The 2025 NCAA Softball Tournament will include a record number of teams from one conference with the SEC having 14 seeds. Nine of those were in top sixteen hosting regionals and seven of the top eight could be hosting super regionals, including the top two overall seeds in the field in No. 1 Texas A&M and No. 2 Oklahoma.

Kurt McGuffin, the selection committee chair, made an appearance on the special and, with that, would explain their reasoning that the Aggies (45-9) would be the top overall seed in the bracket as compared to the Sooners (45-7), who are the four-time defending champions. They went with A&M there over OU as they felt that the Aggies had a resumé with better results against their strength of schedule.

“Well, two quality opponents in Texas A&M and Oklahoma,” said McGuffin. “And I think what set apart Texas A&M was they have 19 Top-25 wins, which is number one in the country in wins in the Top-25. They also have had two quality non-conference wins versus Florida State and Texas Tech.”

“I think those were the two pieces that set them to the No. 1 seed,” McGuffin said.

These two teams could have settled this on the field this weekend in Athens during the championship match in the SEC Tournament. However, rain forced the game to be cancelled by the league with Texas A&M and Oklahoma being declared as co-champions.

Texas A&M went 29-2 in the non-conference this season before posting a record of 16-7 in the SEC. That record featured wins over tournament teams like UCF, Oklahoma State, and Virginia in the Clearwater Invitational, Florida State twice and Southeastern Louisiana in the Graf Classic, and Texas Tech twice in the Texas A&M Invitational during the non-conference and then series wins over Alabama (3-0), Auburn (2-1), Georgia (2-0), LSU (3-0), and Tennessee (2-1) in conference play. They then defeated South Carolina and Texas in the SEC Tournament before their matchup with OU rained out. Nine of those wins came against teams hosting in this tournament, including five against those hosting in Super Regionals.

Oklahoma has been as consistent as any program in making the Women’s College World Series since 2011. However, for the first time ever, it will be Texas A&M who will be the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Softball Tournament.

The big day for NBA Draft hopefuls is fast approaching.

On May 28, players must decide whether to remain in the NBA Draft and give up their college basketball eligibility or return to school.

Across the country, many players are weighing their options. In recent years, the rise of NIL deals has made these decisions more complex than ever.

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One Big Ten program is awaiting a decision from Yanic Konan Niederhauser, who stands to earn a significant amount of money no matter which path he chooses. The NIL package to return to school is reportedly worth around $1.5 million.

According to an X post by Jonathan Givony of Draft Express, Niederhauser recently impressed at the G League Elite Camp boosting his stock ahead of a potentially tough call between turning pro or returning to college.

“Big stay or go decision coming for Niederhauser May 28. Return to Penn State for an NIL package expected around 1.5m, or stay in the draft?”

When you’re being compared to Willie Cauley-Stein, you know you’re in elite company.

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Niederhauser, a 22-year-old from Switzerland, has played three seasons at Penn State. The 7-footer averaged 12.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game last season.

Despite his efforts, the Nittany Lions failed to reach the Big Ten Tournament following a disappointing season. Niederhauser’s final game came on March 8, when he posted 15 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Wisconsin.

Head coach Mike Rhoades is preparing for his third season at the helm in Happy Valley. The 52-year-old has compiled a 32-32 record at Penn State. Before joining the Nittany Lions, he served as head coach at VCU from 2017 to 2023.

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Penn State is aiming to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2023. That year, they beat Texas A&M in the first round before falling to Texas, 71-66.

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BOCA RATON, Fla. – The back-to-back American Athletic Conference regular season champion Florida Atlantic softball team’s postseason will continue in the 2025 NCAA Regionals. 
 
Making its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and 13th in program history, the Owls (44-10) will battle Georgia Tech in the Gainesville Regional on Friday, May 16. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. on ESPNU
 
FAU has been the only non-power conference team to earn an at-large selection in each of the last two tournaments.
 
This marks the 13th NCAA Regional appearance in program history and the first time Florida Atlantic has qualified as an at-large bid in two consecutive seasons.
 
Under third-year Head Coach Jordan Clark — the AAC Coach of the Year — the Owls reached new heights as a program in 2025, setting the single-season record in runs (356) as well as single-game records in runs (24), home runs (five), and hits by a player (five). 
 
The team leads the nation defensively with a .984 fielding percentage and is 13th in ERA (2.37), 18th in doubles per game (1.67), 19th in batting average (.336), 22nd in hits (486) and RBI (320), and 24th in runs (356).
 
The Owls’ elite pitching staff is led by junior Autumn Courtney, the unanimous AAC Pitcher of the Year, who holds a record of 23-3 with an ERA of 1.80 and 132 strikeouts. She is joined by junior Jaden Martinez and senior Gabby Sacco, who achieved a perfect game and no-hitter, respectively, this season. They are supplemented by senior Ainsley Lambert, the top closer in the nation, who leads Division I in saves with 11.
 
With 44 wins, Florida Atlantic has its most since the 2016 season and ranks 10th nationally in win-loss percentage (.815). 
 

For the Owls’ complete schedule, click HERE. To follow the team socially, visit @fausoftball, or for the most up-to-date information, go to www.fausports.com.
 
The Owls’ 2025 postseason is powered by Demand the Limits Injury Attorneys.
 
 

The Georgia Bulldogs are days away from another major recruit announcement. On Sunday, the Bulldogs may have received significant reassurance that they are going to win that recruiting battle.

Five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell visited Athens, Ga., over the weekend. Early Sunday morning, Cantwell posted a picture of himself with five-star quarterback Jared Curtis, who committed to Georgia on May 5, on X.

