Everything to know about the DII softball super regionals

We are down to the final 16 teams in the 2026 DII softball championship. The eight best-of-three super regional series begin May 21 with a spot in Chattanooga on the line for the DII softball finals, which begin on May 28.

🏆🥎 Bracket, schedule, scores 🏆🥎

There were some stunners in the regional round. We have a No. 7 seed still playing as Alabama Huntsville swept through No. 2 West Florida and No. 3 West Alabama to win South Region 2. Sixth-seeded Biola won three one-run nailbiters to advance in the West Region, and a pair of five seeds (Oklahoma Christian and Assumption) are still dancing. Before first pitch is thrown, let's take a region-by-region look at each of the eight remaining matchups. 

Atlantic Region

As mentioned in the regionals preview, there is much inconsistency in the Atlantic. There have been five different winners over the past five years, and only one has been a No. 1 seed. The pattern of having no rhyme or reason continues, as No. 3 Kutztown and No. 4 Glenville State haven't been to the finals over that five-year span, and neither is No. 1. In fact, Glenville State is making program history, advancing to the super regionals in its very first trip to the DII softball championship ever.

That is a stark contrast to Kutztown, which has made the super regionals three years in a row and four times since 2022. The Pioneers battled to get here, fighting their way through the elimination bracket in some tightly contested ball games, while the Golden Bears won three straight quite handily. This will be an interesting matchup of experience — four of Kutztown's top five hitters this year were on the team last year — against a team with nothing to lose. 

Central Region

Like the Atlantic, we have quite the contrast in DII softball super regional experience here. This is the first time Missouri Southern advanced past the regional round since 1992, the same year the Lions won the national championship. This is Central Oklahoma's first trip to the super regionals since, well, last year. The Bronchos are a DII force, having reached the tournament in each of the last six seasons, making it to the supers in 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2025 over that span. 

This will be a good battle between offense and pitching. On one side, the Bronchos have one of the most potent offenses in DII, fifth in on-base percentage (.436) and third in slugging percentage (.579) while finishing seventh in scoring and 10th in home runs. Opposite that lineup, Kiki Pickens (24-3, 1.63 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 183 strikeouts) and Emily Davis (19-4, 1.84 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 152 strikeouts) lead one of the best pitching staffs in DII, eighth in ERA, ninth in strikeouts per seven innings and fifth in WHIP. The two met earlier this season and the Lions took a double-header, so there will be revenge on the mind in this MIAA rivalry. 

East Region

This should be an absolutely wild super regional. Both teams are in an unfamiliar round, as neither team has ever made it this far in their respective program histories. St. Thomas Aquinas, powered by arguably the best offense in the East Region, has a program record 36 wins riding a DII-best 21-game winning streak into the supers. These two faced each other in March and split a doubleheader, making things even more interesting.

Sofia Marella has one of the best hitter profiles in the region, leading this Spartans offense with a .434 batting average, 1.336 OPS, 17 home runs and 61 RBIs. She alone has more home runs than all of Assumption, so having Trinadey Santiago's 11 home runs also in the lineup puts them at a big advantage. Maddy Bland will be the bat to stop in the Greyhounds lineup, hitting .407 with 14 doubles, 10 triples and 37 stolen bases. However, it is Kya Birtz (9-3, 2.47 ERA, 1.53 WHIP) and Kaelin Waldron (15-13, 2.63 ERA, 1.31 WHIP) that will have to shoulder the load and keep St. Thomas Aquinas' offense at bay if Assumption wants to advance. 

Midwest Region

UIndy is one of two schools that has its baseball and softball team in the super regionals. Both the Greyhounds baseball and softball teams are super regional regulars, with this being UIndy's fourth straight trip to the supers and eighth all time. They have one of the most balanced rosters with one of the best contact hitters in Cara Cooper (.416), one of DII's premier home run hitters in Brooklyn Willis (21 home runs) and a true ace in the circle, with Caitlin Bunte compiling a 27-3 record behind a 1.36 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 145 strikeouts. She is paired with Cheyenne Eads who is a strikeout machine herself, making the Greyhounds very tough to beat in tournament-style play.

