The second day of the NCAA softball tournament kicks off Friday afternoon, but for 15 of the 16 regionals, it marks the first day of the long march to Oklahoma City. Thursday’s action in Salt Lake City helped host Utah and local team BYU avoid Sunday scheduling conflicts and gave fans an extra day of games, but the real action starts May 19.
NCAA softball tournament 2017 schedule: Times, TV channels, and live stream for Friday
Fifteen regionals get underway, while someone gets booted from Salt Lake City.
Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images
The nation’s top 15 teams, according to the latest Coaches’ Poll, will kick off their tournaments Friday. Top-seeded Florida will open up its regional with an in-state showdown with Florida A&M. Top-ranked Minnesota — the 54-3 Big Ten team that earned top honors from the coaches but somehow still ended up without a national seed — will start its NCAA tournament against Louisiana Tech. Other elite programs like defending champion Oklahoma, No. 2 seed Arizona, and No. 3 seed Oregon all hope to advance to the winner’s side of their brackets Friday evening.
NCAA regionals operate in a double-elimination format, meaning no teams will have their Women’s College World Series hopes dashed on their first day of play. While someone’s championship dreams will die in Salt Lake City, the rest of the field will only have the opportunity to start their path to a title on the right foot. Thirty teams will find their place in the winner’s bracket; 30 more will land one loss from the end of their 2017 seasons.
Here’s Friday’s schedule, along with where you can watch the broadcasts. All times are eastern. You can stream every game, whether it’s on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, or the SEC Network, at WatchESPN.
Friday, May 19 (All times ET)
Gainesville Regional
Oklahoma State vs. Florida International, 12 p.m., ESPNU
No. 1 Florida vs. Florida A&M, 2:30 p.m., SEC Network
Tuscaloosa Regional
Louisiana Tech vs. Minnesota, 2:30 p.m., ESPNU
No. 16 Alabama vs. Albany, 5 p.m., SEC Network
College Station Regional
Texas State vs. Texas, 5 p.m., Longhorn Network
No. 9 Texas A&M vs. Texas Southern, 7:30 p.m., ESPN3
Knoxville Regional
S.C. Upstate vs. Ohio State, 4:30 p.m., ESPN3
No. 8 Tennessee vs. Longwood, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Los Angeles Regional
CSU Fullerton vs. San Jose State, 9 p.m., ESPN3
No. 5 UCLA vs. Lehigh, 11:30 p.m., ESPN2
Oxford Regional
North Carolina vs. Arizona State, 7 p.m., ESPN
No. 12 Mississippi vs. Southern Illinois, 9:30 p.m., ESPN3
Baton Rouge Regional
Louisiana vs. McNeese State, 4 p.m., ESPN3
No. 13 LSU vs. Fairfield, 6:30 p.m., ESPN3
Tallahassee Regional
Jacksonville State vs. Georgia, 4:30 p.m., ESPN2
No. 4 Florida State vs. Princeton, 7 p.m., ESPNU
Eugene Regional
Missouri vs. Wisconsin, 9 p.m., ESPN
No. 3 Oregon vs. Illinois-Chicago, 11:30 p.m., ESPNU
Lexington Regional
Marshall vs. Illinois, 12 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 14 Kentucky vs. DePaul, 2:30 p.m., ESPN3
Seattle Regional
Fresno State vs. Michigan, 9 p.m., ESPN2
No. 6 Washington vs. Montana, 11:30 p.m., ESPN3
Auburn Regional
California vs. Notre Dame, 2 p.m., ESPN2
No. 7 Auburn vs. East Tennessee State, 4:30 p.m., ESPNU
Norman Regional
Arkansas vs. Tulsa, 12:30 p.m., SEC Network
No. 10 Oklahoma vs. North Dakota State, 2:30 p.m., ESPN3
Waco Regional
James Madison vs. Oregon State, 5 p.m., ESPN3
No. 15 Baylor vs. Kent State, 7:30 p.m., ESPN3
Tucson Regional
St. Francis (Pa.) vs. South Carolina, 7 p.m., ESPN3
No. 2 Arizona vs. New Mexico State, 9:30 p.m., ESPNU
Salt Lake City Regional
Mississippi State, BYU, No. 11 Utah, and Fordham will all be in action, pending the outcome of Thursday’s games.
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