OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Texas is in prime position to successfully defend its national softball championship The Longhorns will need to navigate perhaps the most balanced and unpredictable field in NCAA Championships history to do it.
Texas, which takes the No. 2 overall seed into regional play, will open against Wagner on Friday in the Austin Regional.
The Longhorns (42-10) still have Teagan Kavan, the Most Outstanding Player of last year's Women's College World Series, leading the way from the circle. She has a 21-4 record with a 2.65 earned run average and got the win against Alabama in the Southeastern Conference title game. The prolific offense features Katie Stewart, who is batting .434 with 25 home runs.
Even with that star power, plenty of other contenders are lined up and ready to go.
Alabama (49-7), with star pitcher Jocelyn Briski, is the No. 1 overall seed and looks to add to its 2012 national title. No. 3 seed Oklahoma (48-8), the SEC regular-season champion, has won four of the last five national titles under coach Patty Gasso.
But none of those teams have the No. 1 ranking in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. That honor goes to Nebraska, the No. 4 overall seed. The Cornhuskers (46-6) defeated UCLA in the Big Ten championship game.
Then, there's the team with the top RPI — Arkansas. The Razorbacks (42-11) haven't reached the World Series, despite playing in super regionals in 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2025. This might be the year for the No. 5 overall seed — the Razorbacks rank No. 11 nationally with a 2.52 ERA and boast a .337 team batting average.
No. 6 Florida, with two-time national champion coach Tim Walton, always is a threat. No. 7 seed Tennessee (42-10) won its first 26 games this season and leads the nation with a 1.33 ERA. Hard-throwing Karlyn Pickens was the No. 1 overall pick in the AUSL draft. No. 8 seed UCLA leads the nation in scoring and home runs.
Regional play starts Friday, with the top 16 seeds hosting four-team double-elimination brackets. The eight teams that get through super regionals the following week will play in the World Series, which starts May 28 at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.
UCLA's Megan Grant broke the Division I single-season home run record last Saturday when she hit No. 38 in the Big Ten title game against Nebraska.
She's not certain to hold the record at season's end. Oklahoma freshman Kendall Wells has 36 and Grant's UCLA teammate, Jordan Woolery, has 33.
Oklahoma and UCLA also are competing for the team all-time single-season home record. Oklahoma broke the record earlier this season, but UCLA passed the Sooners up and now lead 182-174. The previous record was 161, set by Oklahoma in 2021.
Nebraska pitcher Jordy Frahm might look familiar, even if her name doesn't.
The all-around star for the Cornhuskers was Jordy Bahl until she got married before this season.
She was still Jordy Bahl last season when she was named 2025 National Fastpitch Coaches Association's Division I Player of the Year. This season, the woman with the new name is getting familiar results. She has an 18-4 record with a 1.24 ERA and has hit .434 with 19 home runs and 50 RBIs.
The Papillion, Nebraska, native was a two-time national champion at Oklahoma and the World Series' most outstanding player in 2023 before transferring and returning to her home state.
Belmont's Maya Johnson and Southeastern Louisiana's combination of Cera Blanchard and Hallie Burns could be significant roadblocks for top-seed Alabama.
Johnson was picked third overall in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League draft. The 6-foot left-hander has a 25-2 record and leads the nation with a 0.66 earned run average.
Blanchard ranks third nationally with a 1.08 ERA. Burns has a 20-4 record and a 1.73 ERA.
Their teams face off Friday. The winner of that game will face Alabama or USC Upstate on Saturday for a spot in the regional final. Belmont or Southeastern Louisiana could be legitimate threats to advance, depending on how their pitchers feel after Friday's action.
Texas Tech might feel snubbed, and that could be a problem for the field.
The Red Raiders are seeded No. 11 overall, despite a 52-6 record this season following a trip to the championship series last year.
NiJaree Canady remains the ace. She wore down in the championship series last year, but she now has help from pitcher Kaitlyn Terry, a transfer from UCLA.
