By Lincoln Shryack

It’s NCAA tournament time! Selection Sunday went off with its usual flair for the dramatic, and the top seeds and underdogs now all know where they’re headed as the road to Oklahoma City starts this Thursday. Buckle in, softball fans!

Get those brackets filled!

Selection Sunday is in the books and now it’s time really have some fun. NCAA Regionals begin this week for these 64 teams:

The 64-team field is set for the 2018 #NCAASoftball Championship!

THE BRACKET: https://t.co/fuWMLNJ0v5 pic.twitter.com/xMf9XhGiqe

— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) May 14, 2018

Oregon is your No. 1 overall seed

By virtue of winning the mega-competitive Pac-12, the Oregon Ducks have earned the No. 1 overall seed. They are joined in the Eugene Regional by Albany, Drake, and BYU.

One for the thumb. ? #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/1M6P3jTT7G

— Oregon Softball (@OregonSB) May 12, 2018

The Ducks last earned the top overall seed in 2014. Oregon was catapulted to the top spot in 2018 by not only winning its conference but also earning a crucial victory over Oklahoma earlier in the season. The Ducks open the Eugene Regional against Albany on Thursday.

The road to OKC runs through Eugene as @OregonSB is selected as the No. 1 overall seed. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/dGPFMdcKBk

— GoDucks (@GoDucks) May 14, 2018

Florida wins SEC tournament for the first time since 2013, earns No. 2 seed

The Gators used a clutch third-inning three-run bomb from tournament MVP Amanda Lorenz to beat South Carolina 3-1 and win their first SEC tournament title since 2013 on Sunday in Columbia, Missouri. Florida has been totally dominant facing the Gamecocks during the Tim Walton era, as Sunday’s victory in the championship game improved his record to 32-1 against the conference rival during his time in Gainesville.

That does it! The Gators win both the Regular Season and the SEC Tournament Championship!

??#GatorsWin #TheEdge pic.twitter.com/2uVFXOa8wQ

— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) May 13, 2018

With the win, Florida nabbed its 50th victory of the season, the 10th time the Gators have hit that mark in program history. Walton has coached UF to each of those 50-win seasons.

Of course, the Gators are looking for much more than 50 wins in 2018, and as the No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, they play host to Bethune-Cookman, South Florida, and Ohio State this weekend in the Gainesville bracket. Florida opens against Bethune-Cookman on Friday.

The #Gators earn the nation’s No. 2 seed!! Here’s who’s coming to Gainesville.

Ticket Info ?https://t.co/rorZG7uxz0 pic.twitter.com/zaLvResgAP

— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) May 14, 2018

UCLA ends the regular season with a walk-off win, is No. 3 seed in NCAA tournament

Despite losing to Arizona State on Thursday and thus relinquishing its tie with Oregon atop the Pac-12, UCLA couldn’t have asked for a much better end to its regular season. With the score knotted up at 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth on Saturday, senior Madeline Jelenicki stepped up to the plate and delivered the dinger to send the Bruins off to the NCAA tournament in style:

BRU-WINS!!!! 2-1 UCLA in nine over Arizona State to take the series. pic.twitter.com/w3qtWAd0Ld

— UCLA Softball (@UCLASoftball) May 12, 2018

What a way to cap off senior day for Jelenicki, who mashed her second walk-off homer in the last two weeks. Now third-seeded UCLA will host the Los Angeles Regional, which kicks off on Friday. The Bruins will play Sacramento State at 8 PM on Friday, with Cal St. Fullerton and Texas State matching up in the game before at 5:30 PM.

The two-time defending champion Oklahoma Sooners grab No. 4 seed

Will the most dominant team in NCAA softball over the last few seasons have a chip on its shoulder entering the NCAA tournament after only being named the No. 4 seed?

The #RoadToTheWCWS runs through Norman. #Sooners receive the No. 4 national seed and will host Missouri, Tulsa and Boston University in this weekend's NCAA Norman Regional. #ChampionshipMindset pic.twitter.com/QaqRUx9XYf

— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) May 14, 2018

The Sooners did lose 5-0 to top-seeded Oregon on April 19, but otherwise, the 2018 season couldn’t have gone much better for the back-to-back national champions, as OU completed a perfect run (21-0) against Big 12 competition by beating Baylor 6-4 in the Big 12 title game on Saturday. The win marked the second straight season that Oklahoma has swept the regular season and championship tournament in the Big 12.

SOUND ON: @PlankShow calls the final out as the #Sooners clinch the #Big12SB title!

Full highlights: https://t.co/UZuuPgWGbn pic.twitter.com/CpU6jZaA33

— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) May 13, 2018

Now back to that chip on the shoulder. The Sooners will host the Norman Regional beginning on Friday, and their first game will feature a little added intensity. Oklahoma only lost three games during the regular season, with the most surprising of those losses coming against unranked Boston University on February 17. So who does OU play on Friday you ask? Boston University, of course, at 7 PM. I expect the Sooners will have no trouble getting up for this one.

The entire SEC conference— all 13 teams— earn NCAA bids

This year marks the second straight season that the mighty Southeastern Conference will have all of its softball programs in the NCAA tournament, matching the NCAA record established last season. Nine of the top 16 overall seeds are SEC schools, a brand-new NCAA record:

Nine of the Top 16 Seeds are from the @SEC ?

No. 2 @GatorsSB
No. 8 @UGASoftball
No. 9 @GamecockSoftbll
No. 10 @Vol_Softball
No. 11 @LSUsoftball
No. 12 @AlabamaSB
No. 13 @RazorbackSB
No. 15 @AggieSoftball
No. 16 @UKsoftball

THE NEW NCAA RECORD.

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) May 14, 2018

The Power Five league was expected to get a majority of its teams into the dance, but the selection committee surprised many by picking Missouri to be the 13th and final SEC squad to advance to the tournament. Some people had some feelings…

Missouri gets in the softball field despite going 6-17 in the SEC. Power of RPI.

— Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt) May 14, 2018

Missouri softball is IN the NCAA Tournament. Missed the SEC Tournament, but the Tigers are still playing.

Headed to the Norman Regional with No. 4 Oklahoma. pic.twitter.com/DgcQwrDgVr

— Josh Kurelac (@JoshKRCG13) May 14, 2018

Mizzou’s season will continue—the Tigers play Tulsa on Friday in the Norman Regional—despite missing out on the SEC tournament and ending the regular season with a mediocre 28-27 record. Of course, just because Missouri caught a break in the eyes of many, things don’t easier from here. MU will have to get past Oklahoma to move on from the regional.

Last four teams in—Notre Dame, South Florida, Houston, and Wisconsin

The fortunate four as we’ll call them, the last four squads into this year’s NCAA softball tournament, are Notre Dame, South Florida, Houston, and Wisconsin. The Fighting Irish had to bite fingernails and sweat out Selection Sunday, but Notre Dame has now made the dance for the 20th consecutive season.

Mizzou was NOT among the final four at-large teams in the NCAA softball field. Last four in were Notre Dame, Houston, South Florida, Wisconsin, per committee chair Natalie Shock

— Dave Matter (@Dave_Matter) May 14, 2018