This is the best NCAA softball regional pitchers' duel no one's talking about

One of the best under-the-radar matchups of regional round of the 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament features two of the sport's best power pitchers, whom fans have likely heard little — or nothing — about.

When Southeastern Louisiana and Belmont face off in the first round of the Tuscaloosa Regional — hosted by top-seeded Alabama on Friday, May 15 — the matchup is poised to be nothing short of a pitchers' duel between some of the best in college softball.

The Bruins will likely trot out Maya Johnson, the No. 3 overall pick of the 2026 AUSL Draft and nation's earned-runs-average leader (0.66). She'll likely face off against either Cera Blanchard (1.03 ERA) or Hallie Burns (1.73 ERA), whose ERAs rank No. 3 and No. 16 nationally, respectively. Even Southeastern's Nos. 3 and 4 arms — Macie LaRue and Haley Crawford — have ERAs under 2.

Despite earning the top seed, Alabama could have its hands full at its own regional with the pitching on display in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide's staff is no slouch either, though, as SEC Pitcher of the Year Jocelyn Briski (1.45 ERA) and true freshman Vic Moten (1.73 ERA) have shut down opposing lineups all season.

Johnson is a finalist for national player of the year despite playing at a mid-major, and Southeastern Louisiana leads the country in shutouts this season. Maybe one run by either team is all it'll take to advance to the winner's bracket.

Here's what to know of the pitching matchup and Tuscaloosa Regional in 2026:

Maya Johnson stats

• Record: 27-2
• ERA: 0.66
• Strikeout: 381
• Innings pitched: 201
• Batting average against: .140
• Strikeout rate: 51.8%
• Home runs allowed: 6

Johnson has been the most dominant pitcher in college softball this season, which is hard to argue even considering she plays out of the Missouri Valley Conference.

The redshirt senior leads the nation in nearly every pitching category: Her 0.66 ERA ranks first nationally, and is over three-tenths better than Tennessee's Sage Mardjetko in second, despite Johnson pitching nearly 100 more innings. Johnson also has a ridiculous 381 strikeouts the year, 102 more than the second-most (279 by St. John's Ana Serafinko).

Johnson dominated Power Four opponents during nonconference play, too: She struck out 12 batters and allowing one run in a complete game against Georgia; she also tossed a complete-game shutout with one hit and 13 strikeouts against Mississippi State; and she gave up one run with 11 strikeouts in a loss to Tennessee early in the season.

Each of those teams is in the 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament, including Tennessee and Georgia as the Nos. 7 and 10 national seeds, respectively.

Johnson also has a whopping 24 double-digit strikeout games in her 31 appearances in 2026, with video-game like numbers of 17 strikeouts against Ohio, Murray State, North Alabama and Illinois State. She even had a 19-strikeout game against Evansville. She has tossed three no-hitters this season against Drake, Illinois-Chicago and Missouri State.

Southeastern Louisiana pitching stats

SELA spreads the wealth with its pitching staff, as its three-headed monster of Burns, Blanchard and LaRue all have more than 70 innings of work this season, with none more pitching more than 110. The Lady Lions' ability to mix and match pitching matchups could be tough against opposing batters in the Tuscaloosa Regional.

It's hard to even say who Southeastern Louisiana's ace is, or who will start against Belmont to open its NCAA Softball Tournament journey: Burns leads the team in innings pitched (109 1/3 innings) and batting average against (.164), although Blanchard leads the team in ERA (1.08) and starts (16). Burns definitely gets more swing-and-miss, though, with 106 strikeouts to Blanchard's 68 on the year.

Here's a look at the trio's stats this season:

• Burns' 2026 stats: 20-4 record with 1.73 ERA and 106 strikeouts in 109 1/3 innings pitched. Nine home runs allowed with a .164 batting average against.
• Blanchard's 2026 stats: 13-2 record with 1.08 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 103 1/3 innings pitched. Four home runs allowed with a .186 batting average against.
• Larue's 2026 stats: 6-3 record with 1.99 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 70 1/3 innings pitched. Four home runs allowed with a .189 batting average against.

Tuscaloosa Regional schedule

Friday, May 15

• Game 1: Alabama vs. USC Upstate | 1 p.m. ET
• Game 2: Southeastern Louisiana vs. Belmont | 3:30 p.m. ET

Saturday, May 16

• Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner | 2 p.m. ET
• Game 4: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser | 4:30 p.m. ET
• Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner | 7 p.m. ET

Sunday, May 17

• Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner | 1 p.m. ET
• Game 7 (if necessary): Game 3 winner vs. Game 6 winner | 3:30 p.m. ET