2012 NCAA Division I softball tournament

The 2012 NCAA Division I softball tournament was held from May 18 through June 6, 2012 as the final part of the 2012 NCAA Division I softball season. The 64 NCAA Division I college softball teams were selected out of an eligible 284 teams on May 13, 2012. 30 teams were awarded an automatic bid as champions of their conference, and 34 teams were selected at-large by the NCAA Division I Softball Selection Committee. The tournament culminated with eight teams playing in the 2012 Women's College World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.

2012 NCAA Division I
softball tournament

Teams	64
Finals site	ASA Hall of Fame Stadium Oklahoma City
Champions	Alabama (1st title)
Runner-up	Oklahoma (7th WCWS Appearance)
Winning coach	Patrick Murphy (1st title)
MOP	Jackie Traina (Alabama)

Alabama won the national title, defeating Oklahoma 2–1 in the best-of-three final to win the program's first national championship, and also the first softball title for any Southeastern Conference school.

Automatic bids

Conference	School
ACC	Georgia Tech
America East	Boston University
Atlantic 10	UMass
Atlantic Sun	Florida Gulf Coast
Big 12	Oklahoma
Big East	Louisville
Big South	Coastal Carolina
Big Ten	Michigan
Big West	Long Beach State
Colonial	Hofstra
Conference USA	Tulsa
Horizon	Valparaiso
Ivy	Harvard
Mid-American	Miami (OH)
Metro Atlantic	Iona
Mid-Eastern	Bethune–Cookman
Missouri Valley	Illinois State
Mountain West	San Diego State
Northeast	Long Island
Ohio Valley	UT Martin
Pac–12	California
Pacific Coast	Portland State
Patriot	Lehigh
SEC	Alabama
Southern	Georgia Southern
Southland	Texas State
SWAC	Mississippi Valley State
Summit	North Dakota State
Sun Belt	South Alabama
WAC	BYU

National seeds

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

1. California
2. Alabama
3. Arizona State
4. Oklahoma
5. Florida
6. Texas
7. Tennessee
8. Texas A&M
9. Missouri
10. Georgia
11. Oregon
12. UCLA
13. Arizona
14. Louisiana–Lafayette
15. Louisville
16. Washington

Regionals and super regionals

Berkeley Super Regional

	First round					Round 2					Regional finals						Super regionals
	1	California	8
		Iona	0
						1	California	2
							Arkansas	3
		Boston University	2
		Arkansas	3
												Arkansas	2	0
	Berkeley Regional
											1	California	10	7
		Iona	3
		Boston University	4
						1	California	8
							Boston University	0
																	1	California	5	2	—
																	16	Washington	0	0	—
	16	Washington	2
		Harvard	0
						16	Washington	2
							Texas Tech	0
		Texas Tech	6
		Maryland	1
											16	Washington	4	—
	Seattle Regional
												Harvard	0	—
		Harvard	3
		Maryland	2
							Texas Tech	0
							Harvard	2

Columbia Super Regional

	First round					Round 2					Regional finals						Super regionals
	8	Texas A&M	11
		Bethune–Cookman	0
						8	Texas A&M	0
							LSU	2
		LSU	1
		Texas State	0
												LSU	2	—
	College Station Regional
											8	Texas A&M	1	—
		Bethune–Cookman	3
		Texas State	5
						8	Texas A&M	7
							Texas State	4
																		LSU	6	1	3
																	9	Missouri	1	5	1
	9	Missouri	6
		Illinois State	0
						9	Missouri	1
							DePaul	0
		UMass	0
		DePaul	3
											9	Missouri	2	—
	Columbia Regional
												Illinois State	1	—
		Illinois State	1
		UMass	0
							DePaul	0
							Illinois State	3

Tampa Super Regional

	Round 1					Round 2					Regional finals						Super regionals
	5	Florida	1
		Florida Gulf Coast	2
							Florida Gulf Coast	3
							South Florida	8
		South Florida	1
		UCF	0
												South Florida	1	—
	Gainesville Regional
											5	Florida	0	—
	5	Florida	7
		UCF	1
						5	Florida	6
							Florida Gulf Coast	2
																		South Florida	1	2	2
																		Hofstra	2	1	1
	12	UCLA	2
		Hofstra	7
							Hofstra	2
							San Diego State	0
		Florida State	0
		San Diego State	1
												Hofstra	2	—
	Los Angeles Regional
												San Diego State	1	—
	12	UCLA	1
		Florida State	2
							San Diego State	1
							Florida State	0

