USF softball fans instinctively make plans to drive to Gainesville or Tallahassee this time of year to watch the Bulls in the NCAA regional tournament.
However, the tournament selection committee threw USF a curveball this year, sending the Bulls to Fayettevile, Ark. for a regional matchup that features Washington, Fordham, and, of course, the host Arkansas Razorbacks.
The Bulls meet second-seeded Washington on Friday at 7 p.m. The game will be carried on ESPN2.
The tournament is double-elimination with the Bulls seeking a spot in next week's super regional.
In the past, the tournament selection committee generally followed the so-called "400-mile rule." The idea was stack qualifying teams together as close as possible to minimize travel costs.
Well, the distance from Tampa to Fayetteville is 1,162 miles by car, a trip taking more than 16 hours.
Bulls coach Ken Eriksen is OK with that.
"It was interesting to finally see thatrule of trying to get teams close together to save expenses is finally out the window. More progressive spreading out the talent throughout the country now will make it more competitive to come up with a true World Series field," he told Green, Gold and Bold.
"I'm glad to see that softball now is finally being treated the way it should be treated as a money-making sport. They get so much money from ESPN that you can do these type of things and spread the wealth."
USF is 42-15 and coming off its second consecutive American Conference tournament championship.
Here's a look at the rest of the field.
The Razorbacks are the No. 5 overall seed in the tournament and No. 1 in the NCAA's RPI ranking even though they finished 7th in the SEC.
Go figure.
Head coach Courtney Deifel has been in charge since 2016 and has six 40-win seasons. Infielder Tianna Bell led the team with 15 homers and 55 RBI. Outfielder Dakota Kennedy was close behind with 14 homers and 43 RBI.
They have a one-two punch in the circle. Robyn Herron was 15-6 in 20 starts and 27 appearances with a 1.98 ERA. She had an eye-popping 166 strikeouts in 106 innings. Payton Bernham was more of a change-of-pace pitcher with 52 K's in 89 innings. She was 12-3 with a 1.89 ERA.
They struggled at times down the stretch, going 7-5 in their last 12 games. The Razorbacks were knocked out in the second round of the SEC tournament, losing 7-1 to Alabama.
The Huskies seem to have a standing reservation in this event. This is the 32nd consecutive year they have qualified for a regional appearance.
They are the No. 30 in the RPI rankings -- just two spots ahead of USF.
Eriksen is familiar with the Washington staff. Head coach Heather Tarr and Director of Player Development Lance Glasoe were on Eriksen's staff when he led the U.S. National Team.
"They've got a great team and respect the fundamentals," Eriksen said. "They do the right thing, and they're very similar to how we play. IIt'll be a good matchup."
Sophomore first baseman Alexis DeBoer, whose father, Kalen, is the head football coach at Alabama, is big-time power. She has 18 homers and 51 RBI. Junior infielder Giselle Alvarez is not far behind, with 15 homers and 53 RBI.
The Huskies hit .324 as a team and combined for 74 home runs. They're bold on the bases, too, stealing 42 bases in 54 attempts.
Sophomore right-hander Morgan Reimer is a key strength in the circle, bringing experience from Team Canada. She was the national Division I Pitcher of the Week in March and was 23-7 overall.
The Rams crashed the party by winning the Atlantic 10 tournament despite being the fourth seed. They knocked off top-seeded Loyola 7-4 in the championship game to cap a streak of four wins in four days.
Sophomore Victoria Klimaszewski, who was named the championship's Most Outstanding Player, had went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in the title game. Freshman Sadira Forcucci also connected on a home run and drove in a pair to help send the Rams to Fayetteville.
This is Fordham's first trip the NCAA regionals since 2022 and their 11th overall.
They were 16-23 overall on April 15 and 7-8 in the A-10 before they hit a finishing kick, winning 11 of their last 14 games to qualify for the regional.
Still, they probably need to pack light for this trip. The Rams are No. 156 in RPI. The other three participants in the regional have COMBINED rating of 67.
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