2021 NCAA Division I softball season

2021 NCAA Division I softball season
2021 NCAA Division I softball season
Duration	February 11 – June 10, 2021
Number of teams	286
Preseason No. 1	UCLA
Defending Champions	UCLA
TV partner/s	ESPN & ESPN+
NCAA Tournament
Duration	May 21 – June 10, 2021
Most conference bids	SEC (12)
Women's College World Series
Duration	June 3–10, 2021
Champions	Oklahoma (5th title)
Runners-up	Florida State (11th WCWS Appearance)
Winning Coach	Patty Gasso (5th title)
WCWS MOP	Giselle Juarez (Oklahoma)
Seasons
	← 2020 2022 →

The 2021 NCAA Division I Softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 2021. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2021 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 2021 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisted of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament was held in Oklahoma City at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium, and ended on June 10, 2021.

Realignment

For 2021 season

Four schools began transitions from NCAA Division II to Division I on July 1, 2020.
- Bellarmine joined D-I for softball and all other sports as a new member of the ASUN Conference.^[1]
- Dixie State^[2] and Tarleton State^[3] joined the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
- UC San Diego, already a de facto D-I member in women's water polo and men's volleyball (which do not have D-II championship events) as an associate member of the Big West Conference, moved the rest of its athletic program to the Big West.^[4]
La Salle dropped softball after this season.^[5]
Cal State Bakersfield moved from the WAC to the Big West.

Future moves

The following conference moves for the 2022 season were announced:

Five schools left the Southland Conference. Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston, and Stephen F. Austin moved to the WAC,^[6] and Central Arkansas left for the ASUN.^[7]
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference lost three members. Bethune–Cookman^[8] and Florida A&M^[9] joined the Southwestern Athletic Conference, and North Carolina A&T went to the Big South Conference.^[10]
The Ohio Valley Conference saw Eastern Kentucky and Jacksonville State also join the ASUN.^[7]
The Summit League gained St. Thomas from NCAA Division III's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference after the reception of a waiver for a direct transition to D-I.^[11]

Season outlook

USA Today / NFCA DI Coaches Poll^[12]
Ranking	Team
1	UCLA
2	Washington
3	Arizona
4	Oklahoma
5	LSU
6	Texas
7	Florida
8	Alabama
9	Louisiana
10	Oregon
11	Oklahoma State
12	Florida State
13	Kentucky
14	Georgia
15	Virginia Tech
16	Arizona State
17	Michigan
18	Arkansas
19	South Carolina
20	Mississippi State
21	UCF
22	Baylor
23	Missouri
24	Minnesota
25	Duke

ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Poll^[13]
Ranking	Team
1	UCLA
2	Washington
3	Arizona
4	Oklahoma
5	LSU
6	Florida
7	Texas
8	Alabama
9	Louisiana
10	Oklahoma State
11	Oregon
12	Florida State
13	Kentucky
14	Georgia
15	Arizona State
16	Virginia Tech
17	Michigan
18	Baylor
19	South Carolina
20	Minnesota
21	Arkansas
22	Mississippi State
23	Tennessee
24	Missouri
25	UCF

D1Softball^[14]
Ranking	Team
1	UCLA
2	Oklahoma
3	Washington
4	Arizona
5	LSU
6	Florida
7	Louisiana
8	Alabama
9	Texas
10	Oklahoma State
11	Florida State
12	Oregon
13	Georgia
14	Virginia Tech
15	Mississippi State
16	Arkansas
17	Arizona State
18	Michigan
19	Baylor
20	Minnesota
21	Tennessee
22	UCF
23	Missouri
24	Kentucky
25	South Carolina

Softball America^[15]
Ranking	Team
1	UCLA
2	Arizona
3	Washington
4	LSU
5	Oklahoma
6	Florida
7	Texas
8	Louisiana
9	Alabama
10	Arizona State
11	Oklahoma State
12	Florida State
13	Virginia Tech
14	Oregon
15	Georgia
16	Arkansas
17	Missouri
18	South Carolina
19	Mississippi State
20	Michigan
21	Kentucky
22	Minnesota
23	Baylor
24	Tennessee
25	UCF

Conference standings

2021 American Athletic Conference softball standings
v t e	Conf						Overall
Team	W		L		T	PCT	W		L		T	PCT
No. 23 Wichita State ‍†‍‡‍^y	18	–	5	–	1	.771	41	–	13	–	1	.755
South Florida ‍‍‍^y	16	–	7	–	0	.696	31	–	19	–	0	.620
UCF ‍‍‍^y	16	–	7	–	1	.688	41	–	19	–	1	.680
Tulsa ‍‍‍	15	–	8	–	0	.652	25	–	16	–	0	.610
Houston ‍‍‍	8	–	16	–	0	.333	17	–	33	–	0	.340
East Carolina ‍‍‍	7	–	17	–	0	.292	16	–	33	–	0	.327
Memphis ‍‍‍	2	–	22	–	0	.083	9	–	41	–	0	.180

† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of May 23, 2021^[16] Rankings from NFCA/USA Today

