CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) - The Atlantic Coast Conference will send eight teams to the 2026 NCAA Division I Softball Championship, headlined by two national seeds, it was announced on Sunday, May 10. 2026 Allstate ACC Softball Champion Florida State is the No. 9 seed, while Duke is the No. 12 seed.
Clemson, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Stanford, Virginia and Virginia Tech all earned at-large bids to the tournament.
Florida State (49-8) and Duke (39-14) will each host a regional on their home field, while Clemson (32-20), Georgia Tech (30-27), Louisville (44-12), Stanford (37-13), Virginia (38-13) and Virginia Tech (46-10) will hit the road for regional play.
No. 9 seed Florida State is making its 38th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament, kicking off the tournament against Stetson (36-20) on Friday, May 15, at noon ET on ESPNU. The Seminoles and Hatters will be joined by Jacksonville State and UCF in Tallahassee, Florida, this weekend. Under head coach Lonni Alameda, the 2026 ACC Coach of the Year, the Seminoles are searching for their first national championship title since 2018.
No. 12 seed Duke earned its sixth consecutive bid to the tournament and is a regional host for the fifth time since the program's inception in 2018. The Blue Devils welcome Arizona, Marshall and Howard to Durham, North Carolina, in hopes of finding themselves back in the super regionals for a fifth consecutive year. First pitch against Howard for the second straight season on is set for Friday at noon ET.
Louisville will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska, to take on Grand Canyon (52-8) on Friday at 4 p.m. ET on ESPNU. Clemson will head to Athens, Georgia, to take on UNC Greensboro (42-17) on Friday at 4:30 p.m. ET, while Georgia Tech will make the trek south to Gainesville, Florida, to face off with Texas State in the Gainesville Regional, hosted by Florida. Both teams qualified for the 2026 Allstate ACC Softball Championship, with the Yellow Jackets reaching the quarterfinals.
Stanford will travel to Stillwater, Oklahoma, to face Princeton (33-13) on Friday at 4:30 p.m. ET. The Stillwater Regional, hosted by Oklahoma State, will also include Eastern Illinois. This marks Stanford’s 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and seventh consecutive season qualifying for the postseason.
Virginia will make its third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division I Softball Tournament, as the Cavaliers head to Knoxville, Tennessee, to take on Indiana (42-14) in the Knoxville Regional. The Cavaliers will open up against the Hoosiers on Friday at 8 p.m. ET.
Virginia Tech will face the South Alabama Jaguars (32-25) in its seventh consecutive and 15th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament, in the Baton Rouge Regional, hosted by No. LSU. First pitch is set for Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Regionals will be held May 15-17 with each campus site hosting a four-team, double-elimination tournament. The 16 winning teams will advance to the super regionals.
Super regionals for the championship will be held May 21-24 on eight campus sites. At each site, two teams play in a best-of-three tournament format.
The winners from each super regional will advance to the NCAA Women’s College World Series from May 28-June 4/5 at Devon Park, formerly the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
2026 NCAA Softball Regionals Schedule (All Times Eastern)
Friday, May 15
Florida State vs. Stetson (Tallahassee, Fla.) | Noon | ESPNU
Duke vs. Arizona (Durham, N.C.) | Noon | ACCN
Georgia Tech vs. Texas State (Gainesville, Fla.) | ESPN+
Virginia Tech vs. South Alabama (Baton Rouge, La.) | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Louisville vs. Grand Canyon (Lincoln, Neb.) | 4 p.m. | ESPNU
Clemson vs. UNC Greensboro (Athens, Ga.) | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Stanford vs. Princeton (Stillwaters, Okla.) | 4:30 p.m. | ACCN
Virginia vs. Indiana (Knoxville, Tenn.) | 8 p.m. | ESPN2