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.^[1]

2014 NCAA Division I
softball tournament

Teams	64
Finals site	ASA Hall of Fame Stadium Oklahoma City
Champions	Florida (1st title)
Runner-up	Alabama (9th WCWS Appearance)
Winning coach	Tim Walton (1st title)
MOP	Hannah Rogers (Florida)
← 2013  NCAA Division I softball tournament 2015 →

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.^[2] 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.

Conference	School
American	Louisville[3]
ACC	Florida State[4]
America East	Albany
Atlantic 10	Fordham
Atlantic Sun	Stetson[5]
Big 12	Oklahoma[6]
Big East	DePaul[7]
Big Sky	Southern Utah[8]
Big South	Charleston Southern
Big Ten	Minnesota[9]
Big West	Long Beach State[10]
Colonial	James Madison[11]
Conference USA	Tulsa[12]
Horizon	Green Bay[13]
Ivy	Dartmouth[14]
Mid-American	Ohio[15]
Metro Atlantic	Iona
Mid-Eastern	Florida A&M[16]
Missouri Valley	Bradley[17]
Mountain West	San Diego State[18]
Northeast	Bryant[19]
Ohio Valley	SIU Edwardsville[20]
Pac–12	Oregon[21]
Patriot	Boston University[22]
SEC	Georgia[23]
Southern	Chattanooga[24]
Southland	Northwestern State
SWAC	Texas Southern
Summit	North Dakota State
Sun Belt	Louisiana–Lafayette[25]
WAC	Utah Valley[26]
WCC	BYU[27]

National seeds

Teams in italics advanced to super regionals. Teams in bold advanced to Women's College World Series.

1. Oregon
2. Alabama
3. UCLA
4. Georgia
5. Florida
6. Louisiana–Lafayette
7. Oklahoma
8. Florida State
9. Arizona State
10. Tennessee
11. Arizona
12. Washington
13. Baylor
14. Kentucky
15. Missouri
16. Minnesota

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.

Eugene Super Regional

	First round					Round 2					Regional finals						Super regionals
	1	Oregon	12
		Utah Valley	1 5
						1	Oregon	6
							Wisconsin	1
		Albany	0
		Wisconsin	1
											1	Oregon	6	—
	Eugene Regional
												Wisconsin	0	—
		Utah Valley	3
		Albany	4
							Albany	4
							Wisconsin	8
																	1	Oregon	10	6	—
																	16	Minnesota	26	2	—
	16	Minnesota	10
		Green Bay	1 5
						16	Minnesota	4
							North Dakota State	1 10
		North Dakota State	5
		Auburn	2
											16	Minnesota	3	8
	Minneapolis Regional
												Auburn	4 8	6
		Green Bay	1
		Auburn	9 5
							Auburn	1
							North Dakota State	0

Tallahassee Super Regional

	First round					Round 2					Regional finals						Super regionals
	9	Arizona State	8
		Dartmouth	0 5
						9	Arizona State	4
							Michigan	1
		San Diego State	7
		Michigan	8 9
											9	Arizona State	3	4
	Tempe Regional
												Michigan	4	5
		Dartmouth	0
		San Diego State	8 6
							San Diego State	1
							Michigan	9 6
																		Michigan	17	0	2
																	8	Florida State	3 6	6	4
	8	Florida State	6
		Fordham	1
						8	Florida State	2
							South Florida	0 11
		South Florida	6
		South Carolina	0
											8	Florida State	2	—
	Tallahassee Regional
												South Florida	1	—
		Fordham	4
		South Carolina	5
							South Carolina	2
							South Florida	3

Gainesville Super Regional

	Round 1					Round 2					Regional finals						Super regionals
	5	Florida	8
		Florida A&M	0 5
						5	Florida	14
							Stetson	0 6
		Stetson	6
		UCF	4
											5	Florida	7	—
	Gainesville Regional
												UCF	0	—
		Florida A&M	1
		UCF	2
							UCF	6
							Stetson	4
																	5	Florida	9	3	8
																	12	Washington	0 5	4	0 5
	12	Washington	8
		Iona	0 6
						12	Washington	9
							BYU	0 5
		BYU	7
		Northwestern	2
											12	Washington	9	—
	Seattle Regional
												Northwestern	0 5	—
		Iona	4
		Northwestern	14 6
							Northwestern	8
							BYU	3

