We back!

I have to admit, y’all… I was worried as I watched the selection special. I know that Missouri and Larissa Anderson’s feisty squad deserved it, but would they be rewarded for their fantastic season in the toughest conference in America?

The answer? A resounding HELL YES.

Rejoice, Tigers fans, the road to the Women’s College World Series will officially go through Columbia, MO, as Mizzou was revealed as the No. 8 overall seed. They will host not only a Regional, but also have a shot to host a Super Regional should they make it through the double-elimination side of their bracket.

This is the Tigers’ 14th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tourney, having played in every tournament since 2007. In that time span, the Tigers have played in 8 Super Regionals and 3 WCWS. This is coach Larissa Anderson’s second appearance with the Tigers out of that many chances.

Mizzou, No. 12 in the new RPI rankings released yesterday, will face their first test against the Horizon League champions, Illinois-Chicago, who sits at No. 104 in RPI and went 32-21 on the season. They are led by .432 hitter, Kayla Wedl, and pitcher Marley Hanson, who has 9 CG and a 2.22 ERA this season. Missouri, as you are all aware, lost in an absolute heartbreaker in the SEC Tourney Semis to the Florida Gators (the No. 4 overall seed) 7-6 on Friday, but are considered one of the country’s best offensive teams for their power up and down the lineup.

Let’s take a look at the rest of their side of the bracket, shall we? Iowa State and Northern Iowa will be the first to play in the Columbia Regional — feels good to say that — and will start at 1pm on Friday. Weirdly enough, both teams are led by seniors with iterations of the name Sammy. On the Cyclones’ side, Sami Williams is hitting .457 on the season with 79 hits and 21 home runs. Northern Iowa is led by Sammey Bunch, who is hitting .441 on the season and has 64 hits. Oh, and she’s also their career hits leader, so no big deal.

Could there be an SEC rematch in the Super Regionals? Should the bracket go chalk this round, Missouri would face Tennessee, who they took two of three just a few weeks ago on the road.

The committee obviously realized the gauntlet of the SEC, as HALF of the 16 Regional hosts came from the conference, and 5 of the top 8 could also be hosting Supers. The field of 64 includes No. 3 Alabama, No. 4 Florida, No. 6 Arkansas, No. 7 LSU, No. 8 Missouri, No. 9 Tennessee, No. 14 Kentucky, and At-Large bids for Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Auburn, and Ole Miss. WOW.

How to Watch

TIME: 3:30pm CST

DATE: Friday, May 21, 2021

LOCATION: Mizzou Softball Stadium, Columbia, Mo.

STREAM: ESPN3

TWITTER: @MizzouSoftball

ESPN+: ROCKMNATION

Looking for FuboTV? Try our signup link: FUBOTV

Interested in attending the game in person? That might be difficult... While the university announced that they are increasing capacity to 50% for the regional games, the stadium’s capacity is only 2,500 normally so you’ll need to act swiftly.

We’ll provide you with more information as the week goes on, but until then, let’s celebrate. This team has A LOT to be excited about.

Let’s go, Tigers! #OwnIt