2014 NCAA Division I softball tournament


The 2014 NCAA Division I softball tournament was held from May 15 through June 5, 2014 as the final part of the 2014 NCAA Division I softball season. The 64 NCAA Division I college softball teams were selected out of an eligible 293 teams on May 11, 2014. 32 teams were awarded an automatic bid as champions of their conference, and 32 teams were selected at-large by the NCAA Division I Softball Selection Committee. The tournament culminated with eight teams playing in the 2014 Women's College World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.

New to the tournament

This season the number of automatic bids increased from 31 to 32. The change occurred after the original Big East Conference split along football lines into a new non-football Big East Conference and the football-sponsoring American Athletic Conference. Also new this season was the WCC, which began sponsoring softball after the Pacific Tigers returned to the conference. The WCC replaced the Pacific Coast Softball Conference, which dissolved after all its members joined either the WCC or the WAC.

Automatic bids

The Big 12, Big West, Mountain West, Pac-12, and West Coast Conference bids went to the regular season champion. All other conferences had the automatic bid go to the conference tournament winner.
ConferenceSchool
American
ACC
America East
Atlantic 10
Atlantic Sun
Big 12
Big East
Big SkySouthern Utah
Big South
Big Ten
Big West
Colonial
Conference USA
Horizon
Ivy
Mid-American
Metro Atlantic
Mid-Eastern
Missouri Valley
Mountain West
Northeast
Ohio ValleySIU Edwardsville
Pac–12
Patriot
SEC
Southern
Southland
SWACTexas Southern
Summit
Sun BeltLouisiana–Lafayette
WACUtah Valley
WCCBYU

National seeds

Teams in italics advanced to super regionals. Teams in bold advanced to Women's College World Series.
  1. '
  2. Alabama
  3. '
  4. '
  5. Florida
  6. Louisiana–Lafayette
  7. '
  8. '
  9. '
  10. '
  11. '
  12. '
  13. '''
  14. ''''

Regionals and super regionals

The Regionals took place May 15–18 with Seattle being May 15–17 and all other regionals May 16–18. The super regionals took place from May 22–25.

Women's College World Series

The Women's College World Series was held May 29 through June 4, 2014 in Oklahoma City.

Participants

Bracket


Championship Series

SchoolTop BatterStats.
FloridaKristi Merritt 1-4 3RBIs HR
AlabamaKaila Hunt 2-4 2RBIs HR 3B K

SchoolPitcherIPHRERBBSOABBF
FloridaLauren Haeger3.0522011515
FloridaDelanie Gourley 2.00001278
FloridaHannah Rogers 2.02110088
AlabamaJackie Traina 1.1655101011
AlabamaSydney Littlejohn4.2610112021

Media coverage

Radio

Westwood One provided nationwide radio coverage of the championship series, which was streamed online at westwoodsports.com and through TuneIn. Kevin Kugler and Leah Amico provided the call for Westwood One.

Television

ESPN carried every game from the Women's College World Series across the ESPN Networks. The ESPN Networks also carried select regional matches and every super regional match utilizing ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3. Outside of the ESPN Networks Regional matches, Pac-12 Network picked up all Oregon matches in the Eugene region and BTN picked up the Sunday championship games in the Minneapolis Region.

Broadcast assignments

Regionals
Women's College World Series
Super regionals
Women's College World Series championship series