Day 1 of the NCAA Softball Regionals is in the books, and it didn’t disappoint. From stunning upsets to statement wins, Friday delivered drama right out of the gate.
For Big 12 fans, the opening day was filled with highs and lows as teams jockeyed for position in their march toward Oklahoma City. But beyond the conference, national powerhouses and dark horse contenders also set the tone for what’s shaping up to be a thrilling weekend of softball.
Here are the biggest stories and key takeaways after Day 1 of Regional action:
1. UCF Crumbles Late Against Big Ten Tourney Champs
UCF suffered a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to No. 25 Michigan in the opening round of the Austin Regional, but there was more to it than just coming up a run short. The Knights took an early lead and controlled through the first five innings. However, a late rally by the Wolverines, capped by a two-run homer from freshman Lauren Putz in the sixth inning, sealed the game and sent the Knights into elimination Saturday.
UCF will now face Eastern Illinois tomorrow afternoon, aiming to keep its postseason hopes alive. If they can win that one, they’ll have to beat the loser of Michigan vs. Texas. They’ll have to win a double-header tomorrow and another double-header on Sunday to advance to Super Regionals.
2. Oklahoma State Offense Comes Alive Out of Nowhere
Oklahoma State began the season as a favorite to win the Big 12, but the Pokes’ struggles throughout the year, most notably at the plate, have them playing a regional away from Stillwater for the first time since 2018. When OSU was facing a 6-2 deficit after 3.5 innings, it felt like we might be seeing them succumb to their offensive woes once again. However, the bats came alive in a big, big way with two runs in the bottom of the fourth and then a whopping seven runs in the sixth—their most runs scored in an inning all season.
Karli Godwin led the way with a pair of two-run homers to center field, helping her to a career-best five RBI on the day. The Pokes 11-6 victory was a breath of fresh air for a program that desperately needed it, and now they’ve got all kinds of offensive momentum heading into a Saturday showdown against No. 4 Arkansas.
3. LSU Stunned by Southeastern Louisiana, 4-3
No. 10 LSU was supposed to coast to a win on Friday and set up one of the most interesting matchups of Regional Weekend against Jordy Bahl and the Nebraska Cornhuskers. After racing out to a 3-0 lead early on, it appeared that is exactly what would happen—but then chaos struck in the fourth, allowing SLU to tie the ball game and keep it deadlocked at three apiece until the seventh.
With just one out left, SLU third baseman Maria Detillier reached on a HBP, and on the very next at-bat she was brought home with an RBI single from Cydnee Schneider, giving the Lady Lions four unanswered runs to steal the afternoon. Now, the host team in Baton Rouge faces elimination on Saturday and must win four games in two days to stay alive, and at least two of those would likely come against Bahl and the Huskers.
4. New SEC Record Set—For About Three Hours
Tennessee got its 2025 tournament run started off with a record-breaking 17-0 victory over Miami (OH), giving them the largest NCAA Tournament win in SEC history. Then, just a few hours later, top-seeded Texas A&M blew the doors off Saint Francis to the tune of 18-0.
LSU’s loss was by far the biggest upset of the day, but the rest of the SEC fared pretty well on Day 1. While Ole Miss has yet to play, the SEC is currently 10-4 in the tournament, with their 10 wins coming by a combined score of 96-10.
5. Kenzie Brown’s Big Night Spoiled Late
Arizona State faced a stout test in their first game of the NCAA Tournament with a de facto road game against San Diego State in Los Angeles. If the Sun Devils are going to make any sort of run in this tournament, it’s going to take Kenzie Brown’s best—and that’s exactly what they got for 6.1 innings.
Brown had held the Aztecs to just four base runners through the first six innings, and she was in complete control of the game, recording 11 strikeouts to that point in the game. Then, after getting her first batter of the inning to ground out, Brown’s evening came apart. SDSU senior Grace Uribe went first-pitch swinging and busted a 16-at-bat slump with a solo shot to tie the game.
Then, SDSU pinch hitter Gabreilla Terrones stepped into the batter’s box, and five pitchers later, she made it back-to-back jacks to give the Aztecs the lead.
Brown ended up with 13 Ks on the night, but the back-to-back homers in the top of the seventh ended up costing them a game in which they were in full control.
6. Big 12 vs. SEC Triple-Header Highlights Huge Matchups Coming on Day 2
As the sun sets on the first day of the tournament, we turn our focus to Day 2 of the tournament, and there are some incredible games on the docket—and a few of them will pit Big 12 and SEC foes.
After cruising to a 6-0 win over Brown, NiJaree Canady and Texas Tech will get set to face a tough Mississippi State team.
Oklahoma State will hope to carry its offensive momentum into a huge matchup against No. 4 Arkansas.
Arizona will face Ole Miss, who made a mini-run through the SEC Tournament and took down Florida in the process.
UCF will be facing elimination, and after some late-night drama, Arizona State is in the same boat. Still, there are some must-see matchups outside of the Big 12, too: Stanford vs. Oregon, Duke vs. Georgia, Texas vs. Michigan, and Cal vs. Oklahoma—and that’s just the winner’s bracket.
Stay tuned at Heartland College Sports and we’ll keep you up to date on all the biggest action from Regional Weekend around the Big 12 and the rest of the country!
