UCSB will make the trip down south to Southern California and compete in the Los Angeles Regional with its first game against host-site and No. 9 seeded UCLA to start things off in Game 1 on Friday, May 16 at 4:30 p.m. PT. The announcement was made in the form of a Softball Selection Show on ESPN2 this past Sunday afternoon.  

The NCAA Championship bracket is made up of 64 teams with the top 16 teams seeded and hosting at campus sites beginning Friday. Regionals will be held May 16-28 with each campus site hosting a four-team, double-elimination tournament. The 16 winning teams advance to the super regionals. 

UCLA (49-10) gears up to host its 11th straight NCAA Regional at Easton Stadium from May 16-18. This is the 40th appearance for the Bruins in the national postseason, where they have amassed a record of 239-68 (.778) overall. Last season, UCLA landed its 32nd appearance in the Women’s College World Series, with this being the 10th time under the tutelage of head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. 

Arizona State (35-19) and San Diego State (37-17) are the other two teams who will participate in the pod at the regional. These two square off against each other during Game 2 on Friday, May 16 at 7 p.m. PT on ESPN2. From there, the double elimination bracket will take form as follows below: 

Saturday, May 17 
Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 at 2 p.m. (PT) (Broadcast TBD) 
Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 at 4:30 p.m. (PT) (Broadcast TBD) 
Game 5: Winner of Game 4 vs. Loser of Game 3 at 7 p.m. (PT) (Broadcast TBD) 
 
Sunday, May 18 
Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5 at 4:30 p.m. (PT) (Broadcast TBD) 
Game 7: Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 6 (if necessary) at 7 p.m. (PT) (Broadcast TBD)  

Something Special About the First-
- The Gauchos gathered six straight elimination game wins to garner the team's first ever Big West Championship during the league's first inception of a postseason Championship. The six straight victories ties UCSB’s longest winning streak this season.  


Among the Best Ever 
- After accumulating 34 wins, UCSB tied the program record for most wins in a single season. The Gauchos gained 34 victories back in 1982, 2003 and 2014. The Blue and Gold set a new record in runs scored with 301 scores on the year, shattering the previous mark set back in 2014 at 250.   


All-Conference Accolades
- Five Gauchos dotted the All-Big West lists to end the regular season, headlined by Malaya Johnson earning Big West Pitcher of the Year. Johnson racked up the greatest number of wins in The Big West with 17 and was named Championship MVP after throwing a 2.34 ERA in six contests alongside 14 Ks.  

Bella Fuentes found a spot on the first team after ending the regular season with a new UCSB best 56 RBIs in a single season. Following the Championship run, the junior has sent 60 Gauchos home ahead of the national tournament. The infielder sent 11 shots over the wall this season, including a clutch homer to help force UCSB’s if necessary, game over CSUN to clinch the Championship.  

Giselle Mejia proves why the first-year player flexed a spot on both the first and all-freshman team after recording the most doubles in single-season history with 20 hits going for an extra base in 2025. The freshman enters the NCAA Championship as UCSB’s hottest bat hitting .391. 

Teyha Banks claimed second team honors with 20 RBI and four HR’s while Emily Carr and Jazzy Santos were named honorable mention.  


Coaches' Corner
- With over 23 trips to the postseason under the skipper's belt, head coach Jo Evans has led the Gauchos to the promised land during the third season at the helm. UCSB compiled a 17-10 record in Big West play this season and earned the No. 3 seed in the inaugural Championship. After dropping their first game to No. 6 UCSD, the Gauchos rallied and put together six straight do or die victories, outscoring its opponents 48-17 in the process.

Change-Up in the Conference 
-Prior to the inaugural Big West Championship, either Cal State Fullerton or Long Beach State had captured the regular season title in the past decade. The last time other than the duo to do so was this year’s conference runner-up, CSUN, after claiming the title in 2025. The Titans had won seven of the last nine regular season championships (including back-to-back in 2024-25) while LBSU had claimed the remaining pair. UCSB is the only Big West team to have beaten Fullerton four times this season, after sweeping the Titans in the regular season series and knocking them out of the Championship, 6-2 in Game 6.   

Inside the Machups
- UCLA earned the No. 9 overall seed with an at-large berth after falling to Michigan in the championship game of their first Big Ten Tournament. The Bruins' program success speaks for itself, as this is the 11th consecutive season they are hosting a regional. They went 6-0 against Big West schools this year with a total run differential of 48-8. 
  
