The Badgers were a bubble team towards the end of the season, and then Wisconsin went and beat Purdue, followed by Oregon in the Big Ten Tournament. Both were great wins, but the second thrilling upset of the Ducks was incredibly noteworthy for their NCAA Tournament appearance. It was even looking like they may have a pretty good draw on Selection Sunday, thanks to the strength of the Big Ten.
They ended up instead with a very hard regional featuring the Texas Longhorns and the Baylor Bears. Thanks to an overall snub of the Big Ten.
The selection committee decided to disrespect the Big Ten as a whole. Giving the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who were 46-6 on the year and winners of the last 21 straight, including both Big Ten titles (regular season and tournament), the fourth-best No. 1 seed. That was going to set the precedent for the rest of the Big Ten.
Now, all of a sudden, UCLA, Oregon, and others that had good Big Ten seasons were being downgraded. There could have been some worry that maybe Wisconsin would slip back to the bubble with that sort of view of the Big Ten and a heightened view of the
Austin Regional
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) May 10, 2026
📅 May 15-17
(1) @TexasSoftball@WagnerSoftball@BaylorSoftball
(8) @BadgerSoftball#RoadToWCWS pic.twitter.com/8vJunYBv0i
Wisconsin will play in the Austin Regional against Texas, Baylor, and Wagner
Related: Wisconsin softball was on the wrong side of UCLA history, yet proved it belongs
The Texas Longhorns are the immediate favorite to win the region, and Wisconsin may end up being the second favorite, but the Baylor Bears aren't a pushover. They are an RPI 41 team and will be playing close enough to home that they will have the crowd on their side.
Wisconsin is happy to make the tournament, and the players, coaches, and fans were thrilled to see the Badgers listed, so beggars can't be choosers. However, there was a chance the Badgers would have gotten a better draw had the Big Ten had a higher view in the selection committee. Instead, it was the SEC that got most of the love. With Alabama, Oklahoma, and Texas all getting No. 1 seeds and the Big Ten only getting one, with Nebraska.
Current schedule for #Badgers softball pic.twitter.com/oYAN7M2yMO
— Wisconsin Video (@WisconsinVideo) May 11, 2026
It's a conference disrespect and now there's some Big Ten pride going into this one.
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