2021 Atlantic Coast Conference softball standings
v t e	Conf						Overall
Team	W		L		T	PCT	W		L		T	PCT
No. 18 Clemson ‍†‍‍^y	29	–	5	–	0	.853	44	–	8	–	0	.846
No. 2 Florida State ‍‍‍^y	26	–	5	–	1	.828	49	–	12	–	1	.798
No. 20 Duke ‍‍‡‍^y	26	–	10	–	0	.722	44	–	12	–	0	.786
No. 14 Virginia Tech ‍‍‍^y	23	–	11	–	0	.676	37	–	15	–	0	.712
Notre Dame ‍‍‍^y	20	–	10	–	0	.667	33	–	15	–	0	.688
Louisville ‍‍‍	15	–	21	–	1	.419	21	–	28	–	1	.430
NC State ‍‍‍	15	–	22	–	0	.405	26	–	25	–	0	.510
Syracuse ‍‍‍	12	–	20	–	0	.375	20	–	24	–	0	.455
Georgia Tech ‍‍‍	11	–	19	–	0	.367	20	–	26	–	0	.435
North Carolina ‍‍‍	10	–	19	–	0	.345	14	–	26	–	0	.350
Pittsburgh ‍‍‍	12	–	24	–	0	.333	17	–	29	–	0	.370
Virginia ‍‍‍	10	–	27	–	0	.270	15	–	33	–	0	.313
Boston College ‍‍‍	8	–	24	–	0	.250	13	–	32	–	0	.289

† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 15, 2021^[17] Rankings from NFCA/USA Today

2021 Big 12 Conference softball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 1 Oklahoma ‍†‍‡‍^y	16	–	1	.941	56	–	4	.933
No. 7 Oklahoma State ‍‍‍^y	15	–	3	.833	48	–	12	.800
No. 11 Texas ‍‍‍^y	12	–	6	.667	43	–	14	.754
Baylor ‍‍‍^y	8	–	9	.471	27	–	23	.540
Iowa State ‍‍‍^y	6	–	12	.333	34	–	23	.596
Texas Tech ‍‍‍	3	–	15	.167	21	–	26	.447
Kansas ‍‍‍	2	–	16	.111	22	–	26	.458

† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 10, 2021^[18] Rankings from NFCA/USA Today

2021 Big Sky Conference softball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Weber State ‍†‍‍	15	–	3	.833	25	–	19	.568
Southern Utah ‍‍‍	10	–	8	.556	20	–	30	.400
Montana ‍‍‍	8	–	10	.444	19	–	30	.388
Portland State ‍‍‡‍^y	8	–	10	.444	15	–	26	.366
Sacramento State ‍‍‍	8	–	10	.444	15	–	27	.357
Northern Colorado ‍‍‍	8	–	10	.444	12	–	27	.308
Idaho State ‍‍‍	6	–	12	.333	12	–	27	.308

† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of October 20, 2024^[19] Rankings from NFCA/USA Today

2021 Big East Conference softball standings
v t e	Conf						Overall
Team	W		L		T	PCT	W		L		T	PCT
DePaul ‍†‍‍	13	–	1	–	0	.929	22	–	11	–	0	.667
Villanova ‍‍‡‍^y	15	–	2	–	0	.882	36	–	14	–	0	.720
UConn ‍‍‍	12	–	9	–	0	.571	22	–	20	–	0	.524
Creighton ‍‍‍	8	–	7	–	0	.533	14	–	14	–	0	.500
Butler ‍‍‍	6	–	11	–	1	.361	17	–	21	–	1	.449
St. John's ‍‍‍	7	–	14	–	0	.333	10	–	20	–	0	.333
Seton Hall ‍‍‍	5	–	13	–	0	.278	9	–	23	–	0	.281
Providence ‍‍‍	4	–	13	–	1	.250	5	–	16	–	1	.250
Georgetown ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–

‡ – Tournament champion As of May 21, 2021^[20] Rankings from NFCA/USA Today

2021 Big Ten Conference softball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 18 Michigan ‍†‍‍^y	36	–	6	.857	38	–	8	.826
No. 23 Minnesota ‍‍‍^y	29	–	11	.725	31	–	13	.705
Northwestern ‍‍‍^y	29	–	15	.659	30	–	17	.638
Iowa ‍‍‍	26	–	18	.591	26	–	18	.591
Indiana ‍‍‍	25	–	19	.568	25	–	19	.568
Ohio State ‍‍‍	24	–	19	.558	24	–	19	.558
Illinois ‍‍‍	24	–	20	.545	24	–	20	.545
Nebraska ‍‍‍	22	–	22	.500	22	–	22	.500
Wisconsin ‍‍‍	18	–	22	.450	18	–	22	.450
Maryland ‍‍‍	19	–	25	.432	19	–	25	.432
Purdue ‍‍‍	18	–	26	.409	18	–	26	.409
Michigan State ‍‍‍	14	–	26	.350	14	–	26	.350
Rutgers ‍‍‍	8	–	36	.182	8	–	36	.182
Penn State ‍‍‍	7	–	34	.171	7	–	34	.171

† – Conference champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of May 23, 2021^[21] Rankings from NFCA/USA Today