The Bruins lineup is filled with productive hitters. As a team, UCLA has hit .342 this season with a 1.033 OPS. Senior Savannah Pola led the team with a .439 batting average and 66 runs scored. Junior Jordan Woolery hit for average (.416) and power (20 home runs), while Megan Grant had a 1.499 OPS and finished tied for the conference lead with 23 homers. All three made the All-Big Ten First Team. 
  
In the circle, UCLA had three pitchers pitch over 100 innings with a 2.66 or lower ERA. As a staff, they are top-five in the country in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.34) and WHIP (1.07). Taylor Tinsley was an All-Big Ten First Team selection, while Addisen Fisher was named to the NFCA National Freshman of the Year Top 10 list. Left-handed Kaitlyn Terry rounds out the group with 17 wins, the most of the three. 
 
SCOUTING THE SUN DEVILS 
An at-large from the ultra-competitive Big 12, Arizona State (35-19) checks in as the regional's No. 2 seed. The Sun Devils fell in the Big 12 Championship semifinals to Texas Tech after six wins against nationally-ranked opponents this season. They open the regional against San Diego State following the Gauchos-Bruins game. 
  
The Sun Devils had three hitters selected to the All-Big 12 Second Team. Outfielder Tanya Windle led the team in batting average (.368) and her .949 OPS was just behind fellow Second Team selection Ashleigh Mejia (.956) for the team lead. Mejia, a freshman, also hit 13 homers to lead the team. Tiare Ho-Ching, another freshman Second Teamer, hit .344 with a team-leading 45 runs. 
  
Pitcher Kenzie Brown has been Arizona State's best player, though. The unanimous First Team selection currently holds a miniscule 1.29 ERA with a 0.99 WHIP and a 19-6 record. Brown's stuff is electric, evidenced by her 265 strikeouts which amount to 11.8 per seven innings—good for second in the country. 
  
SCOUTING THE AZTECS 
San Diego State (37-17), thus, is the regional's No. 3 seed. Similar to the Gauchos, the Aztecs lost their first game of the double-elimination Mountain West Tournament before winning four in a row to claim the conference's automatic berth. With the win, they lifted their third consecutive Mountain West championship. 
  
Senior Bella Espinoza was the Aztecs' lone hitter to make the All-Mountain West First Team. The slap-hitting left fielder hit .350 on the year with a team-leading 24 stolen bases and 41 runs scored. Freshman shortstop Quinn Waiki can flash the leather—she was named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year. 
  
Earlier this season, the Gauchos and Aztecs played each other at the Mary Nutter Classic. Dee Dee Hernandez pitched a two-hitter to shut out the Gauchos in a 4-0 victory. Cece Cellura, though, has been the team's most-used pitcher. With a 2.10 ERA and 1.06 WHIP, the sophomore right-hander made the all-conference First Team. 

NFCA Honors 
- The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) announced its All-Region teams and three student-athletes from The Big West earned recognition.  

Cal State Fullerton’s Ava Arce and CSUN’s Tiara Westbrook were named All-West Region Second Team as an infielder and designated player, respectively. 

Arce led the league in batting average (.405), slugging percentage (.690), hits (68), and RBI (63) this year en route to earning The Big West Field Player of the Week distinction. The RBI mark set a new program high for the Titans this year in 2025. With runners in scoring position, Arce went 30-for-60 (.500) at the plate, while batting .457 (22-for-63) with runners on base and .750 (6-for-8) with bases loaded. Arce brought home a Big West best Field Player of the Week award four times this season.  

Westbrook was named to the All-Big West first team after leading the Matadors in batting average (.358), OPS (1.063), home runs (10), on base percentage (.443), slugging percentage (.620) and total bases (85). The sophomore also ranked second on CSUN in hits with 49.  

Maylaya Johonson joins the duo on the All-West Region Third Team after spinning a 2.68 ERA alongside 112 strikeouts this season. The right-hander earned the most regular season wins in the conference (17) and claimed Big West Pitcher of the Year. In the postseason, Johnson 35.1 innings in the circle across six games, (5 games) and captured Big West Championship MVP. 

In total, the NFCA selected 381 athletes from 158 programs across its 10 regions. NFCA member head coaches from each respective region voted on the teams, and all awarded student-athletes now become eligible for the 2025 NFCA Division I All-America squads. The 2025 NFCA Division I All-America teams will be announced Wednesday, May 28. 