Athens Super Regional

	Round 1					Round 2					Regional finals						Super regionals
	13	Baylor	6
		Northwestern State	1
						13	Baylor	2
							Tulsa	1
		Houston	1
		Tulsa	2
											13	Baylor	0	3
	Waco Regional
												Tulsa	1 11	1
		Northwestern State	6
		Houston	7
							Houston	6
							Tulsa	10
																	13	Baylor	9	6	—
																	4	Georgia	1 6	3	—
	4	Georgia	9
		Chattanooga	0 5
						4	Georgia	4
							NC State	5
		UAB	0
		NC State	4
												NC State	1	0
	Athens Regional
											4	Georgia	9	8 5
		Chattanooga	2
		UAB	9
							UAB	0
						4	Georgia	3

Los Angeles Super Regional

	Round 1					Round 2					Regional finals						Super regionals
	3	UCLA	8
		Southern Utah	0 6
						3	UCLA	7
							Notre Dame	0
		Long Beach State	0
		Notre Dame	8 6
											3	UCLA	1	—
	Los Angeles Regional
												Notre Dame	0	—
		Southern Utah	6
		Long Beach State	9
							Long Beach State	1
							Notre Dame	10
																	3	UCLA	6	3	1
																	14	Kentucky	4	7	7
	14	Kentucky	6
		Ohio	1
						14	Kentucky	2
							James Madison	1
		DePaul	1
		James Madison	6
											14	Kentucky	1	10
	Lexington Regional
												DePaul	2 10	1 5
		Ohio	1
		DePaul	5
							DePaul	4
							James Madison	3

Lafayette Super Regional

	Round 1					Round 2					Regional finals						Super regionals
	11	Arizona	9
		Boston University	6
						11	Arizona	9
							LSU	8
		Louisville	9
		LSU	13
											11	Arizona	13	—
	Tucson Regional
												LSU	5 5	—
		Boston University	8
		Louisville	3
							Boston University	3
							LSU	8
																	11	Arizona	3	1	—
																	6	Louisiana–Lafayette	5	7	—
	6	Louisiana–Lafayette	7
		Texas Southern	4
						6	Louisiana–Lafayette	3
							Texas	2
		Mississippi State	0
		Texas	1
											6	Louisiana–Lafayette	10	—
	Lafayette Regional
												Texas	2	—
		Texas Southern	3
		Mississippi State	5
							Mississippi State	3
							Texas	4

Norman Super Regional

	Round 1					Round 2					Regional finals						Super regionals
	7	Oklahoma	14
		Bryant	4 5
						7	Oklahoma	9
							Texas A&M	8
		Hofstra	6
		Texas A&M	7
											7	Oklahoma	11	—
	Norman Regional
												Texas A&M	6	—
		Bryant	6
		Hofstra	10
							Hofstra	0
							Texas A&M	7
																	7	Oklahoma	8	0	8
																	10	Tennessee	1	4	2
	10	Tennessee	12
		Charleston Southern	3 5
						10	Tennessee	12
							Virginia Tech	0 5
		Virginia Tech	4
		Lipscomb	3
											10	Tennessee	2	—
	Knoxville Regional
												Lipscomb	0	—
		Charleston Southern	2
		Lipscomb	4
							Lipscomb	12
							Virginia Tech	3

