams, re-ranked (NCAA tournament seed):
1. Texas (National seed: 1)
Texas stays No. 1 after dominating its regional. The Longhorns outscored their opponents 26-2 and nearly had two no-hitters. Not much to dive into here. Texas is undisputed at the top.
2. Tennessee (3)
Tennessee moves up because it didn't allow a single run in its regionals. We knew the Lady Vols' pitching was good but the offense showed out too. Kiki Milloy continued to shine, and Rylie West had a five-RBI day against Virginia. Everything about the Lady Vols looks strong right now.
3. Oklahoma (2)
Oklahoma is at No. 3. The Sooners got by Cleveland State easily, then had two close games over Oregon and avoided the if-necessary game on Sunday with a 3-2 win over the Ducks. Nicole May continued to pitch well, which is a great sign for the Sooners.
4. Florida (4)
Florida remains at No. 4 after cruising through regionals. Skylar Wallace tied the Divison I career runs record with her 302nd run scored, continuing an 11-game hit streak. The fact that she is just now playing at her best is scary.
5. Oklahoma State (5)
Oklahoma State was another team that cruised through. I thought Stillwater had one of the toughest regionals and the Cowgirls got through unscathed.
6. Duke (10)
Despite having the 10-seed, the Blue Devils dominated their regional earning them a spot at No. 6 in my rankings. Jala Wright and Cassidy Curd are a scary duo and Duke outscored its opponents 24-2.
7. UCLA (6)
UCLA moves down just one spot. A walk-off win over Virginia Tech and overall success in a tough regional makes the Bruins a hot team right now. Sharlize Palacios is heating up to make for another dangerous bat in the lineup.
8. LSU (9)
I moved LSU up a spot to No. 8. The Tigers didn't even really need to use Sydney Berzon and Kelley Lynch a ton and the offense put up big numbers. I have them just one spot above Stanford, who they will face in super regionals.
9. Stanford (8)
NiJaree Canady made all the difference in the circle for The Cardinal. Other teams in Stanford's regional only found success at the plate without her pitching, and the Cardinal managed to make it through nonetheless.
10. Missouri (7)
The Tigers move down a few spots to No. 10 after having to play out of the elimination bracket when they unexpectedly lost to Omaha in the first of their three head-to-head regional meetings. Laurin Krings, though, was insane. She started all four of Missouri's victories, posting a 3-0 record with a 0.56 ERA with 24 strikeouts.
11. Florida State (15)
I have the Noles up at No. 11 thanks to a strong offense that stepped up with a 10-4 win over Auburn in the regional final. Some teams just perform well in the postseason. FSU is one of them.
12. Texas A&M (16)
Texas A&M is bumped up to No. 12 after leaving College Station with a run-rule win on Sunday against Texas State. The Aggies impressed in their highly-anticipated in-state matchup in that regional clincher.
13. Alabama (14)
Alabama got through Southeastern Louisiana twice, coming out strong after battling out an extra-inning victory in their first meeting. Kayla Beaver has always been strong in the circle, but Alabama's offense is now making strides. The Crimson Tide will have an interesting matchup against Tennessee this week.
14. Georgia (11)
Georgia drops after losing to Liberty on Saturday and having to climb out of the elimination bracket. Bats came alive in their first rematch on Sunday, a 14-run performance, and then it took some late-game heroics on a Sydney Chambley walk-off to send UGA to super regionals. If the bats can stay hot, the Dawgs should be fun to watch against UCLA.
15. Arizona and 16. Baylor (unseeded)
Finally, these two unseeded teams round out the rankings after making it out of their respective regionals. The Wildcats advanced thanks to their bats and great defense while Baylor responded to a 13-0 loss in its first regional final by muscling out a one-run victory over host Louisiana to make it to supers.
