| Teams | 32 |
|---|---|
| Finals site | |
| Champions | Arizona (4th title) |
| Runner-up | Washington (1st WCWS Appearance) |
| Winning coach | Mike Candrea (4th title) |
| MOP | Jenny Dalton (Arizona) |
The 1996 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the fifteenth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 1996, thirty-two Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of four teams, each in a double elimination format. The 1996 Women's College World Series was held in Columbus, Georgia from May 23 through May 27 and marked the conclusion of the 1996 NCAA Division I softball season. This marked the last time that the Women's College World Series was held in a city other than Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and previewed Golden Park's hosting of softball events for the 1996 Summer Olympics. [1] Arizona won their fourth NCAA championship by defeating Washington 6–4 in the final game. Arizona second baseman Jenny Dalton was named Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player. [2] [3]
| First Round | Semi-Finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| Arizona | 85 | |||||||||||||
| Troy State | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Arizona | 9 | |||||||||||||
| Florida State | 6 | |||||||||||||
| Florida State | 3 | |||||||||||||
| South Florida | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Arizona | 10 | — | ||||||||||||
| Florida State | 3 | — | ||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower final | |||||||||||||
| Florida State | 6 | |||||||||||||
| Troy State | 5 | South Florida | 0 | |||||||||||
| South Florida | 6 | |||||||||||||
Arizona qualifies for WCWS.
| First Round | Semi-Finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| South Carolina | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Notre Dame | 0 | |||||||||||||
| South Carolina | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Michigan | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Michigan | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Central Michigan | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Michigan | 10 | — | ||||||||||||
| South Carolina | 1 | — | ||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower final | |||||||||||||
| South Carolina | 6 | |||||||||||||
| Notre Dame | 3 | Central Michigan | 0 | |||||||||||
| Central Michigan | 9 | |||||||||||||
Michigan qualifies for WCWS.
| First Round | Semi-Finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| Iowa | 85 | |||||||||||||
| UNLV | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Iowa | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Oklahoma | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Oklahoma | 85 | |||||||||||||
| Northern Illinois | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Iowa | 7 | — | ||||||||||||
| Oklahoma | 2 | — | ||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower final | |||||||||||||
| Oklahoma | 3 | |||||||||||||
| UNLV | 1 | Northern Illinois | 0 | |||||||||||
| Northern Illinois | 3 | |||||||||||||
Iowa qualifies for WCWS.
| First Round | Semi-Finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| Southwestern Louisiana | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Nicholls State | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Southwestern Louisiana | 98 | |||||||||||||
| Nebraska | 4 | |||||||||||||
| Nebraska | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Southwestern Louisiana | 2 | — | ||||||||||||
| Nicholls State | 1 | — | ||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower final | |||||||||||||
| Nebraska | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Nicholls State | 2 | Nicholls State | 2 | |||||||||||
| Minnesota | 1 | |||||||||||||
Southwestern Louisiana qualifies for WCWS.
| First Round | Semi-Finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| Fresno State | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Texas A&M | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Fresno State | 0 | |||||||||||||
| California | 1 | |||||||||||||
| California | 4 | |||||||||||||
| Long Beach State | 1 | |||||||||||||
| California | 29 | — | ||||||||||||
| Fresno State | 1 | — | ||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower final | |||||||||||||
| Fresno State | 38 | |||||||||||||
| Texas A&M | 1 | Long Beach State | 2 | |||||||||||
| Long Beach State | 4 | |||||||||||||
California qualifies for WCWS.
| First Round | Semi-Finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| Princeton | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Boston University | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Princeton | 4 | |||||||||||||
| UMass | 0 | |||||||||||||
| UMass | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Connecticut | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Princeton | 3 | — | ||||||||||||
| Boston University | 1 | — | ||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower final | |||||||||||||
| UMass | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Boston University | 5 | Boston University | 1 | |||||||||||
| Connecticut | 0 | |||||||||||||
Princeton qualifies for WCWS.
| First Round | Semi-Finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| Cal State Northridge | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Southwest Missouri State | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Cal State Northridge | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Cal State Fullerton | 11 | |||||||||||||
| Cal State Fullerton | 5 | |||||||||||||
| UCLA | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Cal State Fullerton | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| UCLA | 145 | 7 | ||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower final | |||||||||||||
| Cal State Northridge | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Southwest Missouri State | 1 | UCLA | 7 | |||||||||||
| UCLA | 8 | |||||||||||||
UCLA qualifies for WCWS.