2021 Conference USA softball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
East
Charlotte ^x‍‍‍	14	–	6	.700	31	–	19	.620
Western Kentucky ‍‍‡‍^y	10	–	6	.625	32	–	15	.681
Middle Tennessee ‍‍‍	11	–	8	.579	26	–	22	.542
Marshall ‍‍‍	8	–	8	.500	20	–	12	.625
FIU ‍‍‍	6	–	13	.316	14	–	26	.350
Florida Atlantic ‍‍‍	6	–	14	.300	12	–	35	.255
West
North Texas ^x‍†‍‍	18	–	2	.900	38	–	12	.760
UAB ‍‍‍	15	–	5	.750	31	–	19	.620
Louisiana Tech ‍‍‍	10	–	10	.500	22	–	30	.423
UTSA ‍‍‍	8	–	12	.400	15	–	30	.333
UTEP ‍‍‍	5	–	15	.250	11	–	26	.297
Southern Miss ‍‍‍	4	–	16	.200	22	–	31	.415

x – Division champion † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of May 22, 2021^[22] Rankings from NFCA/USA Today

2021 Pac-12 Conference softball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 2 UCLA ‍†‍‍^y	19	–	2	.905	48	–	8	.857
No. 6 Washington ‍‍‍^y	18	–	5	.783	45	–	14	.763
No. 10 Oregon ‍‍‍^y	14	–	10	.583	40	–	17	.702
No. 12 Arizona State ‍‍‍^y	12	–	9	.571	33	–	16	.673
No. 9 Arizona ‍‍‍^y	12	–	10	.545	41	–	15	.732
Stanford ‍‍‍^y	9	–	12	.429	33	–	22	.600
Oregon State ‍‍‍	7	–	17	.292	20	–	26	.435
California ‍‍‍	3	–	11	.214	17	–	20	.459
Utah ‍‍‍	3	–	21	.125	22	–	33	.400

† – Conference champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 9, 2021^[23] Rankings from NFCA

2021 Southeastern Conference softball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 9 Florida ‍†‍‍^y	19	–	5	.792	45	–	11	.804
No. 11 Arkansas ‍†‍‍^y	19	–	5	.792	43	–	11	.796
No. 3 Alabama ‍‍‡‍^y	18	–	6	.750	52	–	9	.852
No. 13 Missouri ‍‍‍^y	15	–	9	.625	42	–	17	.712
No. 16 Kentucky ‍‍‍^y	13	–	11	.542	43	–	16	.729
No. 15 LSU ‍‍‍^y	13	–	11	.542	35	–	22	.614
No. 22 Tennessee ‍‍‍^y	12	–	11	.522	42	–	15	.737
Ole Miss ‍‍‍^y	12	–	12	.500	36	–	22	.621
Mississippi State ‍‍‍^y	8	–	15	.348	35	–	25	.583
Texas A&M ‍‍‍^y	8	–	16	.333	32	–	23	.582
No. 8 Georgia ‍‍‍^y	7	–	17	.292	34	–	23	.596
Auburn ‍‍‍^y	7	–	17	.292	27	–	24	.529
South Carolina ‍‍‍	4	–	20	.167	26	–	26	.500

† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 7, 2021^[24] Rankings from NFCA/USA Today^[25]

2021 Southern Conference softball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
UNC Greensboro ‍†‍‡‍^y	14	–	4	.778	34	–	17	.667
Western Carolina ‍‍‍	12	–	5	.706	27	–	26	.509
Chattanooga ‍‍‍	8	–	8	.500	13	–	25	.342
Mercer ‍‍‍	8	–	9	.471	24	–	23	.511
Furman ‍‍‍	8	–	9	.471	20	–	28	.417
Samford ‍‍‍	7	–	11	.389	18	–	27	.400
East Tennessee State ‍‍‍	3	–	14	.176	15	–	22	.405

† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of May 22, 2021^[26] Rankings from NFCA/USA Today

2021 Sun Belt Conference softball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 15 Louisiana ‍†‍‡‍^y	21	–	3	.875	47	–	12	.797
Texas State ‍‍‍^y	17	–	6	.739	39	–	14	.736
Troy ‍‍‍^y	17	–	6	.739	37	–	17	.685
South Alabama ‍‍‍^y	13	–	9	.591	31	–	21	.596
Appalachian State ‍‍‍	8	–	12	.400	27	–	19	.587
Georgia Southern ‍‍‍	9	–	14	.391	17	–	26	.395
UT Arlington ‍‍‍	9	–	14	.391	17	–	34	.333
Coastal Carolina ‍‍‍	9	–	15	.375	21	–	24	.467
Louisiana–Monroe ‍‍‍	6	–	15	.286	17	–	32	.347
Georgia State ‍‍‍	3	–	18	.143	16	–	30	.348

† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of May 23, 2021^[27] Rankings from NFCA

2021 West Coast Conference softball standings
v t e	Conf						Overall
Team	W		L		T	PCT	W		L		T	PCT
BYU ‍†‍‍^y	11	–	1	–	0	.917	38	–	17	–	0	.691
Loyola Marymount ‍‍‍	10	–	5	–	0	.667	22	–	21	–	0	.512
Pacific ‍‍‍	4	–	5	–	0	.444	14	–	14	–	1	.500
Saint Mary's ‍‍‍	4	–	8	–	0	.333	13	–	24	–	0	.351
San Diego ‍‍‍	5	–	10	–	0	.333	13	–	29	–	0	.310
Santa Clara ‍‍‍	5	–	10	–	0	.333	8	–	20	–	0	.286
Pacific suspended their season on May 5, 2021