If Tech wins the Lubbock Regional and the brackets go according to form, the Red Raiders could face No. 6 overall seed Florida on the road in super regionals. Tech is actually ranked No. 6 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll, while Florida is No. 10.
There are a few spots where lower seeds could get through in regionals.
Texas A&M is the top seed in the College Station Regional, but Arizona State is a threat with elite pitcher Kenzie Brown, who just led the Sun Devils to the Big 12 tournament championship. She has a 15-6 record with a 2.29 ERA and 238 strikeouts in 143 2/3 innings.
Virginia Tech could win the Baton Rouge Regional at LSU. The Hokies rank fifth nationally with a .355 batting average and are actually ranked ahead of LSU in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll — Tech is No. 14 while LSU is No. 18.
Arizona could present trouble for Duke at the Durham Regional and Mississippi State could be a tough out for Oregon at the Eugene Regional.
AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
FILE - Texas Tech starting pitcher/relief pitcher Nijaree Canady (24) during an NCAA softball game against CS Fullerton on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Cathedral City, Calif. (AP Photo/Mike Buscher,File)
VIENNA (AP) — The Eurovision Song Contest reached its sequin-drenched final on Saturday, with tight security and rainy weather failing to dent the enthusiasm of fans, or the opposition of critics who think Israel shouldn’t be invited to the party.
After a week’s buildup, acts from 25 countries took the stage at the Wiener Stadthalle arena in Vienna to battle for the continent’s pop crown. Millions of viewers around the world will cast judgment on a fiery Finnish violinist, a Moldovan folk rapper, a Serbian metal band and many more at Eurovision’s 70th anniversary event.
The performances are just half of the show. After all the contestants comes the process of casting, tallying and announcing the result of the votes.
The campy, colorful contest has been likened to the World Cup with songs instead of soccer. And like global sports, it often becomes entangled in politics. The contest has been clouded for a third year by calls for Israel to be excluded over its conflicts in Gaza and elsewhere, with five longtime participants — Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia — boycotting in protest.
The political tensions have clouded a contest that over the decades has given the world the perfect pop of ABBA’s “Waterloo” and the ageless “Nel blu, dipinto di blu” — better known as “Volare” — along with a host of Euro-pop party anthems.
The musicians had just 3 minutes to win over millions of viewers who, along with national juries of music professionals, pick the winner.
Jets of flame, glitter guns and wind machines worked overtime in a show that celebrated Europe’s eclectic musical tastes.
Serbian metal band Kravina offered hard rock angst, as did Romania’s Alexandra Căpitănescu with the provocatively titled “Choke Me.” Albania’s Alis used a brooding choral sound to pay tribute to mothers on “Nân.”
Cypriot contestant Antigoni had the crowd on its feet with dancefloor filer “Jalla,” as did Bulgaria’s Dara with the infectious “Bangaranga.” Silver painted and theatrical, Lithuania’s Lion Ceccah was both arty and soulful.
British act Look Mum No Computer’s jokey novelty song “Eins, Zwei, Drei” was followed by Monroe, a soaring soprano from France with “Regarde!”
Female solo artists dominated: an empowering power ballad from Germany’s Sarah Engels, gospel-tinged R&B from Poland’s Alicja, ethereal beauty from Ukraine’s Leléka, techno-pop from Sweden’s Felicia.
Male soloists were well represented too, by the likes of Aidan from Malta, Denmark’s Søren Torpegaard Lund, rock-edged singer Jonas Lovv from Norway, classic Italian crooner Sal Da Vinci and hometown hero Cosmo, representing Austria with a pleasing retro-techno sound.
Australian star Delta Goodrem showed what a diva should be like with her slick midtempo ballad “Eclipse” — and a bravura performance that sees her raised into the air above a glittery piano. A European country would likely host for Australia next year if she wins.
Israeli competitor Noam Bettan was loudly cheered, though there was a smattering of boos as he performed “Michelle,” a rock ballad in Hebrew, French and English. Earlier in the week, four people were ejected for trying to disrupt his semifinal performance.