Norman Super Regional

	Round 1					Round 2					Regional finals						Super regionals
	4	Oklahoma	19
		Lehigh	3
						4	Oklahoma	7
							Tulsa	1
		Oregon State	7
		Tulsa	9
											4	Oklahoma	6	—
	Norman Regional
												Oregon State	0	—
		Lehigh	2
		Oregon State	9
							Tulsa	1
							Oregon State	2
																	4	Oklahoma	6	7	—
																	13	Arizona	0	1	—
	13	Arizona	11
		North Dakota State	0
						13	Arizona	7
							Notre Dame	2
		Hawaii	3
		Notre Dame	7
											13	Arizona	8	—
	Tucson Regional
												Notre Dame	3	—
		North Dakota State	9
		Hawaii	7
							Notre Dame	8
							North Dakota State	4

Tempe Super Regional

	Round 1					Round 2					Regional finals						Super regionals
	3	Arizona State	9
		Long Island	0
						3	Arizona State	3
							Syracuse	1
		Syracuse	4
		Long Beach State	2
											3	Arizona State	0	4
	Tempe Regional
												Syracuse	1	0
		Long Island	4
		Long Beach State	5
							Syracuse	2
							Long Beach State	1
																	3	Arizona State	0	9	8
																	14	Louisiana–Lafayette	6	2	0
	14	Louisiana–Lafayette	8
		Mississippi Valley State	0
						14	Louisiana–Lafayette	9
							Stanford	3
		Stanford	1
		Baylor	0
											14	Louisiana–Lafayette	6	—
	Lafayette Regional
												Stanford	2	—
		Mississippi Valley State	0
		Baylor	5
							Stanford	6
							Baylor	2

Austin Super Regional

	Round 1					Round 2					Regional finals						Super regionals
	6	Texas	0
		Northwestern	2
							Northwestern	13
							Houston	9
		Auburn	1
		Houston	2
												Northwestern	0	0
	Austin Regional
											6	Texas	5	5
	6	Texas	6
		Auburn	1
							Houston	1
						6	Texas	10
																	6	Texas	4	4	6
																	11	Oregon	2	5	10
	11	Oregon	7
		Portland State	3
						11	Oregon	6
							BYU	4
		BYU	4
		Mississippi State	3
											11	Oregon	4	—
	Eugene Regional
												BYU	1	—
		Portland State	2
		Mississippi State	0
							BYU	2
							Portland State	0

Knoxville Super Regional

	Round 1					Round 2					Regional finals						Super regionals
	7	Tennessee	0
		Miami (OH)	1
							Miami (OH)	0
							Virginia Tech	6
		Virginia Tech	4
		UAB	1
												Virginia Tech	1	2
	Knoxville Regional
											7	Tennessee	2	10
	7	Tennessee	8
		UAB	0
							Miami (OH)	0
						7	Tennessee	8
																	7	Tennessee	3	0	2
																	10	Georgia	2	1	0
	10	Georgia	13
		Coastal Carolina	3
						10	Georgia	3
							North Carolina	2
		North Carolina	2
		Georgia Southern	1
											10	Georgia	2	—
	Athens Regional
												North Carolina	1	—
		Coastal Carolina	2
		Georgia Southern	1
							North Carolina	5
							Coastal Carolina	3

Tuscaloosa Super Regional

	Round 1					Round 2					Regional finals						Super regionals
	2	Alabama	5
		UT Martin	1
						2	Alabama	5
							South Alabama	2
		Georgia Tech	3
		South Alabama	4
											2	Alabama	6	—
	Tuscaloosa Regional
												South Alabama	0	—
		UT Martin	1
		Georgia Tech	9
							South Alabama	10
							Georgia Tech	1
																	2	Alabama	4	4	—
																		Michigan	1	3	—
	15	Louisville	6
		Valparaiso	4
						15	Louisville	1
							Michigan	2
		Michigan	3
		Kentucky	2
												Michigan	4	—
	Louisville Regional
											15	Louisville	0	—
		Valparaiso	4
		Kentucky	5
						15	Louisville	3
							Kentucky	2

Women's College World Series

Participants

School	Conference	Record (conference)	Head coach	WCWS appearances† (including 2012 WCWS)	WCWS best finish†	WCWS W–L record† (excluding 2012 WCWS)
Alabama	Southeastern	55–7 (19–6)	Patrick Murphy	8 (last: 2011)	3rd (2008, 2009, 2011)	8–14
Arizona State	Pac-12	51–9 (18–4)	Clint Myers	10 (last: 2011)	1st (2008, 2011)	16–14
California	Pac-12	56–5 (21–3)	Diane Ninemire	12 (last: 2011)	1st (2002)	19–19
LSU	Southeastern	39–23 (15–13)	Beth Torina	3 (last: 2004)	3rd (2001, 2004)	5–4
Oklahoma	Big 12	50–8 (19–5)	Patty Gasso	7 (last: 2011)	1st (2000)	7–10
Oregon	Pac-12	44–16 (16–8)	Mike White	2 (last: 1989)	5th (1989)	1–2
South Florida	Big East	50–12 (17–5)	Ken Erickson	1 (last: – )	– ()	0–0
Tennessee	Southeastern	52–12 (22–6)	Ralph Weekly/ Karen Weekly	5 (last: 2010)	2nd (2007)	12–8

† Excludes results of the pre-NCAA Women's College World Series of 1969 through 1981.