† – Conference champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of May 21, 2021^[28] Rankings from NFCA

2021 Summit League softball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
South Dakota State ‍†‍‡‍^y	21	–	1	.955	43	–	8	.843
Omaha ‍‍‍	12	–	11	.522	20	–	28	.417
North Dakota State ‍‍‍	11	–	12	.478	16	–	29	.356
Kansas City ‍‍‍	11	–	13	.458	29	–	26	.527
South Dakota ‍‍‍	8	–	12	.400	13	–	38	.255
North Dakota ‍‍‍	8	–	14	.364	17	–	33	.340
Western Illinois ‍‍‍	6	–	14	.300	16	–	29	.356

† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of December 7, 2022^[29] Rankings from NFCA/USA Today

Conference winners and tournaments

Of the 31 Division I athletic conferences that participated in the 2021 season, all of which sponsor softball, 27 normally end their regular seasons with a single-elimination tournament or a double-elimination tournament. The teams in each conference that win their regular-season title are given the number one seed in each tournament. The Ivy League canceled its softball season due to COVID-19 concerns. Four conferences do not normally hold a postseason tournament: the Big West, Mountain West, Pac-12, and West Coast Conference. Two conferences that normally hold tournaments, the Big Ten and Mid-American Conference, did not do so in 2021. The winners of these tournaments, plus the Big Ten, Big West, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12, and WCC regular-season champions, received automatic invitations to the 2021 NCAA Division I softball tournament.

Conference	Regular Season Winner	Conference Player of the Year	Conference Pitcher of the Year	Conference Coach of the Year	Conference Tournament	Tournament Venue • City	Tournament Winner
America East Conference	UMBC	Courtney Cashman, UMass Lowell^[30]	Courtney Coppersmith, UMBC^[30]	Chris Kuhlmeyer, UMBC^[30]	2021 America East Conference softball tournament	The Diamond at UMBC • Arbutus, MD	UMBC
American Athletic Conference	Wichita State	Sydney McKinney, Wichita State^[31]	Georgina Corrick, South Florida^[31]	Wichita State^[31]^[a]	2021 American Athletic Conference softball tournament	Collins Family Softball Complex • Tulsa, OK	Wichita State
ASUN Conference	North & overall: Liberty South: Florida Gulf Coast	Amber Bishop-Riley, Liberty^[32]	Emily Kirby, Liberty^[32]	Dot Richardson, Liberty^[32]	2021 ASUN softball tournament	Quarterfinals: Campus sites Remainder: Bailey Park • Kennesaw, GA	Liberty
Atlantic 10 Conference	Central & overall: George Washington North: Saint Joseph's	Jenna Cone, George Washington^[33]	Sierra Lange, George Washington^[33]	Shane Winkler, George Washington^[33]	2021 Atlantic 10 Conference softball tournament	SJU Softball Field • Merion Station, PA	George Washington
Atlantic Coast Conference	Clemson	Valerie Cagle, Clemson^[34]	Keely Rochard, Virginia Tech^[34]	John Rittman, Clemson^[34]	2021 Atlantic Coast Conference softball tournament	Ulmer Stadium • Louisville, KY	Duke
Big 12 Conference	Oklahoma	Jocelyn Alo, Oklahoma^[35]	Carrie Eberle, Oklahoma State^[35]	Patty Gasso, Oklahoma^[35]	2021 Big 12 Conference softball tournament	USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium • Oklahoma City, OK	Oklahoma
Big East Conference	DePaul				2021 Big East Conference softball tournament	Burrill Family Field • Storrs, CT	Villanova
Big Sky Conference	Weber State	Lauren Hoe, Weber State^[36]	Mariah Ramirez, Weber State^[36]	Mary Kay Amicone, Weber State^[36]	2021 Big Sky Conference softball tournament	Wildcat Softball Field • Ogden, UT	Portland State
Big South Conference	Campbell				2021 Big South Conference softball tournament	Brinkley Stadium • Boiling Springs, NC	Campbell
Big Ten Conference	Michigan	Lexie Blair, Michigan^[37]	Alex Storako, Michigan^[37]	Carol Hutchins, Michigan^[37]	No tournament, regular season champion earns auto bid
Big West Conference	Long Beach State				No tournament, regular season champion earns auto bid
Colonial Athletic Association	North: Drexel South & overall: James Madison	Linda Rush, Drexel^[38]	Odicci Alexander, James Madison^[38]	Loren LaPorte, James Madison^[38]	2021 Colonial Athletic Association softball tournament	Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park • Harrisonburg, VA	James Madison
Conference USA	Charlotte				2021 Conference USA softball tournament	WKU Softball Complex • Bowling Green, KY	Western Kentucky
Horizon League	Youngstown State				2021 Horizon League softball tournament	YSU Softball Field • Youngstown, OH	UIC
Ivy League	did not play in 2021
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference	Monmouth				2021 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference softball tournament	Quarterfinals: Campus sites Remainder: Demske Sports Complex • Buffalo, NY	Manhattan
Mid-American Conference	Miami (OH)				No tournament, regular season champion earns auto bid
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference	Northern & overall: Morgan State Southern: North Carolina A&T				2021 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference softball tournament	NSU Softball Field • Norfolk, VA	Morgan State
Missouri Valley Conference	Illinois State				2021 Missouri Valley Conference softball tournament	Cooper Stadium • Evansville, IN	Southern Illinois
Mountain West Conference	Fresno State				No tournament, regular season champion earns auto bid
Northeast Conference	Saint Francis (PA)				2021 Northeast Conference softball tournament	SFU Softball Field • Loretto, PA	Saint Francis (PA)
Ohio Valley Conference	Southeast Missouri				2021 Ohio Valley Conference softball tournament	Choccolocco Park • Oxford, AL	Eastern Kentucky
Pac–12 Conference	UCLA				No tournament, regular season champion earns auto bid
Patriot League	Boston University				2021 Patriot League softball tournament	BU Softball Field • Boston, MA	Boston University
Southeastern Conference	Arkansas & Florida^[b]	Bailey Hemphill, Alabama^[39]	Montana Fouts, Alabama & Mary Haff, Arkansas^[39]	Courtney Deifel, Arkansas^[39]	2021 Southeastern Conference softball tournament	Rhoads Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama
Southern Conference	UNC Greensboro				2021 Southern Conference softball tournament	UNCG Softball Stadium • Greensboro, NC	UNC Greensboro
Southland Conference	Stephen F. Austin				2021 Southland Conference softball tournament	North Oak Park • Hammond, LA	McNeese State
Southwestern Athletic Conference	Eastern: Jackson State Western & overall: Texas Southern				2021 Southwestern Athletic Conference softball tournament	Gulfport Sportsplex • Gulfport, MS	Alabama State
Summit League	South Dakota State				2021 Summit League softball tournament	Tharaldson Park at the Ellig Sports Complex • Fargo, ND	South Dakota State
Sun Belt Conference	Louisiana				2021 Sun Belt Conference softball tournament	Troy Softball Complex • Troy, AL	Louisiana
West Coast Conference	BYU				No tournament, regular season champion earns auto bid
Western Athletic Conference	New Mexico State				2021 Western Athletic Conference softball tournament	Francis F. Logan Field at SU Park • Seattle, WA	Seattle