Tuscaloosa Super Regional

	Round 1					Round 2					Regional finals						Super regionals
	15	Missouri	6
		Bradley	5 8
						15	Missouri	6
							Kansas	3
		Kansas	3
		Nebraska	1
											15	Missouri	4	1
	Columbia Regional
												Nebraska	11	8
		Bradley	0
		Nebraska	9 5
							Nebraska	2
							Kansas	1
																		Nebraska	5	1	—
																	2	Alabama	6 12	2	—
	2	Alabama	13
		SIU Edwardsville	3 5
						2	Alabama	7
							USC Upstate	1
		USC Upstate	5
		South Alabama	3
											2	Alabama	3	—
	Tuscaloosa Regional
												South Alabama	0	—
		SIU Edwardsville	1
		South Alabama	5
							South Alabama	5
							USC Upstate	0

Women's College World Series

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

Participants

School	Conference	Record (conference)	Head coach	WCWS appearances† (including 2014 WCWS)	WCWS best finish†	WCWS W–L record† (excluding 2014 WCWS)
Alabama	SEC	50–11 (19–5)	Patrick Murphy	9 (last: 2012)	1st (2012)	13–15
Baylor	Big 12	47–14 (13–5)	Glenn Moore	3 (last 2011)	3rd (2011)	3–4
Florida	SEC	49–12 (15–9)	Tim Walton	6 (last 2013)	2nd (2009, 2011)	12–11
Florida State	ACC	54–7 (24–3)	Lonni Alameda	8 (last 2004)	3rd (2002)	6–14
Kentucky	SEC	47–18 (13–11)	Rachel Lawson	1	—	—
Louisiana–Lafayette	Sun Belt	49–8–1 (19–1)	Michael Lotief	6 (last 2008)	3rd (1993)	6–10
Oklahoma	Big 12	50-11 (16-2)	Patty Gasso	9 (last 2013)	1st (2000, 2013)	16–12
Oregon	Pac-12	54–7–1 (20–3–1)	Mike White	3 (last 2012)	5th (1989, 2012)	2–4

• † = From NCAA Division I Softball Championship Results ^[28]

Bracket

	First round					Second round					Semifinals						Finals
	1	Oregon	3
	8	Florida State	0
						1	Oregon	0
						5	Florida	4
	5	Florida	11
	13	Baylor	0 5
											5	Florida	6	—
											13	Baylor	3	—
	8	Florida State	2
	13	Baylor	7
						14	Kentucky	7 8
						13	Baylor	8
																	5	Florida	5	6	—
																	2	Alabama	0	3	—
	14	Kentucky	4
	6	Louisiana–Lafayette	1
						14	Kentucky	0
						2	Alabama	2
	7	Oklahoma	2
	2	Alabama	6
											2	Alabama	2	—
											1	Oregon	0	—
	6	Louisiana–Lafayette	1
	7	Oklahoma	3
						1	Oregon	4
						7	Oklahoma	2

Championship game

^[29]

School	Top Batter	Stats.
Florida	Kristi Merritt (CF)	1-4 3RBIs HR
Alabama	Kaila Hunt (2B)	2-4 2RBIs HR 3B K

School	Pitcher	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	AB	BF
Florida	Lauren Haeger	3.0	5	2	2	0	1	15	15
Florida	Delanie Gourley (W)	2.0	0	0	0	1	2	7	8
Florida	Hannah Rogers (SV)	2.0	2	1	1	0	0	8	8
Alabama	Jackie Traina (L)	1.1	6	5	5	1	0	10	11
Alabama	Sydney Littlejohn	4.2	6	1	0	1	1	20	21

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.^[30]

Television

ESPN carried every game from the Women's College World Series across the ESPN Networks (ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU). 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[31] Ann Schatz & Tammy Blackburn - Eugene, OR (Oregon games) Cara Capuano & Leah O'Brien-Amico - Tuscaloosa, AL Tracy Warren & Amanda Freed - Los Angeles, CA Melissa Lee & Kayla Braud - Lafayette, LA Mark Neely & Jenny Dalton-Hill - Norman, OK Pam Ward & Michele Mary Smith - Tallahassee, FL Beth Mowins & Jessica Mendoza - Tempe, AZ Adam Amin & Amanda Scarborough - Tucson, AZ Lisa Byington & Jennie Ritter - Minneapolis, MN (Games 6 & 7) Women's College World Series[32] Pam Ward or Beth Mowins; Jessica Mendoza or Michele Smith; Holly Rowe

