UCLA Softball Earns National Seed For NCAA Tournament, Will Host Regional

As a top-eight seed, the Bruins will also host a Super Regional if they get past Ole Miss, LMU and Grand Canyon in the first weekend.

(Photo Courtesy of Ross Turteltaub/UCLA Athletics)

The Bruins are headed back to the postseason, and they won’t even have to pack their bags to get there.

UCLA softball was given the No. 5 overall seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament, as was revealed on the selection show Sunday evening. That means the Bruins will open things up by hosting the Los Angeles Regional, and they are in a position to host a Super Regional as well, should they make it to the second weekend.

Joining UCLA in the Los Angeles Regional are Ole Miss, Loyola Marymount and Grand Canyon. The Bruins will face off against the Antelopes on Friday, while the Rebels and Lions will get things started on the other side of the bracket.

In the standard double-elimination format, the winners of the opening two games will face off Saturday with a spot in the Regional Finals on the line, while the losers will have to claw their way out of the loser’s bracket.

Details for exact game times are yet to be released.

Grand Canyon won the WAC by a wide margin at 19-5, also boasting the top overall record in the conference at 39-14. The Antelopes won the WAC tournament as well, meaning they're coming to Westwood on a hot streak.

Although Ole Miss ended the regular season 39-17, the Rebels finished just 12-12 in SEC play to tie for eighth in the conference. LMU, on the other hand, went 13-2 in the West Coast Conference to secure a 36-15 record overall.

None of those teams’ resumes stand up to UCLA’s, however, with the Bruins going 43-8 and finishing just one game back from the top spot in the Pac-12.

UCLA has made it to six consecutive Women’s College World Series and seven straight NCAA Super Regionals, while none of the other programs have ever made it to Oklahoma City in their programs' respective histories. The Rebels made the Super Regionals in 2017 and 2019, though, and the Lions actually knocked the Bruins out of the 2007 Los Angeles Regional at Easton Stadium.

The winner of the 2022 Los Angeles Regional will face off against the winner of the Durham Regional, which boasts Duke, Georgia, Liberty and UMBC.

Follow Connon on Twitter at @SamConnon
Follow All Bruins on Twitter at @SI_AllBruins
Like All Bruins on Facebook at @SI.AllBruins
Subscribe to All Bruins on YouTube

Read more UCLA stories: UCLA Bruins on Sports Illustrated
Read more UCLA softball stories: UCLA Softball on Sports Illustrated