^ The American's annual coaching award is presented to a coaching staff instead of a head coach, and is styled as the "Coaching Staff of the Year" award.
^ Top seed in conference tournament.

Women's College World Series

First round			Second round			Semifinals				Finals

1	Oklahoma	3

	James Madison	4⁽⁸⁾
				James Madison	2

			5	Oklahoma State	1
5	Oklahoma State	3

	Georgia	2
							James Madison	3	1

						1	Oklahoma	6	7
1	Oklahoma	8⁽⁶⁾

	Georgia	0
			2	UCLA	3

			1	Oklahoma	10



										1	Oklahoma	4	6	5

										10	Florida State	8	2	1
3	Alabama	5

11	Arizona	1
			3	Alabama	6

			2	UCLA	0
10	Florida State	0

2	UCLA	4
						3	Alabama	0	5

						10	Florida State	2	8
11	Arizona	3

10	Florida State	4
			5	Oklahoma State	2

			10	Florida State	4

Season leaders

Batting:

Batting average: .495 – Kayla Kowalik, Kentucky Wildcats
RBIs: 92 – Tiare Jennings, Oklahoma Sooners
Home runs: 34 – Jocelyn Alo, Oklahoma

Pitching:

Wins: 32-5 – Gabbie Plain, Washington Huskies
ERA: 0.92 (20 ER/151.0 IP) – Courtney Coppersmith, UMBC Retrievers
Strikeouts: 349 – Montana Fouts, Alabama Crimson Tide

Records

Freshman class RBIs: 92 – Tiare Jennings, Oklahoma Sooners^[40]

Freshman class slugging percentage: 1.000% – Tiare Jennings, Oklahoma Sooners

Team home runs: 161 – Oklahoma Sooners

Team slugging percentage: .777% – Oklahoma Sooners

Team runs scored: 638 – Oklahoma Sooners

Team total bases: 1,279 – Oklahoma Sooners

Awards

YEAR	G	AB	R	H	BA	RBI	HR	3B	2B	TB	SLG	BB	SO	SB	SBA
2021	60	183	71	87	.475	89	34	1	12	203	1.109%	38	16	3	3

Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year Honda Sports Award Softball: Rachel Garcia, UCLA Bruins^[43]
Honda Sports Award Softball: Rachel Garcia, UCLA Bruins^[44]
NFCA National Player of the Year: Rachel Garcia, UCLA Bruins^[45]

YEAR	G	AB	R	H	BA	RBI	HR	3B	2B	TB	SLG	BB	SO	SB	SBA
2021	45	120	23	41	.341	35	13	0	5	85	.708%	30	20	0	0

YEAR	W	L	GP	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA	WHIP
2021	18	3	29	18	12	7	2	136.1	91	35	27	29	183	1.39	0.88

NFCA National Pitcher of the Year: Montana Fouts, Alabama Crimson Tide

YEAR	W	L	GP	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA	WHIP
2021	27	4	36	32	24	10	3	213.1	143	59	49	49	349	1.61	0.90

Softball America Pitcher of the Year: Odicci Alexander, James Madion Dukes^[46]

YEAR	W	L	GP	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA	WHIP
2021	18	3	23	22	16	6	1	143.2	80	46	35	45	204	1.71	0.87

