NCAA softball selection committee chair explains why Alabama earned top overall seed over Texas
The 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket in softball was unveiled on Sunday night. Alabama earned the No. 1 overall seed, earning the right to host a Regional and, if it advances past that, a Super Regional in Tuscaloosa.
The Crimson Tide were the top overall seed, edging out the Texas Longhorns for that honor. So what went into the decision between the two?
“Alabama over the season had nine wins versus our top nine seeded teams,” NCAA softball selection committee chair Natalie Honnen explained on ESPN2’s selection show. “So for us they had more than Texas, so we felt like they should have the nod there.”
Interestingly enough, Alabama is coming off a loss to Texas in the SEC Tournament championship game. The Longhorns engineered a 7-1 win, and many thought that might have been enough to earn them the top seed overall.
The two teams split the overall series this season, meeting four times. Texas took the first game in Tuscaloosa, but Alabama rebounded to take the next two.
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Overall, Alabama finished the season 49-7, while Texas finished 42-10. In the end, the overall record for the Crimson Tide was enough to earn the top spot over the Longhorns. But that wasn’t the only interesting decision the selection committee made.
Honnen breaks down Florida State vs. UCLA
Perhaps the most intriguing decision in this year’s selection show was the inclusion of UCLA as the No. 8 overall seed — a potential Super Regional host. Florida State finished as the No. 9 overall seed and would have to travel to Los Angeles should both teams win their Regionals.
That selection came despite the fact that Florida State had beaten UCLA earlier in the year. The Seminoles beat the Bruins 11-7 in Clearwater, Fla.
“That was one that we kept coming back to a few times over the last two days,” Honnen said. “And for us, when you just kept comparing the metrics, UCLA kept having the edge. They had better top-25 wins, so for us UCLA gets the edge over Florida State.”