Alabama softball will have the luxury of remaining at home as it looks to work its way toward a trip to Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series next month.

The Crimson Tide were awarded the No. 5 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament during Sunday’s selection show and will now host the Tuscaloosa Regional beginning Friday. Alabama is the top seed in the four-team regional and is joined by No. 2 seed Middle Tennessee State, No. 3 seed Central Arkansas and No. 4 seed Long Island University.

NCAA regionals take on a double-elimination format with one team advancing to a super regional. The winner of the Tuscaloosa Regional will play the winner of the Evanston Regional which features No. 12 overall seed Northwestern as well as Kentucky, Eastern Illinois and Miami (Ohio).

Alabama will open this week’s Tuscaloosa Regional against Long Island at 6 p.m. CT. Friday. Here are three observations, two questions and one prediction as the Crimson Tide heads into NCAA Tournament play.