YEAR	G	AB	R	H	BA	RBI	HR	3B	2B	TB	SLG	BB	SO	SB	SBA
2021	29	82	13	26	.317	12	2	0	4	36	.439%	17	11	0	0

YEAR	G	AB	R	H	BA	RBI	HR	3B	2B	TB	SLG	BB	SO	SB	SBA
2021	60	197	81	91	.462	92	27	0	25	197	1.000%	26	17	2	2

Softball America Defensive Player of the Year: Sis Bates, Washington^[49]
NFCA Catcher of the Year: Dejah Mulipola, Arizona
NFCA Golden Shoe Award: Jenna Wildeman, Central Arkansas

All America Teams

The following players were members of the All-American Teams.^[50]

First Team

Position	Player	Class	School
P	Megan Faraimo	SO.	UCLA Bruins
	Montana Fouts	JR.	Alabama Crimson Tide
	Keely Rochard	JR.	Virginia Tech Hokies
C	Dejah Mulipola	SR.	Arizona Wildcats
1B	Alysen Febrey	SR.	Oklahoma State Cowgirls
2B	Tiare Jennings	FR.	Oklahoma Sooners
3B	Charla Echols	JR.	Florida Gators
SS	Sami Williams	SR.	Iowa State Cyclones
OF	Jocelyn Alo	SR.	Oklahoma Sooners
	Jayda Coleman	FR.	Oklahoma Sooners
	Maya Brady	FR.	UCLA Bruins
UT	Rachel Garcia	SR.	UCLA Bruins
UT	Aaliyah Jordan	SR.	UCLA Bruins
AT-L	Bailey Hemphill	SR.	Alabama Crimson Tide
	Mary Haff	JR.	Arkansas Razorbacks
	Braxton Burnside	SR.	Arkansas Razorbacks
	Gabbie Plain	SR.	Washington Huskies
	Kayla Kowalik	JR.	Kentucky Wildcats

Second Team

Position	Player	Class	School
P	Ashley Rogers	JR.	Tennessee Lady Vols
	Carrie Eberle	SR.	Oklahoma State Cowgirls
	Kathryn Sandercock	FR.	FSU Seminoles
C	Kinzie Hansen	SO.	Oklahoma Sooners
1B	Danielle Gibson	JR.	Arkansas Razorbacks
2B	Baylee Klingler	JR.	Washington Huskies
3B	Jenna Cone	SR.	George Washington Colonials
SS	Grace Turk	JR.	Oklahoma Sooners
OF	Aliyah Andrews	SR.	LSU Tigers
	Kiki Milloy	SO.	Tennessee Lady Vols
	Abby Sweet	SR.	Notre Dame Fighting Irish
UT	Valerie Cagle	FR.	Clemson Tigers
UT	Deja Davis	JR.	Duke Blue Devils
AT-L	Odicci Alexander	SR.	James Madison Dukes
	Sis Bates	SR.	Washington Huskies
	Alex Storako	SO.	Michigan Wolverines
	Taylor Pleasants	FR.	LSU Tigers
	Maddi Hackbarth	SR.	Arizona State Sun Devils

Third Team

Position	Player	Class	School
P	Brooke Yanez	JR.	Oregon Ducks
	Elizabeth Hightower	JR.	Florida Gators
	Alyssa Denham	SR.	Arizona Wildcats
C	Haley Lee	JR.	Texas A&M Aggies
1B	Kaylee Tow	SR.	Alabama Crimson Tide
2B	Hannah Adams	SR.	Florida Gators
3B	Hannah Becerra	FR.	Cal State Fullerton Titans
SS	Briana Perez	JR.	UCLA Bruins
OF	Brooke Wilmes	JR.	Missouri Tigers
	Haley Cruse	SR.	Oregon Ducks
	Janelle Meono	FR.	Arizona Wildcats
UT	Paige Rauch	JR.	Villanova Wildcats
UT	Hayley Busby	SR.	Oklahoma State Cowgirls
AT-L	Georgina Corrick	JR.	USF Bulls
	Mackenzie Boesel	SR.	South Carolina Gamecocks
	Jessie Harper	SR.	Arizona Wildcats
	Sydney McKinney	SO.	Wichita State Shockers
	Janae Jefferson	JR.	Texas Longhorns

