Cards Earn 16th All-Time Bid in NCAA Tournament
May 10, 2026 | Softball
Louisville will play in the Lincoln Regional with its first game scheduled for 4 p.m. ET against GCU on Friday, May 15.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The No. 24 University of Louisville softball team was selected for its 16th-ever NCAA Tournament appearance on Sunday night.
The Cardinals will head to Lincoln, Nebraska, to face Grand Canyon University in the first round of the tournament. The first game will take place at 4 p.m. ET and be broadcast on ESPNU.
Should UofL win, it will face the winner of No. 4 overall seed Nebraska and South Dakota.
Louisville (44-12, 18-6 ACC) finished the regular season tied for third in the conference title race and made it to the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship. The Cards are the No. 8 seed in the Lincoln Regional, and the game against Grand Canyon will mark the first-ever meeting between the teams.
The full 2026 NCAA D1 Softball Championship bracket can be found here.
About the Lopes
GCU enters the weekend with a 52-8 overall record, one of the best in the country, and with the Mountain West Conference Tournament title. Grand Canyon overcame a nine-run deficit in the tournament title game to defeat Nevada in nine innings and mark its fifth consecutive NCAA appearance. Sophomore Oakley Vickers was named the MW Tournament Most Valuable Player and leads the team with a 2.08 ERA. Jada Cooper, Sydney McCray and Addison Shifflett each boast a .350 or above batting average, with Cooper leading the way at .370 through 146 at-bats. McCray also brings speed on the basepaths as she is a perfect 38-for-38 in stolen bases this season out of Grand Canyon's 78 total swiped bags. Head coach Shanon Hays is in his fifth year with the club and 17th overall. Hays owns a 235-58 record with the Lopes and a 706-240-5 career record.
Cards in the Postseason
This marks Louisville's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2023, where the Cards went 1-2 in the Knoxville Regional. Louisville is 17-32 all time in the NCAA Tournament and have not made a Super Regional in 15 appearances. As a head coach, Holly Aprile has led her teams to three regional appearances, two coming at Louisville at one at Pitt.
Last Five NCAA Tournament Appearances:
2023 Regional at Knoxville, Tenn. (1-2)
Indiana 4- Louisville 3
Louisville - 9 - Northern Kentucky 1 (5 inn.)
Indiana 4 - Louisville 2
2019 Regional at Evanston, Ill. (2-2)
Louisville 9 - Southern Illinois 5
Louisville 2 - #18/17 Northwestern 1
#18/17 Northwestern 7 - Louisville 0
#18/17 Northwestern 4 - Louisville 3
2016 Regional Columbia, Mo. (0-2)
Nebraska 3 - Louisville 2
BYU 6 - Louisville 4
2015 Regional at Columbia, Mo. (0-2)
Kansas 1 - Louisville 0
Indiana State 2 - Louisville 1 (8 inn.)
2014 Regional at Tucson, Ariz. (0-2)
#23 LSU 13 - Louisville 9
Boston University 8 - Louisville 3
The Cardinals will head to Lincoln, Nebraska, to face Grand Canyon University in the first round of the tournament. The first game will take place at 4 p.m. ET and be broadcast on ESPNU.
Should UofL win, it will face the winner of No. 4 overall seed Nebraska and South Dakota.
Louisville (44-12, 18-6 ACC) finished the regular season tied for third in the conference title race and made it to the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship. The Cards are the No. 8 seed in the Lincoln Regional, and the game against Grand Canyon will mark the first-ever meeting between the teams.
The full 2026 NCAA D1 Softball Championship bracket can be found here.
About the Lopes
GCU enters the weekend with a 52-8 overall record, one of the best in the country, and with the Mountain West Conference Tournament title. Grand Canyon overcame a nine-run deficit in the tournament title game to defeat Nevada in nine innings and mark its fifth consecutive NCAA appearance. Sophomore Oakley Vickers was named the MW Tournament Most Valuable Player and leads the team with a 2.08 ERA. Jada Cooper, Sydney McCray and Addison Shifflett each boast a .350 or above batting average, with Cooper leading the way at .370 through 146 at-bats. McCray also brings speed on the basepaths as she is a perfect 38-for-38 in stolen bases this season out of Grand Canyon's 78 total swiped bags. Head coach Shanon Hays is in his fifth year with the club and 17th overall. Hays owns a 235-58 record with the Lopes and a 706-240-5 career record.
Cards in the Postseason
This marks Louisville's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2023, where the Cards went 1-2 in the Knoxville Regional. Louisville is 17-32 all time in the NCAA Tournament and have not made a Super Regional in 15 appearances. As a head coach, Holly Aprile has led her teams to three regional appearances, two coming at Louisville at one at Pitt.
Last Five NCAA Tournament Appearances:
2023 Regional at Knoxville, Tenn. (1-2)
Indiana 4- Louisville 3
Louisville - 9 - Northern Kentucky 1 (5 inn.)
Indiana 4 - Louisville 2
2019 Regional at Evanston, Ill. (2-2)
Louisville 9 - Southern Illinois 5
Louisville 2 - #18/17 Northwestern 1
#18/17 Northwestern 7 - Louisville 0
#18/17 Northwestern 4 - Louisville 3
2016 Regional Columbia, Mo. (0-2)
Nebraska 3 - Louisville 2
BYU 6 - Louisville 4
2015 Regional at Columbia, Mo. (0-2)
Kansas 1 - Louisville 0
Indiana State 2 - Louisville 1 (8 inn.)
2014 Regional at Tucson, Ariz. (0-2)
#23 LSU 13 - Louisville 9
Boston University 8 - Louisville 3
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