Arizona softball earns No. 11 overall seed in NCAA Tournament

Arizona softball has earned the No. 11 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and will host the Tucson Regional this weekend, welcoming UMBC, Villanova, and Ole Miss to Hillenbrand Stadium.

Should the Wildcats advance, they will face No. 6 Arkansas on the road in a best-of-three Super Regional (barring any upsets, of course).

This is about where Arizona was projected to be seeded after going 36-13 in the regular season, including a 12-10 mark in Pac-12 games, good for fifth in the conference.

Ole Miss, who Arizona beat in Supers in 2019, is the top opponent in the Tucson Regional. The Rebels went 34-20 overall and 12-12 in the SEC in the regular season.

The SEC accounted for six of the top nine seeds and seven of the top 16.

Arizona is making its 34th consecutive NCAA tourney appearance, extending its own national record, and has reached at least the Super Regional round every year since 2014.

The Pac-12 also saw UCLA (1), ASU (15) and Washington (16) crack the top 16 and Stanford and Oregon get placed in road Regionals.

Check back later for more reaction and analysis. UA head coach Mike Candrea, left fielder Janelle Meoño and shortstop Jessie Harper will be meeting with the media at 7:20 p.m. PT.