References

^ "Bellarmine Knights celebrate July 1 rise to NCAA Division 1". Bellarmine Knights. July 1, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
^ "Dixie State accepts invitation to WAC; transitions into Division I athletics" (Press release). January 12, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
^ "Tarleton State University to Join Western Athletic Conference in 2020-21" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. November 12, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
^ "CSU Bakersfield, UC San Diego to Join Big West Conference" (Press release). Big West Conference. November 27, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
^ "An Open Letter to the La Salle and Explorer Athletics Community" (Press release). La Salle Explorers. September 29, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
^ "WAC Announces Expedited Entrance for Four Texas Institutions" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. January 21, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
^ ^a ^b "ASUN Conference Announces Three New Institutions; Adds Football as 20th Sport" (Press release). ASUN Conference. January 29, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
^ "SWAC Announces Addition of Bethune-Cookman as Full Member" (Press release). Southwestern Athletic Conference. June 25, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
^ "SWAC Announces Addition of Florida A&M as Full Member" (Press release). Southwestern Athletic Conference. June 4, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
^ "Big South Adds North Carolina A&T University as Full Member" (Press release). Big South Conference. February 7, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
^ "St. Thomas receives NCAA waiver to join The Summit League in 2021–22". The Summit League. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. July 15, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
^ "USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll (Preseason)". NFCA.org. National Fastpitch Coaches Association. January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
^ "ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25". teamusa.org. USA Softball. January 26, 2021. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
^ "2021 D1Softball Preseason Top 25 Rankings". d1softball.com. D1Softball. January 18, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
^ "2021 NCAA Division I Softball Top 25". softballamerica.com. Baseball America Enterprises. February 1, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
^ "AAC Softball Standings". TheAmerican.org. American Athletic Conference. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
^ "2021 ACC Softball Standings". TheACC.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
^ "Big 12 Softball Standings". Big12Sports.com. Big 12 Conference. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
^ "2021 Softball Standings". BigSkyConf.com. Big Sky Conference. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
^ "Big East Softball Standings". BigEast.com. Big East Conference. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
^ "Big Ten Softball Standings". BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
^ "2021 Softball Standings". Conference USA. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
^ "Softball Standings". Pac-12.com. Pac-12 Conference. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
^ "Weekly Release" (PDF). ESPN. June 15, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
^ "National champs Oklahoma unanimous No. 1 in final USA Today/NFCA DI Top 25 Coaches Poll". NFCA.org. June 15, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
^ "Southern Conference Softball Standings". SoConSports.com. Southern Conference. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
^ "2021 Softball Standings". SunBeltSports.org. Sun Belt Conference. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
^ "WCC 2021 Softball Standings". D1 Softball. D1 Softball. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
^ "The Summit League Softball Standings". TheSummitLeague.org. The Summit League. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Coppersmith Named Pitcher of Year Again to Headline #AESB Award Winners" (Press release). America East Conference. May 12, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Wichita State's McKinney Named American Player Of The Year; USF's Corrick Earns Third Consecutive Pitcher Of The Year Award" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. May 12, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Liberty's Bishop-Riley and Kirby Highlight 2021 @ASUNSoftball Postseason Honors" (Press release). ASUN Conference. May 18, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Cone, Lange, Miller, Winkler Earn Major A-10 Softball Honors; 22 Players Selected for All-Conference" (Press release). Atlantic 10 Conference. May 13, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c "ACC Softball Announces 2021 Individual Awards" (Press release). Atlantic Coast Conference. May 11, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c "2021 All-Big 12 Awards Unveiled" (Press release). Big 12 Conference. May 12, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c "2024 Softball Media Guide" (PDF). Big Sky Conference.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Big Ten Announces 2021 Softball Postseason Honors". BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. May 19, 2021. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c "JMU Receives Four Top Softball All-Conference Honors; Drexel's Linda Rush Named Player of the Year" (Press release). Colonial Athletic Association. May 11, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c "2021 SEC Softball Awards Announced" (Press release). Southeastern Conference. May 10, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
^ "Division I Softball Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
^ "Jocelyn Alo named 2021 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year". teamusa.org. June 1, 2021. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
^ "2021 NCAA Player Of The Year: Jocelyn Alo". softballamerica.com. June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
^ "Softball". CollegiateWomenSportsAwards.com. THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
^ "Softball". CollegiateWomenSportsAwards.com. THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
^ "UCLA'S GARCIA, ALABAMA'S FOUTS GARNER SCHUTT SPORTS / NFCA DI POSTSEASON HONORS". Nfca.org. NFCA. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
^ "2021 NCAA Pitcher Of The Year: Odicci Alexander". softballamerica.com. June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
^ "Oklahoma's Tiare Jennings named 2021 NFCA / Schutt Sports Division I National Freshman of the Year". nfca.org. June 1, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
^ "2021 NCAA Freshman Of The Year: Tiare Jennings". softballamerica.com. June 15, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
^ "2021 NCAA Defensive Player Of The Year: Sis Bates". softballamerica.com. June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
^ "2021 NFCA Division I All-America Teams". Nfca.org. Retrieved June 14, 2021.

[32] The American's annual coaching award is presented to a coaching staff instead of a head coach, and is styled as the "Coaching Staff of the Year" award.

[Topseed-40] Top seed in conference tournament.

[1] "Bellarmine Knights celebrate July 1 rise to NCAA Division 1". Bellarmine Knights. July 1, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2021.

[2] "Dixie State accepts invitation to WAC; transitions into Division I athletics" (Press release). January 12, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2021.

[3] "Tarleton State University to Join Western Athletic Conference in 2020-21" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. November 12, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2021.

[4] "CSU Bakersfield, UC San Diego to Join Big West Conference" (Press release). Big West Conference. November 27, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2021.

[5] "An Open Letter to the La Salle and Explorer Athletics Community" (Press release). La Salle Explorers. September 29, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2021.

[6] "WAC Announces Expedited Entrance for Four Texas Institutions" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. January 21, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.

[ASUN21-7] "ASUN Conference Announces Three New Institutions; Adds Football as 20th Sport" (Press release). ASUN Conference. January 29, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.

[8] "SWAC Announces Addition of Bethune-Cookman as Full Member" (Press release). Southwestern Athletic Conference. June 25, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2021.

