AAC Softball Championship Field Set
5/10/2021 10:32:00 AM | Softball
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL | BRACKET
TULSA, Okla. - The bracket is now official for the 2020-21 American Athletic Conference Softball Championship and the No. 4 seed Tulsa softball team will face No. 5 seed Houston Cougars on Thursday, May 13 beginning at 5 pm Central at the Collins Family Softball Complex in Tulsa, Okla.
The Golden Hurricane hosts the AAC Championship for the first time since 2016 when Tulsa defeated No. 25-ranked UCF Knights and No. 24-ranked USF Bulls to win the Championship.
The Hurricane and Cougars matchup will be the final game of the day on Thursday. In the first game of the day at 11:00 a.m. the No. 3 seeded UCF Knights will take on No. 6 ECU Pirates, and the No. 2 USF Bulls and No. 7 Memphis Tigers will take the diamond at 2:00 p.m. All three games on Thursday will air live on ESPN+.
The Wichita State Shockers took the regular season championship, going 18-5-1 in AAC competition. By taking the No. 1 seed in the championship, the Shockers receive a first-round bye, taking on the winner of No. 4 Hurricane and No. 5 Cougars on Friday at 6:00 p.m.
The AAC Championship game will be held on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN2.
Due to American Athletic Conference and the University of Tulsa Covid-19 guidelines, a limited team allotment pass list for student-athletes and staff families will be permitted attendance. The AAC nor teams involved in the tournament will sell tickets for the Championship.
No. 1 Seed Wichita State (37-11-1, 18-5-1) secured its first conference regular-season championship in The American and third in program history thanks to wins in three of four games against Tulsa on April 30-May 2. The Shockers, ranked 25th in the most recent USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll, won five of the six series they competed in during the conference season.
No. 2 Seed USF (28-16, 16-7) just missed a third straight American regular-season title and instead claimed the tournament's second seed following losses in three of the final four games of a series at rival UCF. The Bulls finished as the American Softball Championship runner-up in 2016 and 2018, falling as the tournament's top seed to Tulsa in both tournaments. USF won five series during the course of the 2021 season, taking three of four games at No. 1 seed Wichita State on April 23-25.
No. 3 Seed UCF (37-16-1, 16-7-1) locked down the third seed in the championship after winning three of four games against rival USF in Orlando. The Knights, the 2015 American tournament champion, finished as the event runner-up as the top seed in the inaugural American Softball Championship in 2014. UCF won four separate league series during the regular season, including three by way of a sweep, to close out the 2021 conference campaign.
No. 4 Seed Tulsa (24-15, 15-8) earned a series split with Houston in the season's final weekend to claim the fourth seed in the American Softball Championship, to be held on its home ground of the Collins Family Softball Complex. The Golden Hurricane have previously won three American tournament championships, sweeping league titles and automatic NCAA Championship bids in 2016-18. Tulsa claimed the 2016 conference championship as the tournament's No. 3 seed thanks to a 4-0 win over top-seeded USF that season.
No. 5 Seed Houston (17-32, 8-16) settled into the tournament's fifth seed thanks to a series split with Tulsa to close the 2021 regular season. The Cougars were unbeaten in their final three series of the year following a series setback against top-seeded Wichita State in early April. Houston is a four-time American tournament semifinalist and finished as the 2017 runner-up in a 1-0 decision against No. 1 seed Tulsa at ECU Softball Stadium.
No. 6 Seed East Carolina (16-32, 7-17) secured the sixth seed in the conference tournament following a four-game sweep at home against Memphis in the final weekend of the regular season. It was the first series sweep of the year for the Pirates in league play. ECU previously reached the semifinal round as the host of the 2017 American Softball Championship, falling to No. 2 seed Houston at the ECU Softball Stadium.
No. 7 Seed Memphis (9-40, 2-22) rounds out the tournament field as the seventh seed following a series sweep at the hands of East Carolina in the final series of the year. The Tigers previously reached the tournament's semifinal round in both 2017 and 2018, falling to eventual champion Tulsa (2017) and runner-up Houston (2018) on each occasion.
2021 American Athletic Conference Softball Championship
May 13-15, 2021
Collins Family Softball Complex
Tulsa, Oklahoma
First Round - Thursday, May 13
No. 3 UCF vs. No. 6 East Carolina – 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT (ESPN+)
No. 2 USF vs. No. 7 Memphis – 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
No. 4 Tulsa vs. No. 5 Houston – 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Semifinals - Friday, May 14
Game 1 winner vs. No. 1 Wichita State – 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner – 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Championship Game - Saturday, May 15
Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner – 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT (ESPN2)
TULSA, Okla. - The bracket is now official for the 2020-21 American Athletic Conference Softball Championship and the No. 4 seed Tulsa softball team will face No. 5 seed Houston Cougars on Thursday, May 13 beginning at 5 pm Central at the Collins Family Softball Complex in Tulsa, Okla.
