March 30, 2000
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The 21st-ranked Notre Dame softball team has been rated first in the Northeast Region by the NCAA Division I Softball Committee, it was announced Thursday.
The Irish are making their first appearance in the Northeast Region after being ranked as a member of the Mideast Region last year, where they finished the season in the number 10 slot.
Also appearing in this week’s first regional rankings are BIG EAST foes Connecticut (second), who the Irish play March 31 at home, and Villanova (fifth).
The bi-weekly rankings are used as a part of the championship tournament selection process and consist of six regions with 10 teams apiece.
NCAA Regional Rankings
March 31, 2000
| Northeast Region | Mideast Region | Midwest Region |
| 1. Notre Dame | 1. Michigan | 1. Oklahoma |
| 2. Connecticut | 2. Iowa | 2. Oklahoma State |
| 3. Hofstra | 3. Illinois-Chicago | 3. Southwest Texas St. |
| 4. Virginia Tech | 4. Wisconsin | 4. Southern Illinois |
| 5. Villanova | 5. Michigan State | 5. Nebraska |
| 6. Long Island | 6. Penn State | 6. Missouri |
| 7. Boston University | 7. Minnesota | 7. Texas A&M |
| 8. Delaware | 8. Ohio State | 8. Iowa State |
| 9. Cornell | 9. Western Illinois | 9. Texas |
| 10. Massachusetts | 10. Northwestern | 10. Creighton |
| South Region | West Region | Pacific Region |
| 1. Southern Mississippi | 1. Fresno State | 1. Washington |
| 2. LSU | 2. Cal State Fullerton | 2. Arizona |
| 3. Alabama | 3. Long Beach State | 3. UCLA |
| 4. Louisiana-Lafayette | 4. Utah | 4. California |
| 5. Mississippi State | 5. New Mexico | 5. Arizona State |
| 6. South Carolina | 6. UNLV | 6. Stanford |
| 7. North Carolina | 7. Pacific | 7. Oregon State |
| 8. East Carolina | 8. San Diego State | 8. Oregon |
| 9. Florida State | 9. UC Santa Barbara | 9. Cal State Sacramento |
| 10. Arkansas | 10. Hawai’i | 10. Cal State Northridge |