UCSB Punches Ticket 
- 2025 conference champion UC Santa Barbara will represent The Big West and square off against No. 9 seeded UCLA in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Softball Championship, on Friday at 4:30 p.m. PT hosted at Easton Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. The matchup will be streamed on ESPN+. 

UCSB is poised to play in the UCLA Regional with the host-site Bruins as their first opponent on May 16. Arizona State and San Diego State will also compete in the same postseason field. 

The Gauchos punched their ticket to the national stage after surviving six straight elimination games to claim the first ever 2025 Big West Championship title. This is UCSB's fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament last qualifying in 2207. During the regular season, the Blue and Gold garnered a 17-10 record in league play and finished off as 34-24 overall following the Championship run. 

The NCAA Championship bracket consists of 64 teams with the top 16 teams seeded and hosting at campus sites beginning Friday. Regionals will be held May 16-18, with each campus site hosting a four-team, double-elimination tournament. The 16 winning teams advance to the super regionals on May 23-25. 

2025 Preseason Prognostics
- Long Beach State has been picked as the top team in The Big West heading into the 2025 season, as voted by the league's 10 head coaches.   

The Beach (25-29, 22-5 BW) earned 81 points in the poll and claimed the top spot in the poll after being tabbed in second place back-to-back years. LBSU earned nine first-place first votes, the most of any team this year. 

Coaches in the conference also voted on an 11-person Preseason All-Big West team. Long Beach State saw two of its student-athletes make the list with senior infielder Jacquelyn Bickar and senior pitcher Shannon Haddad cracking the preseason team for consecutive seasons. Bickar brought in 13 runs across the infielder's 42 hits a year ago (third on team) earning approval on this year's preseason team. LBSU teammate Haddad sat down twelve batters during the pitcher's five games last season.  

Defending Big West champion Cal State Fullerton was selected as the second-best team heading into the year with 63 points and a first-place vote. The Titans put a pair on the preseason team too with sophomore infielder Sarah Perez and sophomore outfielder Kate Verhoef dotting the list. Perez and Verhoef both capped 2024 off with All-Big West Freshman Team honors. The duo also received Freshman of the Week accolades with Verhoef winning once and Perez hoisting the hardware twice.  

UC Santa Barbara sees itself at the No. 3 spot with a total of 59 points. The Blue and Yellow boast sophomore pitcher/utility Ainsley Waddell as the Co-Freshman of the Year in 2024 after the San Marcos, Calif. native led UCSB in slugging percentage (.523) and RBI (35).  

Hawai'i harnessed the No. 4 position with 52 points, the last team in the league to earn over 50 tallies. Catcher/Infielder Izabella Martinez managed to secure a spot on the list after the senior finished second on UH with 39 hits and earned All-Big West Second Team honors last season.  

Narrow margins sperate the middle of the pack around the conference with Cal Poly at fifth (45 points), UC San Diego at sixth (43) and CSUN (41) residing at seven.  

Pitcher India Caldwell steps back into the circle for as the ace for the Tritons this year. The Fallbrook, Cailf. native spun a 2.63 ERA last season (6th in The Big West) across 178.1 innings of work (1st in The Big West) last year.  

The Matador combination of senior outfielder Mikayla Carman and junior pitcher Lauryn Carranco made way on the team following stud seasons from the two. Carman collected All-Big West First Team accolades after leading CSUN with 56 hits, good enough for sixth best in the conference. Carranco's 103 strikeouts were also sixth best in the conference for the preseason honoree.  

UC Davis, UC Riverside and Cal State Bakersfield round out the 2025 edition of the preseason poll with 38, 17 and 11 points, respectively. 

Reigning Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year Ashley Sawai represents the Aggies alongside a 2.75 ERA a year ago, ranked seventh amongst all student-athletes in The Big West.  

The 2025 Big West conference schedule consists of a 27-game slate, with each side facing all nine opponents in three-game sets starting Friday, March 7. Check listings to see which contests air on ESPN+. Regular season play starts Thursday, Feb. 6 with conference action officially beginning on Friday, March 7.  

The 2025 Big West champion will earn the league's automatic berth again this year into the 64-team NCAA Division I Softball Championship. The 2025 WCWS remains at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla., May 29-June 5/6.