The Golden Hurricane hosts the AAC Championship for the first time since 2016 when Tulsa defeated No. 25-ranked UCF Knights and No. 24-ranked USF Bulls to win the Championship.
The Hurricane and Cougars matchup will be the final game of the day on Thursday. In the first game of the day at 11:00 a.m. the No. 3 seeded UCF Knights will take on No. 6 ECU Pirates, and the No. 2 USF Bulls and No. 7 Memphis Tigers will take the diamond at 2:00 p.m. All three games on Thursday will air live on ESPN+.
The Wichita State Shockers took the regular season championship, going 18-5-1 in AAC competition. By taking the No. 1 seed in the championship, the Shockers receive a first-round bye, taking on the winner of No. 4 Hurricane and No. 5 Cougars on Friday at 6:00 p.m.
The AAC Championship game will be held on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN2.
Due to American Athletic Conference and the University of Tulsa Covid-19 guidelines, a limited team allotment pass list for student-athletes and staff families will be permitted attendance. The AAC nor teams involved in the tournament will sell tickets for the Championship.
No. 1 Seed Wichita State (37-11-1, 18-5-1) secured its first conference regular-season championship in The American and third in program history thanks to wins in three of four games against Tulsa on April 30-May 2. The Shockers, ranked 25th in the most recent USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll, won five of the six series they competed in during the conference season.
No. 2 Seed USF (28-16, 16-7) just missed a third straight American regular-season title and instead claimed the tournament's second seed following losses in three of the final four games of a series at rival UCF. The Bulls finished as the American Softball Championship runner-up in 2016 and 2018, falling as the tournament's top seed to Tulsa in both tournaments. USF won five series during the course of the 2021 season, taking three of four games at No. 1 seed Wichita State on April 23-25.
No. 3 Seed UCF (37-16-1, 16-7-1) locked down the third seed in the championship after winning three of four games against rival USF in Orlando. The Knights, the 2015 American tournament champion, finished as the event runner-up as the top seed in the inaugural American Softball Championship in 2014. UCF won four separate league series during the regular season, including three by way of a sweep, to close out the 2021 conference campaign.
No. 4 Seed Tulsa (24-15, 15-8) earned a series split with Houston in the season's final weekend to claim the fourth seed in the American Softball Championship, to be held on its home ground of the Collins Family Softball Complex. The Golden Hurricane have previously won three American tournament championships, sweeping league titles and automatic NCAA Championship bids in 2016-18. Tulsa claimed the 2016 conference championship as the tournament's No. 3 seed thanks to a 4-0 win over top-seeded USF that season.
No. 5 Seed Houston (17-32, 8-16) settled into the tournament's fifth seed thanks to a series split with Tulsa to close the 2021 regular season. The Cougars were unbeaten in their final three series of the year following a series setback against top-seeded Wichita State in early April. Houston is a four-time American tournament semifinalist and finished as the 2017 runner-up in a 1-0 decision against No. 1 seed Tulsa at ECU Softball Stadium.
No. 6 Seed East Carolina (16-32, 7-17) secured the sixth seed in the conference tournament following a four-game sweep at home against Memphis in the final weekend of the regular season. It was the first series sweep of the year for the Pirates in league play. ECU previously reached the semifinal round as the host of the 2017 American Softball Championship, falling to No. 2 seed Houston at the ECU Softball Stadium.
No. 7 Seed Memphis (9-40, 2-22) rounds out the tournament field as the seventh seed following a series sweep at the hands of East Carolina in the final series of the year. The Tigers previously reached the tournament's semifinal round in both 2017 and 2018, falling to eventual champion Tulsa (2017) and runner-up Houston (2018) on each occasion.
2021 American Athletic Conference Softball Championship
May 13-15, 2021
Collins Family Softball Complex
Tulsa, Oklahoma
First Round - Thursday, May 13
No. 3 UCF vs. No. 6 East Carolina – 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT (ESPN+)
No. 2 USF vs. No. 7 Memphis – 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
No. 4 Tulsa vs. No. 5 Houston – 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Semifinals - Friday, May 14
Game 1 winner vs. No. 1 Wichita State – 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner – 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Championship Game - Saturday, May 15
Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner – 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT (ESPN2)
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