Two HBCU conferences crowned their softball champions this weekend, and Sunday evening, both teams found out where they will be heading in the national tournament.
MEAC champion Howard and SWAC champion Jackson State both earned automatic bids to the NCAA Division I softball tournament, which begins on Friday, May 16.
The Bison, who made up for their only regular-season MEAC loss with a 6-1 win over South Carolina State Saturday, will be the No. 4 seed in the Durham regional, hosted by No. 14 overall seed Duke. Duke will serve as the top seed for the regional and face Howard on Friday. The second matchup will be Georgia and Coastal Carolina.
Durham Regional
📅 May 16-18(14) @DukeSOFTBALL@UGASoftball@CoastalSoftball@HUBisonSoftball#RoadToWCWS pic.twitter.com/9FBNKfdylj
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) May 11, 2025
The Tigers, who clinched their second straight SWAC title with a 3-1 win over Florida A&M Sunday morning, will be the 4th seed in the Tuscaloosa Regional, hosted by No. 15 overall seed Alabama. JSU will face Alabama, while Virginia Tech and Belmont will face off in the other regional game.
BACK-TO-BACK SWAC CHAMPIONS🏆#TheeILove | #GoJSUTigersSB🐅 pic.twitter.com/5kxQXXUGdI
— Jackson State Athletics (@GoJSUTigers) May 11, 2025
The regionals are double elimination, with each team guaranteed at least two games. The winner then moves on the round of 16, known as the Super Regionals.
