The DII softball bracket is set, with 64 teams ready to go with first pitch coming Thursday, May 14. I picked my eight winners to advance to Chattanooga, Tennessee for the DII softball finals from May 28-June 3.
Before the tournament gets underway, let's take a region-by-region look around the bracket. I not only looked at performance, but some history in each region to try and make some sense of which teams have the best shot to make it to the final eight.
Atlantic Region: There has been a different winner in each of the past five seasons (West Chester, Seton Hill, East Stroudsburg, Charleston (WV), and Shippensburg), so finding some sort of pattern here is futile. No. 1 Shippensburg’s offense is tops in the PSAC and the Raiders look geared up to reverse the curse and repeat, something that hasn't been done since West Chester went three seasons in a row from 2018-21. Keep an eye on 45-win Glenville State as a sleeper. They fit the bill as the team no one is expecting to win — and it is the Pioneers' championship debut.
Central Region: Six teams are back from a year ago in the Central Region, including some verified DII softball powerhouses here. Central Oklahoma has been to three super regionals over the past five years, Augustana two and Rogers State two. No. 1 Missouri Southern seems like the easy pick, especially with that pitching staff, and has been scorching hot down the stretch, riding a 12-game winning streak which included beating Rogers State three times and Central Oklahoma and Pittsburg State twice each. But I’m going with my preseason pick of Southern Arkansas to carry the GAC torch to Chattanooga.
East Region. There are a lot of new faces here, and the ones that are missing are East Region powers. One would think that means there is a changing of the guard… but not so fast. Adelphi is a storied DII softball power. The Panthers made three straight super regionals from 2022-24 and seem to have that magic this time of year. But you have to watch out for St. Thomas Aquinas. The Spartans have more home runs and higher slugging percentage than anyone in this part of the bracket and trail only No. 1 Franklin Pierce in runs scored. I think Adelphi wins, but this could be the year STAC breaks through.
Midwest Region. This pod is a bit unfamiliar to the postseason. Two of the longer postseason droughts were broken in McKendree and Ashland, and Rockhurst is making its tournament debut. That plays to the advantage of UIndy, which has made every single tournament since 2008. They have two very good starting pitchers, and you can pencil the Greyhounds in for the super regionals — and is my pick to keep going.
South Region. Like the East and Midwest, there are some new faces here from last year, including DII softball championship first-timer Montevallo. We have some of the best pitching in DII here, with Tampa leading DII in ERA and WHIP and Saint Leo not far behind, at No. 4 in both categories. But Auburn Montgomery was my preseason pick, and the way the Warhawks ended the Gulf South tournament, they may have revenge on their mind. This is a program that has transformed into one of the best in DII, making its first tournament in 2021 and reaching the super regionals three times and the DII finals twice since.
South Central. There are some championship powerhouses here, and one of them is the two-time defending champion UT Tyler Patriots. The Patriots lost a lot of talent from that amazing run, but still find their way back as the four seed. But I think I am going West Texas A&M here. The Buffs have two titles since 2014, and you want to talk about offense? The Buffs lead DII in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, scoring and are the only team in DII to hit 100 home runs this season. Everything really is bigger, including the home runs, in Texas.
Southeast Region. There is an old adage that says "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." That's why I’m taking North Georgia. The Nighthawks have made every tournament since 2008 and are 86-38 overall. That includes every super regional since 2022, five trips to the finals in the last six tournaments and the 2015 and 2023 national titles. No one is unbeatable, but this is one of the most impressive track records in DII.
West Region. This should be a good region to watch. The West has sent four different teams to the finals in the past five tournaments, and three of those teams (Biola, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Western Washington) finished as national runners-up. The winner here is very important to the final eight. Cal State San Marcos has been a machine this season and has made the finals before. But the No. 1 seed has not been very fortunate over the years here. So give me Concordia (CA), which has a top-15 pitching staff in DII by the numbers and led the PacWest with 337 runs scored and 68 home runs, the most in the West.
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