Results

Bracket

All times are Central Time Zone

	First round					Second round					Semifinals						Finals
	1	California	5
		LSU	3
						1	California	0
						4	Oklahoma	3
	4	Oklahoma	5
		South Florida	1
											4	Oklahoma	5	—
											3	Arizona State	3	—
		LSU	1
		South Florida	0
							LSU	0
						3	Arizona State	6
																	4	Oklahoma	4	6	4
																	2	Alabama	1	8	5
	3	Arizona State	3
	11	Oregon	1
						3	Arizona State	1
						2	Alabama	2
	2	Alabama	5
	7	Tennessee	3
											2	Alabama	5	—
											1	California	2	—
	11	Oregon	3
	7	Tennessee	1
						11	Oregon	3
						1	California	6

Game results

Date	Game	Winner	Score	Loser	Attendance	Notes
May 31, 2012	Game 1	Oklahoma	5–1	South Florida	8,149	Lauren Chamberlain homered in the 4th inning to give Oklahoma the lead in their first WCWS win since 2004.
	Game 2	California	5–3	LSU		After falling behind 2-0, Cal rallied and finally took the lead with a 3-run 6th inning.
	Game 3	Alabama	5–3	Tennessee	8,235	Alabama took control early with 4 runs in the 1st inning en route to Jackie Traina's 38th victory of the season, tying the school's single-season mark.
	Game 4	Arizona State	3–1	Oregon		Both pitchers were effective; a costly 2-run error by Oregon was the difference.
June 1, 2012	Game 5	Oklahoma	3–0	California	9,209	Keilani Ricketts struck out 16 batters in a two-hit shutout.
	Game 6	Alabama	2–1	Arizona State		An 11-strikeout performance from Jackie Traina and a game-clinching solo home run in the 6th inning from senior Amanda Locke propelled Alabama to their fourth straight semifinals. With the victory, Traina took sole possession of Alabama's single-season record for wins.
June 2, 2012	Game 7	LSU	1–0	South Florida	8,504	LSU's A.J. Andrews scored the game's only run on a sacrifice popup to the shortstop.
	Game 8	Oregon	3–1	Tennessee
	Game 9	Arizona State	6–0	LSU	9,310	ASU's Alix Johnson and Sam Parlich combined for five RBIs.
	Game 10	California	6–3	Oregon
June 3, 2012	Game 11	Oklahoma	5–3	Arizona State
	Game 12	Alabama	5–2	California		Jackie Traina, Kaila Hunt and Jazlyn Lunceford each hit solo home runs for Alabama. Alabama scored in every inning except for the first inning.
June 4, 2012	Finals game 1	Oklahoma	4–1	Alabama
June 5, 2012	Finals game 2	Alabama	8–6	Oklahoma
June 6, 2012	Finals game 3	Alabama	5–4	Oklahoma		After trailing 3-0, Alabama scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 4th, one before and three after a thirteen-minute rain delay, to take the lead. Alabama wins 2012 WCWS.

Championship game

School	Top Batter	Stats.
Alabama Crimson Tide	Amanda Locke (DP)	2-3 RBI
Oklahoma Sooners	Lauren Chamberlain (1B)	2-3 3RBIs 2HRs BB

School	Pitcher	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	AB	BF
Alabama Crimson Tide	Jackie Traina (W)	7.0	5	4	4	3	6	27	31
Oklahoma Sooners	Keilani Ricketts (L)	6.0	7	5	3	2	7	26	28

Final standings

Place	School	WCWS record
1st	Alabama	5–1
2nd	Oklahoma	4–2
3rd	California	2–2
	Arizona State	2–2
5th	LSU	1–2
	Oregon	1–2
7th	South Florida	0–2
	Tennessee	0–2

All-Tournament Team

• Amber Freeman, Arizona State
• Samantha Pappas, Oregon
• Alexa Peterson, Oregon
• Lauren Chamberlain, Oklahoma
• Destinee Martinez, Oklahoma
• Keilani Ricketts, Oklahoma
• Jessica Shults, Oklahoma
• Brianna Turang, Oklahoma
• Kayla Braud, Alabama
• Jennifer Fenton, Alabama
• Amanda Locke, Alabama
• Jackie Traina, Alabama (Most Valuable Player)

Post-series notes

Jackie Traina was named the Women's College World Series MVP. Traina pitched 42 innings, surrendering 18 earned runs on 35 hits and 24 walks while striking out 45 to lead Alabama to its first national softball title. It was also the first national softball title for the SEC.

External links

• http://www.ncaa.com/brackets/softball/d1/
• http://www.ncaa.com/sports/ncaa-w-softbl-body.html