Where is Binghamton? What to know of Oklahoma softball's NCAA tournament opponent

Oklahoma is the resident juggernaut in college softball, the program that has solidified itself as a modern-day dynasty after steamrolling its way to seven Women’s College World Series championships in the past 13 seasons, including four of the past five.

This week, the Sooners’ path back to Oklahoma City for the WCWS and another NCAA title begins.

Coach Patty Gasso’s team enters the 2026 NCAA Tournament as the event’s No. 3 overall seed and will open play in the Norman Regional on Friday, May 15 with a game against Binghamton, which is appearing in its second-consecutive tournament after winning the America East Conference.

Before the teams take the field, here’s a closer look at Binghamton:

Where is Binghamton?

Binghamton — or, more specifically, the State University of New York at Binghamton — is located in Binghamton, New York, a city with about 50,000 residents that’s located in New York’s Southern Tier region, just north of the Pennsylvania border.

The school’s campus is about 175 miles northwest of New York City and about 190 miles southeast of Buffalo.

Prominent alumni include journalist and longtime "Pardon the Interruption" co-host Tony Kornheiser, House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, "The View" co-host Sunny Hostin, singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson and actress Stephanie Courtney, who's most famous for her work as Flo in the Progressive insurance commercials.

Binghamton mascot

Binghamton’s athletic teams are the Bearcats, a moniker the school adopted in May 1999 when it reclassified to Division I. Baxter the Bearcat serves as Binghamton’s mascot.

The university’s squads were previously known as the Colonials. In the 1950s, when the then-nascent school was known as Harpur College, it unveiled its first live mascot — a Mexican burro named Harpo, who was tethered to a flagpole on campus. He was later removed by the university’s president for kicking and biting students.

Binghamton softball record

The Bearcats, under fifth-year head coach Jess Bump, enter the NCAA tournament with just a 20-25 record, but a 15-5 mark in America East play that placed them second in the conference standings before they went on to win the conference tournament.

Last season, Binghamton came into the tournament with a 36-12 record, but lost each of its first two games to get eliminated from the Eugene Regional.

Binghamton softball NCAA tournament

This year marks the third time Binghamton softball has made the NCAA tournament. Its previous trips came in 2015 and 2025, with the Bearcats going 0-4 in those appearances.