Party rap with a political edge was in the house thanks to Moldova and Greece. Rapper Satoshi’s ebullient “Viva, Moldova” was a love letter to Europe from a country moving toward the European Union after decades in Moscow’s orbit. Greek artist Akylas’ song “Ferto,” or “Bring It,” provides a playful take on conspicuous consumption in a country still scarred by the economic wounds of the 2008 financial crisis.
Both are likely to score highly with viewers, though national juries, which tend to be more impressed by technical excellence, may be less impressed. Winners are chosen by a mix of votes from the two, translated into points by a system confusing even to Eurovision fans. The act with the most points wins, and their country gets to host the competition next year.
Finland is the favorite in betting odds with “Liekinheitin,” or “Flamethrower,” a fiery duet between the singing of pop star Pete Parkkonen and the fiddling of classical violinist Linda Lampenius.
But Eurovision often produces surprises.
“Eurovision has never really been a contest for big stars. It’s largely been a contest for underdogs,” said Eurovision historian Dean Vuletic. “People like to see the underdog on stage. They like to the artist-in-the-making on stage or an artist from a smaller, poorer country on stage.”
Viewers around the world can vote for their favorites during and for a short time after the performances, before the results are tallied. Viewers in participating countries can vote up to 10 times but aren’t allowed to vote for their own country’s act. Viewers in the U.S. and other nonparticipating countries can vote online at www.esc.vote.
Street protests opposing Israel’s inclusion over the conduct of its war against Hamas in Gaza have been smaller in Vienna than at the 2024 contest in Malmo, Sweden and last year’s event in Basel, Switzerland.
Hundreds marched near the contest arena before Saturday's final, some holding placards saying “Block Eurovision.” Pro-Palestinian groups also staged an outdoor concert on Friday under the banner “No stage for genocide.”
“Inviting Israel on such a beautiful stage as the Eurovision Song Contest stage is an affront to all the people who believe in humanity, who believe in love and togetherness,” said Congolese-Austrian artist Patrick Bongola, one of the organizers.
The five-nation boycott is a revenue and viewership blow to an event that organizers say was watched by 166 million people around the world last year.
Still, Eurovision is eyeing expansion, with a spinoff Eurovision Song Contest Asia due to take place in Bangkok in November.
Eurovision director Martin Green urged viewers to put politics aside and enjoy the “brilliant, wonderful, heartfelt show.”
Vuletic says political controversy is nothing new. The first Eurovision boycott was in 1969 — ironically, by Austria, which refused to send a delegation to Spain under dictator Francisco Franco.
“We’ve seen very politicized editions of the contest in the recent past,” Vuletic said. “All of them were very much mired in political controversy, yet Eurovision continues."
Associated Press writers Hilary Fox and Philipp Jenne in Vienna contributed to this report.
Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen from Finland perform the song "Liekinheitin" during the Grand Final of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Delta Goodrem from Australia performs the song "Eclipse" during the Grand Final of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Noam Bettan from Israel performs the song "Michelle" during the Grand Final of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Delta Goodrem from Australia who will perform the song "Eclipse" walks onstage with her counties flag during the Grand Final of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Noam Bettan from Israel walks onto the stage carrying his countries flag ahead of the Grand Final of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Soren Torpegaard Lund from Denmark performs the song "For Vi Gar Hjem" during the Grand Final of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Demonstrators protest against Israel ahead of the Grand Final of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Spectators wait for the start of the Grand Final of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Delta Goodrem from Australia performs the song "Eclipse" during the dress rehearsal for the Grand Final of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria, Friday, May 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Satoshi from Moldova performs the song "Viva, Moldova!" during the dress rehearsal for the Grand Final of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria, Friday, May 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Akylas from Greece performs the song "Ferto" during the dress rehearsal for the Grand Final of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria, Friday, May 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen from Finland perform the song "Liekinheitin" during the first semifinal of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Aliona Moon sings "Viva Moldova" during her featured performance with Satoshi from Moldova during the dress rehearsal for the Grand Final of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria, Friday, May 15, 2026. CORRECTS PERFORMERS NAME TO ALIONA MOON FROM SATOSHI. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
