Page "College softball" Paragraph 2

The first NCAA Women's College World Series was held in 1982, while the first-ever WCWS was held in 1969 in Omaha, Nebraska ( sponsored by the Amateur Softball Association and the Division of Girls ' and Women's Sports ) and annually thereafter.

The tournament now starts with 64 teams from 16 different regions that compete in a double elimination round to start off the championship.

The sixteen winners then enter a ' super regional ', usually held at the higher seed's home ground, for a best-of-3 series.

The eight winners then enter a modified double elimination tournament to determine which team is the national champion.

Instead of being a ' true ' double-elimination tournament, the tournament is split up so there are two brackets, though the losers switch brackets.

The winners of each of the brackets move onto a best-of-3 championship.

The tournament is largely dominated by Pacific-12 Conference teams, who have combined to win 21 of the 27 NCAA Division I championships through 2008, including 10 wins from UCLA ( 1995 championship vacated ) and 8 from University of Arizona.