| First Round | Semi-Finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| Oklahoma State | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Indiana | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Oklahoma State | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Washington | 9 | |||||||||||||
| Washington | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Jacksonville State | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Washington | 95 | — | ||||||||||||
| Oklahoma State | 1 | — | ||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower final | |||||||||||||
| Oklahoma State | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Indiana | 86 | Indiana | 0 | |||||||||||
| Jacksonville State | 0 | |||||||||||||
Washington qualifies for WCWS.
| Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Washington | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Princeton | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Washington | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | California | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Southwestern Louisiana | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | California | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Washington | 8 | — | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | UCLA | 2 | — | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Princeton | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Southwestern Louisiana | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | UCLA | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Southwestern Louisiana | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Washington | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Arizona | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | UCLA | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Michigan | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | UCLA | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Arizona | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Arizona | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Iowa | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Arizona | 106 | — | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Iowa | 2 | — | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Michigan | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Iowa | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | California | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Iowa | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| School | Top Batter | Stats. |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Wildcats | Jenny Dalton (2B) | 1-2 3RBIs HR 2BBs |
| Washington Huskies | Leah Francis (PH) | 1-1 RBI |
| School | Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | AB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Wildcats | Carrie Dolan (W) | 7.0 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 34 |
| Washington Huskies | Heather Meyer (L) | 1.2 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 11 |
| Washington Huskies | Eve Gaw | 5.1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 21 |
The following players were named to the All-Tournament Team [5]
| Pos | Name | School |
|---|---|---|
| P | Carrie Dolan | Arizona |
| Cheryl Longeway | Southwestern Louisiana | |
| C | Jennifer Cline | Washington |
| 1B | Traci Conrad | Michigan |
| 2B | Jenny Dalton | Arizona |
| Sara Pickering | Washington | |
| 3B | Lynn Britton | Southwestern Louisiana |
| SS | Tami Storseth | Washington |
| OF | Mindy Williams | Washington |
| Lea Twigg | Iowa | |
| Alison Johnsen | Arizona | |
| AL | Krista Gomez | Arizona |
| Michelle Churnock | Arizona | |
| Lyn Nance | Iowa |
The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States. Eight teams participate in the WCWS, which begins with a double-elimination tournament. In other words, a team is eliminated when it has lost two games. After six teams have been eliminated, the remaining two teams compete in a best-of-three series to determine the Division I WCWS National Champion.
The 2007 NCAA Division I softball tournament was held from May 17 through June 4, 2007. 64 NCAA Division I college softball teams met after having played their way through a regular season, and for some, a conference tournament, to play in the NCAA Tournament. The tournament culminated with eight teams playing in the Women's College World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The 2008 NCAA Division I softball tournament was held from May 15 through June 4, 2008. 64 NCAA Division I college softball teams met after having played their way through a regular season, and for some, a conference tournament, to play in the NCAA Tournament. The tournament culminated with eight teams playing in the 2008 Women's College World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The 2009 NCAA Division I softball tournament was held from May 15 through June 3, 2009 as part of the 2009 NCAA Division I softball season. The 64 NCAA Division I college softball teams were selected out of an eligible 284 teams on May 10, 2009. 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 2009 Women's College World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The 2010 NCAA Division 1 softball tournament was held from May 20 through June 8, 2010 and is part of the 2010 NCAA Division 1 softball season. The 64 NCAA Division 1 college softball teams were selected out of an eligible 284 teams on May 16, 2010. 30 teams were awarded an automatic bid as champions of their conference, and 34 teams were selected at-large by the NCAA Division 1 Softball Selection Committee. The tournament culminated with eight teams playing in the 2010 Women's College World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. UCLA won their record 11th championship, defeating Arizona in the final.
The 2011 NCAA Division 1 softball tournament was held from May 19 through June 8, 2011 as part of the 2011 NCAA Division 1 softball season. The 64 NCAA Division 1 college softball teams were selected out of an eligible 284 teams on May 15, 2011. 30 teams were awarded an automatic bid as champions of their conference, and 34 teams were selected at-large by the NCAA Division 1 Softball Selection Committee. The tournament culminated with eight teams playing in the 2011 Women's College World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The 1990 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the ninth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 1990, twenty Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of either two or three teams, each in a double elimination format. The 1990 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from May 23 through May 28 and marked the conclusion of the 1990 NCAA Division I softball season. For the third consecutive year, UCLA won the championship by defeating Fresno State 2–0 in the final game.
