The road to Oklahoma City begins this weekend with the start of NCAA Softball Tournament play.
Sixteen sites will host double-elimination regionals Friday through Sunday, narrowing the field of 64 to 16 regional winners. The teams that advance will pair off in best-of-three super regionals, with those eight winners moving on to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City to play for the national championship.
Five experts from the USA TODAY Sports Network have picked the regional winners and projected their WCWS champion. Here are their projections:
Pitcher perfect:'Bionic woman': 5 things to know about Alabama softball ace pitcher Montana Fouts
Show of support:Behind the meaning of green and purple ribbons that college softball players are wearing
Follow the action:2022 NCAA softball tournament: Schedule, bracket, game times, TV listings, past champions