Missouri Tigers softball, in NCAAs for 17th straight time, picked to host regional

Members of the Missouri Tigers softball team won’t have to travel far for their NCAA regional opener later this week.

In fact, “travel” in the suitcase-sense of the word will be entirely unnecessary.

Mizzou (43-15) was awarded a No. 7 seed in the NCAA regionals on Sunday evening during a live-reveal show on ESPN2, officially qualifying for the tournament for a jaw-dropping 17th straight time.

The Tigers’ four-team regional in Columbia, announced Sunday, also includes Washington, Indiana and Omaha. Games begin Friday.

Mizzou’s first game will be against Summit League-champion Omaha on Friday at 4:30 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN+, following a regional-opening showdown between Indiana and Washington at 2.

MU lost 6-1 to the Florida Gators in Saturday’s SEC championship game, finishing 3-1 at the league tourney in Auburn, Alabama.

A total of 64 teams will be competing in the regional round of the NCAA tournament. Half qualified via automatic bids.

And there’s more good news ahead, potentially, for the Tigers: With a top-eight seed now secured, their chances of also playing host to a super-regional appear quite favorable.

The Women’s College World Series starts May 30 in Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma Sooners are the defending WCWS champions.