The 1991 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the tenth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 1991, twenty Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of either two or three teams, each in a double elimination format. The 1991 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from May 23 through May 26 and marked the conclusion of the 1991 NCAA Division I softball season. Arizona won their first championship by defeating three-time defending champions UCLA 5–1 in the final game.
The 1992 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the eleventh annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 1992, twenty Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of either two or three teams, each in a double elimination format. The 1992 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from May 23 through May 26 and marked the conclusion of the 1992 NCAA Division I softball season. UCLA won their seventh championship by defeating defending champions Arizona 2–0 in the final game.
The 1993 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the twelfth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 1993, twenty Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of either two or three teams, each in a double elimination format. The 1993 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from May 27 through May 31 and marked the conclusion of the 1993 NCAA Division I softball season. Arizona won their second championship by defeating defending champions UCLA 1–0 in the final game.
The 1994 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the thirteenth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 1994, thirty-two Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of four teams, each in a double elimination format. The 1994 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from May 26 through May 30 and marked the conclusion of the 1994 NCAA Division I softball season. Arizona won their third championship, and second consecutive, by defeating Cal State Northridge 4–0 in the final game. It was the first final game since 1986 to not feature UCLA.
The 1995 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the fourteenth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 1995, thirty-two Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of four teams, each in a double elimination format. The 1995 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from May 25 through May 29 and marked the conclusion of the 1995 NCAA Division I softball season. UCLA won their eighth NCAA championship, and ninth overall, by defeating Arizona 4–2 in the final game. UCLA pitcher Tanya Harding was named Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player, the first time the honor was awarded by the NCAA. The Bruins' participation and championship were later vacated by the NCAA.
The 1997 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the sixteenth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 1997, thirty-two Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of four teams, each in a double elimination format. The 1997 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from May 22 through May 26 and marked the conclusion of the 1997 NCAA Division I softball season. The event returned to Oklahoma City after a one-year hiatus, and it has remained there ever since. Arizona won their fifth NCAA championship by defeating UCLA 10–2 in the final game. Arizona pitcher Nancy Evans was named Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player.
The 1998 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the seventeenth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 1998, thirty-two Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of four teams, each in a double elimination format. The 1998 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from May 21 through May 25 and marked the conclusion of the 1998 NCAA Division I softball season. Fresno State won their first NCAA championship by defeating Arizona 1–0 in the final game. Fresno State pitcher Amanda Scott was named Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player.
The 1999 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the eighteenth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 1999, forty-eight Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of six teams, each in a double elimination format. The 1999 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from May 25 through May 31 and marked the conclusion of the 1999 NCAA Division I softball season. UCLA won their ninth NCAA championship and tenth overall by defeating Washington 3–2 in the final game. It was the first final game since 1990 to not feature Arizona. UCLA infielder Julie Adams was named Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player.
The 2000 NCAA Division I softball tournament was held 18 through May 29, 2000, as the final part of the 2000 NCAA Division I softball season. The tournament culminated with the 2000 Women's College World Series at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.
The 2001 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the twentieth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 2001, forty-eight Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of six teams, each in a double elimination format. The 2001 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from May 24 through May 28 and marked the conclusion of the 2001 NCAA Division I softball season. Arizona won their sixth NCAA championship by defeating UCLA 1–0 in the final game. Arizona pitcher Jennie Finch was named Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player.
The 2002 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the twenty-first annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 2002, forty-eight Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of six teams, each in a double elimination format. The 2002 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from May 23 through May 27 and marked the conclusion of the 2002 NCAA Division I softball season. California won their first NCAA championship by defeating Arizona 6–0 in the final game. California pitcher Jocelyn Forest was named Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player.
The 2005 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the twenty-fourth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May and June 2005, sixty-four Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of eight teams, each in a double elimination format. The 2005 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from June 2 through June 8 and marked the conclusion of the 2005 NCAA Division I softball season. Michigan won their first championship by defeating UCLA two games to one in the championship series. Michigan first baseman Samantha Findlay was named Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player.
The 2006 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the twenty-fifth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May and June 2006, sixty-four Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of eight teams, each in a double elimination format. The 2006 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from June 1 through June 6 and marked the conclusion of the 2006 NCAA Division I softball season. Arizona won their seventh championship by defeating Northwestern two games to none in the championship series. Arizona pitcher Alicia Hollowell was named Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player.