Final NCAA Tournament projections for South Carolina, Clemson softball teams
The NCAA softball tournament is almost here.
Clemson and South Carolina are considered locks for the 64-team field, and both were ranked among the top 15 teams in the country in D1 Softball’s latest Top 25.
The Tigers and the Gamecocks are in strong position to host regionals at their home ballparks next weekend as top 16 seeds. Both teams also have an outside shot at earning a top 8 “national seed,” which means they would host a super regional from May 22-25 if they advance out of the regional round.
Here are the latest projections ahead of Sunday’s selection show (7 p.m., ESPN2).
South Carolina softball’s NCAA projections
The Gamecocks, led by first-year coach Ashley Chastain Woodard, were ranked No. 14 nationally heading into the SEC softball tournament and made the quarterfinals.
USC finished 40-15 and 12-11 in the SEC, its best conference record since 2018. The Gamecocks were seeded No. 7 and went 1-1 in the SEC tournament, beating No. 10 Alabama before losing to No. 1 Texas A&M in the quarterfinal round.
Softball America’s final May 11 projection had South Carolina as the No. 10 overall seed, hosting Liberty, North Carolina and USC Upstate in a regional. USC is paired with No. 7 Texas’ regional and could face an SEC foe in the super regionals.
The Gamecocks had previously been the No. 8 seed in that website’s projection.
USA Today Sports’ May 11 projection had South Carolina as the No. 11 overall seed. The Gamecocks are projected to host Liberty, Georgia Tech and USC Upstate and paired with the winner of No. 6 UCLA’s regional in Los Angeles.
This will be South Carolina’s third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
Clemson softball NCAA projections
Clemson softball, which started playing in 2020 and is in its sixth season under coach John Rittman, was most recently ranked as the No. 12 team in the country.
The Tigers are 44-12 and finished 19-5 in ACC regular-season play. Clemson defeated Florida State 2-1 Saturday to clinch the program’s first ACC championship.
Softball America’s final projection puts Clemson as the No. 11 overall seed, hosting Auburn, North Florida and Elon. The Tigers are paired with No. 6 Tennessee’s regional. Clemson upset the Vols in Knoxville earlier this year.
Clemson’s ACC tournament championship win over Florida State didn’t change projections much. The Tigers moved up one seed from No. 12 to No. 11, while Florida State remained as the No. 5 seed in Softball America’s projection.
USA Today Sports’ final projection has Clemson as the No. 10 seed, hosting Georgia, North Florida and Brown. The Tigers are paired with No. 7 Texas’ regional.
This will be Clemson’s fifth straight NCAA Tournament. The Tigers have made it every year of their existence. (The 2020 tournament was canceled due to the COVID pandemic.)
NCAA softball key dates
May 11: Selection Sunday (7 p.m., ESPN2)
May 16-18: Regional round at campus sites
May 22-25: Super regional round at campus sites
May 29-June 5/6: Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City
This story was originally published May 11, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