Super regionals[33] Joe Davis & Leah O'Brien-Amico - Eugene, OR Adam Amin & Amanda Scarborough - Tuscaloosa, AL Holly Rowe & Amanda Freed - Los Angeles, CA Cara Capuano & Cheri Kempf - Athens, GA Mark Neely & Jenny Dalton-Hill - Gainesville, FL Melissa Lee & Kayla Braud - Lafayette, LA Beth Mowins & Jessica Mendoza - Norman, OK Pam Ward & Michele Mary Smith - Tallahassee, FL Women's College World Series championship series[32] Beth Mowins, Michele Smith, Jessica Mendoza, Holly Rowe

References

1. "Committee releases 64 teams in 2014 Division I softball championship" (Press release). NCAA. May 11, 2014. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
2. "WCC Softball Begins Competition in 2014" (Press release). West Coast Conference. September 13, 2012. Archived from the original on June 4, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
3. "Louisville upsets Central Florida in AAC softball final". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
4. "Florida State wins 12th ACC softball championship". News Herald. Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
5. "Stetson beats Mercer 1-0, wins Atlantic Sun softball crown". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
6. "Sooners win third straight Big 12 title". 247 Sports. Archived from the original on May 11, 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
7. "DePaul softball downs St. John's 3-0 in Big East championship". The DePaulia. Archived from the original on May 11, 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
8. "T-Birds take 8-5 win over ISU in title game". St. George Daily Spectrum. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
9. "Minnesota beats Michigan to win Big Ten Tournament on walk-off hit". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
10. "Long Beach State wins thriller to claim Big West softball title". Long Beach Press-Telegram. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
11. "Clean Sweep! Softball Wins Second CAA Championship". WHSV-TV. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
12. "Tulsa wins C-USA Tournament, earns NCAA bid". Tulsa World. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
13. "UWGB rolls to Horizon softball title". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
14. "Dartmouth defeats Penn 7-3, captures first Ivy League championship". NCAA. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
15. "Ohio wins first MAC Championship since '95". The Post. Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
16. "Florida A&M tops Bethune-Cookman 4-2 to claim MEAC softball championship". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
17. "Bradley softball wins Valley tournament, earns automatic NCAA bid". Peoria Journal Star. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
18. "www.fresnobee.com/2014/05/10/3920562/fresno-state-softball-bulldogs.html?sp=/99/330/336/". The Fresno Bee. Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
19. "Bryant wins NEC Title Punching Ticket to First Ever NCAA softball tournament". WLNE-TV. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
20. "Cougars Rout Murray State for OVC Title". The Telegraph (Alton). Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
21. "Oregon Ducks softball picks up opener against Arizona 7-3". The Oregonian. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
22. "Boston U. Wins 2014 Patriot League Softball Championship". YouTube. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
23. "Georgia softball wins first SEC tournament title". Athens Banner-Herald. Archived from the original on May 11, 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
24. "UTC wins SoCon softball title". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
25. "UL Defeats S. Alabama to Win Sunbelt Conference Title". The Advertiser. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
26. "Utah Valley wins 2014 WAC Tournament title". Deseret News. Archived from the original on May 13, 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
27. "Cougars down Saint Mary's, earn WCC title with doubleheader sweep". Deseret News. Archived from the original on May 14, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
28. "Division I Softball Championship Results" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
29. "National Champs: Gators Roll Over Bama To Win WCWS". Floridagators.com. June 4, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
30. "Women's College World Series Championship series, Game 1". Westwood One. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
31. "ESPN to Present the 2014 NCAA Division I Softball Championship". ESPN Media Zone. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
32. "ESPN to Televise Women's College World Series". ESPN Media Zone. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
33. "NCAA Division I Softball Championship: Super regionals Begin Thursday, Jennie Finch Joins Coverage". ESPN Media Zone. Retrieved May 21, 2014.

External links

• Women's College World Series 2014 official home page
• Women's College World Series 2014 official bracket