The 2026 SEC softball regular season is in the books. As a result, the 2026 SEC Tournament bracket is set.
Tennessee softball, after rising to No. 1 in the country earlier this season, slipped up before refinding its footing late in the season. This led to UT being in a tie for fourth in the SEC standings alongside Texas and Texas A&M. However, the Lady Vols did not win the tie-breaker, leading to a 5-seed in the bracket.
As a 5-seed, Tennessee will open the tournament in the second round with a single-bye. It will face the winner between 12-seed South Carolina and 13-seed Ole Miss on Wednesday, May 6, at 5 p.m. ET. The game will be aired on SEC Network with the tournament being played in Lexington, Kentucky.
The winner of that second-round game meets 4-seed Texas in the quarterfinals. It is a single-elimination bracket all the way through to a title game on Saturday evening, airing on ESPN.
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Tennessee is looking for its fourth-ever conference tournament title. The Lady Vols claimed championships in 2006, 2011 and most recently, 2023. It has won the regular season conference title in 2007, 2023 and 2024.
However, while UT would love to win the SEC championship, its focus is also set on making a deep NCAA Tournament run. Tennessee is currently on track to make its 22nd-straight postseason, a streak dating back to 2004.
The Lady Vols have gotten out of the regional stage to the super regionals 14 times. Nine times, Tennessee has won the supers and made an appearance in the Women’s College World Series. This includes last season and in 2023.
Twice, Tennessee has gone all the way to the championship series. However, in both 2007 and 2013, the Lady Vols fell short and finished as the runner-up.
