Texas A&M softball is the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 overall seed for the first time in program history. And while it’ll be the favorite for its first round regional, each team selected for the tournament made it there for a reason.
Despite steamrolling the Longhorns and earning co-SEC champion honors with the Sooners, the Aggies will be vigilant against all who visit College Station.
Texas A&M’s group consists of Saint Francis, Marist and Liberty. It’ll play in a double-elimination tournament with a berth in the 16-team super regional on the line. The eight winners of the super regional will travel to Oklahoma City, Okla. for the Women’s College World Series.
Texas A&M (45-9, 16-7 SEC) is searching for its first national title since 1987, and will begin that journey Friday against Saint Francis.
Here’s what to know about each opponent in the Aggies’ College Station-based bracket:
Saint Francis softball: Red Flash is desperate
The powerhouse of the Northeast Conference, Saint Francis defeated LIU 6-0 Sunday to win its seventh NEC title since 2017. However, this will be its last time playing in the tournament for the foreseeable future, as the school has decided to transition to Division III in 2026.
The Red Flash enter the tournament as underdogs, with no “we’ll get ’em next year” to hold onto. That kind of desperation can make them a dangerous opponent for Texas A&M. The NEC champions have thrived amid chaos and are led by Allie Braly, Addie Smith and Olivia Ulam, who made the NEC all-tournament team. Head coach Beth Krysiak is in her first year of the role.
Liberty softball: Could the Flames threaten the Aggies?
The Flames might be the biggest threat to the Aggies in this group, considering Liberty is 32nd in runs per game and 21st in the country in batting average. All time, Liberty is 1-3 against A&M. But the Aggies scraped by 1-0 in their last meeting Feb. 16, 2019, with the Flames winning 4-2 the previous day.
Of course, the rosters are completely different than they were during that series. Even so, Liberty has proven themselves capable of standing up to tournament-level opponents, with wins over Alabama, North Carolina, UCF and Virginia this season. The Flames cruised to their second consecutive Conference USA title, crushing Louisiana Tech 8-0 and are 9-14 all-time in NCAA Tournament play.
Keep an eye on pitcher Elena Escobar, the CUSA tournament MVP, and All-Tournament outfielders Paige Doerr and KK Madrey.
Marist softball: Red Foxes are riding a hot streak
Marist defeated Siena 10-2 to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship, the fifth time it has won the conference. The Red Foxes are on a hot streak, having won 17 games in a row with a 36-2-1 record since March 1. They ranked 10th in the country in batting average (.345) and 12th in runs per game (7.38).
Marist is led by a trio of strong hitters. Infielder Miah McDonald set the MAAC record for home runs with 24 this season. Fellow infielder Haley Ahr is a contact machine, finishing the regular season a batting average over .500 average, while outfielder Peyton Pusey led the NCAA in runs scored through May 1.
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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas A&M softball: Meet the 3 teams joining the Aggies in the College Station regional
Reporting by Caleb Yum, Austin American-Statesman / Austin American-Statesman
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