[9] "SWAC Announces Addition of Florida A&M as Full Member" (Press release). Southwestern Athletic Conference. June 4, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2021.

[10] "Big South Adds North Carolina A&T University as Full Member" (Press release). Big South Conference. February 7, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2021.

[11] "St. Thomas receives NCAA waiver to join The Summit League in 2021–22". The Summit League. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. July 15, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2021.

[12] "USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll (Preseason)". NFCA.org. National Fastpitch Coaches Association. January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.

[13] "ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25". teamusa.org. USA Softball. January 26, 2021. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021.

[14] "2021 D1Softball Preseason Top 25 Rankings". d1softball.com. D1Softball. January 18, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2021.

[15] "2021 NCAA Division I Softball Top 25". softballamerica.com. Baseball America Enterprises. February 1, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.

[16] "AAC Softball Standings". TheAmerican.org. American Athletic Conference. Retrieved May 16, 2021.

[17] "2021 ACC Softball Standings". TheACC.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. Retrieved June 15, 2021.

[18] "Big 12 Softball Standings". Big12Sports.com. Big 12 Conference. Retrieved May 16, 2021.

[19] "2021 Softball Standings". BigSkyConf.com. Big Sky Conference. Retrieved October 20, 2024.

[20] "Big East Softball Standings". BigEast.com. Big East Conference. Retrieved May 16, 2021.

[21] "Big Ten Softball Standings". BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. Retrieved April 6, 2021.

[22] "2021 Softball Standings". Conference USA. Retrieved May 16, 2021.

[23] "Softball Standings". Pac-12.com. Pac-12 Conference. Retrieved May 16, 2021.

[24] "Weekly Release" (PDF). ESPN. June 15, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2023.

[NFCA-25] "National champs Oklahoma unanimous No. 1 in final USA Today/NFCA DI Top 25 Coaches Poll". NFCA.org. June 15, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2023.

[26] "Southern Conference Softball Standings". SoConSports.com. Southern Conference. Retrieved May 16, 2021.

[27] "2021 Softball Standings". SunBeltSports.org. Sun Belt Conference. Retrieved February 13, 2021.

[28] "WCC 2021 Softball Standings". D1 Softball. D1 Softball. Retrieved February 6, 2021.

[29] "The Summit League Softball Standings". TheSummitLeague.org. The Summit League. Retrieved January 12, 2023.

[AmEast_awards-30] "Coppersmith Named Pitcher of Year Again to Headline #AESB Award Winners" (Press release). America East Conference. May 12, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.

[American_awards-31] "Wichita State's McKinney Named American Player Of The Year; USF's Corrick Earns Third Consecutive Pitcher Of The Year Award" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. May 12, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.

[ASUN_awards-33] "Liberty's Bishop-Riley and Kirby Highlight 2021 @ASUNSoftball Postseason Honors" (Press release). ASUN Conference. May 18, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.

[A-10_awards-34] "Cone, Lange, Miller, Winkler Earn Major A-10 Softball Honors; 22 Players Selected for All-Conference" (Press release). Atlantic 10 Conference. May 13, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.

[ACC_awards-35] "ACC Softball Announces 2021 Individual Awards" (Press release). Atlantic Coast Conference. May 11, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.

[Big_12_awards-36] "2021 All-Big 12 Awards Unveiled" (Press release). Big 12 Conference. May 12, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.

[:0-37] "2024 Softball Media Guide" (PDF). Big Sky Conference.

[Big_Ten_awards-38] "Big Ten Announces 2021 Softball Postseason Honors". BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. May 19, 2021. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.

[CAA_awards-39] "JMU Receives Four Top Softball All-Conference Honors; Drexel's Linda Rush Named Player of the Year" (Press release). Colonial Athletic Association. May 11, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.

[SEC_awards-41] "2021 SEC Softball Awards Announced" (Press release). Southeastern Conference. May 10, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.

[42] "Division I Softball Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 14, 2021.

[43] "Jocelyn Alo named 2021 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year". teamusa.org. June 1, 2021. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.

[44] "2021 NCAA Player Of The Year: Jocelyn Alo". softballamerica.com. June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.

[45] "Softball". CollegiateWomenSportsAwards.com. THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program. Retrieved July 8, 2021.

[46] "Softball". CollegiateWomenSportsAwards.com. THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program. Retrieved June 11, 2021.

[47] "UCLA'S GARCIA, ALABAMA'S FOUTS GARNER SCHUTT SPORTS / NFCA DI POSTSEASON HONORS". Nfca.org. NFCA. Retrieved June 14, 2021.

[48] "2021 NCAA Pitcher Of The Year: Odicci Alexander". softballamerica.com. June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.

[49] "Oklahoma's Tiare Jennings named 2021 NFCA / Schutt Sports Division I National Freshman of the Year". nfca.org. June 1, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.

[50] "2021 NCAA Freshman Of The Year: Tiare Jennings". softballamerica.com. June 15, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.

[51] "2021 NCAA Defensive Player Of The Year: Sis Bates". softballamerica.com. June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2023.

[52] "2021 NFCA Division I All-America Teams". Nfca.org. Retrieved June 14, 2021.

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v t e NCAA Division I softball seasons
AIAW era	1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982
NCAA era	1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024