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The 2026 SEC softball tournament kicks off Tuesday, May 5, as teams joust for an automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA softball tournament. Kentucky will host the 15-team single-elimination contest at John Cropp Stadium until a champion is crowned on Saturday, May 9.
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Texas A&M and Oklahoma were declared co-champions in 2025 after inclement weather prevented the championship game from being played at Jack Turner Stadium in Athens, Georgia. Since no game was played, the automatic bid was given to the Sooners, who were the regular season champs.
Before the action gets started and the NCAA tournament selection show airs on Sunday, May 10, here’s everything you need to know about the 2026 SEC softball tournament.
2026 SEC softball tournament bracket
Check out the bracket for the 2026 SEC softball tournament kicking off on Tuesday, May 5.
2026 SEC softball tournament schedule
All times listed in ET. Times are subject to change.
- First round: Tuesday, May 5
- No. 14 Auburn 6, No. 11 Missouri 2
- Game 2 | No. 10 Mississippi State vs. No. 15 Kentucky | 35 mins following Game 1 | SEC Network
- Game 3 | No. 12 South Carolina vs. No. 13 Ole Miss | 35 mins following Game 2 | SEC Network
- Second round: Wednesday, May 6
- Game 4 | No. 6 Texas A&M vs. winner of Game 1 | 11 a.m. | SEC Network
- Game 5 | No. 7 Arkansas vs. winner of Game 2 | 35 mins following Game 4 | SEC Network
- Game 6 | No. 5 Tennessee vs. winner of Game 3| 35 mins following Game 5 | SEC Network
- Game 7 | No. 8 LSU vs. No. 9 Georgia | 35 mins following Game 6 | SEC Network
- Quarterfinals: Thursday, May 7
- Game 8 | No. 3 Florida vs. winner of Game 4 | 11 a.m. | SEC Network
- Game 9 | No. 2 Alabama vs. winner of Game 5 | 35 mins following Game 8 | SEC Network
- Game 10 | No. 4 Texas vs. winner of Game 6 | 35 mins following Game 9 | SEC Network
- Game 11 | No. 1 Oklahoma vs. winner of Game 7 | 35 mins following Game 10 | SEC Network
- Semifinals: Friday, May 8
- Game 12 | winner of Game 8 vs. winner of Game 9 | 5 p.m. | ESPN
- Game 13 | winner of Game 10 vs. winner of Game 11 | 35 mins following Game 12 | ESPN
- Championship final: Saturday, May 9
- Game 14 | winner of Game 12 vs. winner of Game 13 | 5 p.m. | ESPN
SEC softball tournament championship history
Alabama holds the most SEC titles (6) since the inception of the tournament in 1997. What once started as a six-team, double elimination event has developed throughout the years and most recently expanded to a 15-team tournament in 2025 after welcoming Oklahoma and Texas to the conference.
YEAR
CHAMPION
1997
South Carolina
1998
Alabama
1999
LSU
2000
South Carolina
2001
LSU
2002
LSU
2003
Alabama
2004
LSU
2005
Alabama
2006
Tennessee
2007
LSU
2008
Florida
2009
Florida
2010
Alabama
2011
Tennessee
2012
Alabama
2013
Florida
2014
Georgia
2015
Auburn
2016
Auburn
2017
Ole Miss
2018
Florida
2019
Florida
2020
Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021
Alabama
2022
Arkansas
2023
Tennessee
2024
Florida
2025
Oklahoma, Texas A&M
Sofie Davis joined NCAA.com in August 2025 as a Digital Editorial Postgrad. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Kentucky in 2024 while competing as a member of swim and dive team. Throughout her college years, Davis balanced life as a student-athlete with multiple internships in sports digital and social media. She is passionate about collegiate athletics and dedicated to telling the stories that connect athletes with their audiences.
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