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In the photo, both top prospects were wearing Georgia gear.

“JC x JC,” wrote Cantwell as a caption. The offensive tackle also included a question mark emoji.

Cantwell was originally expected to choose between Georgia and the Oregon Ducks, but the Miami Hurricanes have made a significant late push for the offensive tackle. On3’s Pete Nakos reported on May 7 the Hurricanes offered Cantwell a $2 million NIL deal for his first season.

Cantwell also has the Ohio State Buckeyes in his top four schools. However, Nakos wrote Cantwell will choose between the Bulldogs, Ducks and Hurricanes.

The offensive tackle is expected to announce his final college decision on May 13.

According to the 247 Sports composite rankings, Cantwell and Curtis are the top two prospects in the 2026 recruiting class.

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Cantwell is also the No. 1 recruit in the class based on the On3 Industry rankings. Curtis is the No. 1 quarterback and sixth overall prospect on that list.

On3 projected Cantwell’s NIL value to be $1.5 million, but the Hurricanes have reportedly outbid that figure in an attempt to lure him away from Georgia and Oregon.

On3 estimated Curtis’ NIL value to be $2 million.

Related: Georgia Football a Top Contender to Land Highly Touted Star Playmaker

LUBBOCK, Texas – The Texas Tech softball team was selected Sunday as the No. 12 seed in the NCAA Championship and will host the Regional Round for the first time in program history. The Red Raiders clinched their first spot in the NCAA Tournament since 2019 after winning the Big 12 Championship on Saturday against Arizona.
 
The Red Raiders (45-12) were crowned the Big 12 Regular Season Champions and the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament Champions – both firsts for the program. Tech’s 45 wins are tied for the most in program history and its 20 conference wins are most all-time.
 
Tech recorded three-straight shutout victories in the Big 12 Tournament and finished with a total run differential of 26-0 as the Red Raiders took down Baylor, Arizona State and Arizona in Oklahoma City.
 
The Lubbock Regional will consist of Tech as the No. 1 seed, Mississippi State (37-17) as the No. 2 seed, Washington (34-17) as the No. 3 seed and Brown (33-15) as the No. 4 seed. The Red Raiders will host Brown at 4:30 p.m. Friday afternoon on ESPN+ followed by Mississippi State and Washington at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. 
  
NCAA Lubbock Regional Ticket Information:

• Softball season ticket holders and Red Raider Club members will have the opportunity to place a request for all-session tickets to the NCAA Lubbock Regional. The deadline to submit requests is 5 p.m. Tuesday (May 13). Please note all ticket requests outside already claimed season tickets are not guaranteed. Any tickets still available after Tuesday will go on sale to the general public at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. 
• To submit a request, fans must login to their Texas Tech account on texastech.com/myaccount or by calling the Texas Tech Athletic Ticket Office. The ticket office is open 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and can be reached by phone at 806-742-TECH.
• Ticket information for Texas Tech students will be communicated via email early this week.
• All tickets for the NCAA Lubbock Regional will be distributed digitally similar to regular-season games. Further instructions on how to receive and manage mobile tickets will be sent out prior to tickets being delivered. 
• For questions, please contact the Texas Tech Athletics Ticket Office at 806-742-TECH or via email at redraidertickets@ttu.edu

NCAA Lubbock Regional Schedule:

Friday

Game 1: Texas Tech vs. Brown – 4:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 2: Mississippi State vs. Washington – 7 p.m. (ESPN2)

Saturday

Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 – 1 p.m. (TV TBD)

Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 – 3:30 p.m. (TV TBD)

Game 5: Loser of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 – 6 p.m. (TV TBD)

Sunday

Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5 – 2 p.m. (TV TBD)

Game 7: If Necessary Game – 4:30 p.m. (TV TBD)

COLUMBUS, Ohio – On the strength of a 43-win regular season, the Ohio State softball team is headed to the NCAA Tournament.

The Buckeyes (43-12-1) learned their postseason fate on Sunday evening as the 64-team field was unveiled on ESPN2. Ohio State will be the No. 2 seed in the Knoxville Regional and will take on North Carolina in the first game of the double elimination regional on Friday at 4 p.m. on ESPNU. The other game will feature Tennessee, the No. 7 overall seed in the tournament, vs. Miami (Ohio).

Under first-year head coach Kirin Kumar, this will be Ohio State’s 13th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and the sixth in the last 10 seasons. Kumar guided Miami University to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 2021-24 before becoming the Buckeyes’ head coach.

The 2025 Buckeyes have been powered by one of the best offenses in the country. Ohio State enters the NCAA Tournament as the nation’s leader in home runs (137), slugging percentage (.707), runs scored (473), runs scored per game (8.44) and walks (268). During its 55-game regular season, Ohio State had 20 run-rule wins and scored 10 or more runs in 25 games.

Sophomore catcher Jasmyn Burns, a unanimous first team All-Big Ten selection, has a team-best 23 home runs with 70 RBI and a .467 batting average. In all, six different players have 10 or more home runs and every starter has an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) or 1.000 or better. Burns, Reagan Milliken, Kami Kortokrax, Taylor Cruse and Skylar Limon were All-Big Ten selections when the teams were announced on Friday.

Ohio State’s pitching staff is comprised of three freshmen and a fourth-year junior. One of those freshmen – Lorin Boutte – leads the team in innings (140.0), strikeouts (119) and wins (19). She was a member of this year’s Big Ten All-Freshman Team.

During the regular season, Ohio State earned series wins over six of the eight Big Ten opponents that it faced. That included a sweep against Michigan for the first time in program history.