Thirty-two teams were awarded an automatic bid as champions of their conference, and thirty-two teams were selected at-large by the NCAA Division I softball selection committee.
The tournament culminated with eight teams playing in the 2016 Women's College World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City in which the Oklahoma Sooners were crowned the champions.
16 National Seeds were announced on the Selection Show Sunday, May 15 at 10 p.m. EDT on ESPNU.
Teams in bold advanced to Women's College World Series.
The columns RF, SR, WS, NS, CS, and NC respectively stand for the Regional Finals, Super Regionals, College World Series Teams, National Semi-Finals, Championship Series, and National Champion.
Westwood One provided nationwide radio coverage of the championship series.
Kevin Kugler and Leah Amico provided the call for Westwood One.
Any regionals not picked up by ESPN were streamed online by the host institution or broadcast by their television partners.