2021 Big East Conference softball tournament
The 2021 Big East Conference softball tournament was held at Connecticut Softball Stadium on the campus of the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut. The tournament was held from May 13 through May 15, 2021 and determined the champion for the Big East Conference for the 2021 NCAA Division I softball season. As the tournament champion, Villanova earned the Big East Conference's automatic bid to the 2021 NCAA Division I softball tournament. The semifinals and finals were broadcast on Fox Sports 2.[2]
| Teams | 4 |
|---|---|
| Format | Double-elimination tournament |
| Finals site | |
| Champions | Villanova (1st title) |
| Winning coach | Bridget Orchard (1st title) |
| MVP | Paige Rauch (Villanova) |
| Television | FS2 |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | W | L | T | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DePaul † | 13 | – | 1 | – | 0 | .929 | 22 | – | 11 | – | 0 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Villanova ‡y | 15 | – | 2 | – | 0 | .882 | 36 | – | 14 | – | 0 | .720 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UConn | 12 | – | 9 | – | 0 | .571 | 22 | – | 20 | – | 0 | .524 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Creighton | 8 | – | 7 | – | 0 | .533 | 14 | – | 14 | – | 0 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Butler | 6 | – | 11 | – | 1 | .361 | 17 | – | 21 | – | 1 | .449 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. John's | 7 | – | 14 | – | 0 | .333 | 10 | – | 20 | – | 0 | .333 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seton Hall | 5 | – | 13 | – | 0 | .278 | 9 | – | 23 | – | 0 | .281 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Providence | 4 | – | 13 | – | 1 | .250 | 5 | – | 16 | – | 1 | .250 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgetown | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ‡ – Tournament champion As of May 21, 2021[1] Rankings from NFCA/USA Today | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Format and seeding
The top four teams from the conference's round-robin regular season qualified for the tournament, and were seeded one through four. They played a double-elimination tournament. Due to COVID-19 protocols, Creighton was unable to participate in the Tournament, resulting in Butler claiming the fourth seed.[3]
| Team | W | L | T | Pct. | GB | Seed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DePaul | 13 | 1 | 0 | .929 | — | 1 |
| Villanova | 15 | 2 | 0 | .882 | 1.5 | 2 |
| UConn | 12 | 9 | 0 | .571 | 5 | 3 |
| Creighton | 8 | 7 | 0 | .533 | 5.5 | — |
| Butler | 6 | 11 | 1 | .361 | 8.5 | 4 |
| St. John's | 7 | 14 | 0 | .333 | 9.5 | — |
| Seton Hall | 5 | 13 | 0 | .278 | 10 | — |
| Providence | 4 | 13 | 1 | .250 | 10.5 | — |
| Georgetown | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — |
Tournament
Bracket
Game results
| Date | Game | Winner | Score | Loser | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 13 | Game 1 | (4) Butler | 8–1 | (1) DePaul | |
| Game 2 | (3) UConn | 4–3 | (2) Villanova | ||
| Game 3 | (2) Villanova | 9–1 | (1) DePaul | DePaul eliminated | |
| May 14 | Game 4 | (3) UConn | 4–1 | (4) Butler | |
| Game 5 | (2) Villanova | 14–5 | (4) Butler | Butler eliminated | |
| May 15 | Game 6 | (2) Villanova | 5-1 | (3) UConn | |
| Game 7 | (2) Villanova | 6-1 | (3) UConn | UConn eliminated |
References
- "Big East Softball Standings". BigEast.com. Big East Conference. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- "BIG EAST Spring Television, BEDN Slate Announced". Big East Conference. March 12, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
- "Big East Announces Softball Schedule Change". Big East Conference. May 7, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021.