The Bearcats are in their first super regional in program history. Lauren Harris finally gets to play for the finals, recently named the D2CCA's Midwest player of the year for the third year in a row. She's hitting .458 with a 1.341 OPS, 73 runs scored, 18 home runs and 66 RBIs. Both Sami Huck (25-7, 2.15 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 269 strikeouts) and Ellie Vetter (15-7, 2.50 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) are capable arms, but whether they can slow down the Greyhounds is another story. They were swept earlier in the season.

South Region

If pitching is the key to championships, Saint Leo is in a really good place. After all, you don't make it to the super regionals with a mere three losses on accident. The Lions lead DII in WHIP, are third in ERA and allow the fewest hits per game. They are five or six deep in the circle with arms at the ready, but Tierney Hocquard is the leader with a 21-1 record, 1.39 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 135 strikeouts. She pitched a pair of shutouts in the regional championship.

UAH will have a tough road against that pitching, but the Chargers impressed in the regional round. Keli Madden hit a home run in the bottom of the eighth, just her second of the season, to walk off UAH and send the Charger to the supers. Mia Brown and Alexa Houthitt can both swing the bat well, but someone in the circle will need to step up because coming from behind against the Saint Leo pitching staff is a daunting ask.

South Central Region

If the cliche is everything is bigger in Texas, the Buffs' bats have long defined that. They have long been one of the most potent offenses in DII, and nothing changed in 2026. They are the only DII team with more than 100 home runs, and the next closest team is 28 shy. They have five sluggers with double-digit homers with Jordyn De Los Santos leading the way, hitting .497 with a 1.564 OPS, 83 runs scored, 22 doubles, 24 home runs, 91 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. Not far behind is Bella Holland, hitting .464 with a 1.409 OPS, 71 runs scored, 18 home runs and 58 RBIs. This team can score 10 runs in a blink of an eye.

This is the Eagles' second trip to the super regionals in program history, and what a regional run it was. They blanked the two-time defending champs UT Tyler to send the Patriots to the elimination bracket and then took down No. 1 seed Colorado Christian twice in a row. Elle Resendiz (15-0, 2.18 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 141 strikeouts) and Jill Dickson (17-9, 2.39 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 173 strikeouts) have the challenge of keeping West Texas A&M off the scoreboard. The two teams met four times this year, with the Buffs winning three, so perhaps the Eagles were saving the best for last.

Southeast Region

North Georgia is in the super regionals, because of course they are. The Nighthawks have one of, if not the, best resumes in DII softball recent history, making every tournament since 2008, reaching the super regionals every year since 2022 with five trips to the finals in their last six tries while winning the 2015 and 2023 national titles. They have hitting galore, led by Sydnee Reeves and a deep pitching staff. However, the Nighthawks did something rare... they lost a regional game. They then fired back, winning four games in a row to reach the super yet again.

Francis Marion is the other program with both its baseball and softball teams still playing. The Patriots got to supers on a walk-off double from Maddy Golka and face North Georgia in a rematch of last year's Southeast super regional. That series went three games, and with the pitching Francis Marion has in 2026, it will be a battle again. Jenna Walling (27-7, 1.68 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 204 strikeouts) and Alyssa Poston (16-2, 1.76 ERA, 0.98 WHIP) will have to keep Francis Marion in ball games and have the stuff to do it.  

West Region

We have some West Region heavyweights here. Biola was the national runners up in 2021 and Cal State San Marcos is in its fourth super regional in the past five tournaments. The Cougars are as balanced as it gets, led by Jillian Albayati, who is, without question, one of the very best in DII. She is hitting .527 with a 1.528 OPS, 51 runs scored, 24 doubles, 16 home runs and 74 RBIs. Daleah Cardenas (19-3, 1.69 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) and Jordan Hill (17-4, 1.84 ERA, 0.95 WHIP) give the Cougars a pair of aces to deal with in the circle. 

Biola won those three thrillers to return to the supers, exacting revenge on Concordia (CA) which eliminated Biola from the PacWest tournament. The lineup features six players hitting north of .300 with Lillianna Garcia the big stick with a team-high 13 home runs and 58 RBIs. The pitching will have their hands full with that deep Cougar lineup, but Biola loves surprising people.