The Super Regionals are set, here is how you can tune in for the action.
The race to the Women’s College World Series started with 64 teams and has been whittled down to just a Sweet 16. Some teams, like San Diego State University, are headed to Super Regionals for the first time in program history, while others like Oklahoma, are old pros.
Super regionals are slated for May 25-27 or May 26-28. The games will be held at eight campus sites and the two teams at each site will play in a best-of-three tournament format.
No. 2 seeded UCLA was knocked out of the tournament early, while unranked University Louisiana-Lafayette moved on to supers for the first time since 2016. All eyes are on Oklahoma, however, who is looking to snag back-to-back national championships.
If they defeat San Diego State University twice, they will advance to the first Super Regional in program history.
The Liberty Flames knocked out No. 2 seeded UCLA from the 2023 NCAA Women’s College World Series tournament in the Los Angeles Regionals bracket. Flames’ sophomore KC Machado hit a go-ahead single in the 7th and down went 12-time National Champion UCLA.
The Bruins lost to Grand Canyon University earlier during regionals and thus, the Flames delivered the death knell. This marks a tie for the highest seed ever ousted in regional play. This is also the first time since 2012 that UCLA didn’t make it out of its own hosted regional.
𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐔𝐓 🔥
Liberty delivers the knockout blow to (2) UCLA, upsetting the Bruins, 2-1, and knocking the 12-time national champions out of the tournament!!!#RoadToWCWS x 📸 @LibertySBpic.twitter.com/SFSMPqILTN
The Flames then defeated Grand Canyon University to make it to the regional final. This is the third time in program history the Flames have made it this far in the tournament. If they defeat San Diego State University twice, they will advance to the first Super Regional in program history. Liberty will take on San Diego State at 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Be sure to catch all the action in the 2023 Women’s College World Series here.
This school has the most number of Most Outstanding Players in the Women’s College World series.
The Women’s College World Series (WCWS) started in 1982 with UCLA taking home the the first ever National Championship in softball. In 1995, the Most Outstanding Player (MOP) award was created. The award is given to the best individual WCWS player each year.
Oklahoma has six players who have received the award, the most out of any school, with UCLA and Arizona having five apiece. The majority of the award winners are seniors, but there have been a few freshman to be honored with the award.
In 2005, the first freshman received the award and it was Michigan’s Samantha Findlay. Then in 2011, the last time a freshman won the award, Dallas Escobedo from Arizona State was co-MOP. Most recently, however, the seniors from Oklahoma have taken the award with Jocelyn Alo winning in 2022 and Giselle Juarez in 2021.
The road to the WCWS starts May 19 with Regionals taking place across 16 campus sites. Each site will have a four-team, double-elimination tournament with the 16 winning teams advancing to super regionals. Super regionals are May 25-28 on eight campus sites. The two teams at each site will play in a best-of-three tournament format.
The winners from each super regional then advance to the Women’s College World Series (WCWS). The WCWS takes place on Jun. 1 at OGE Energy Field at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Oklahoma is looking to defend their 2022 national title.
On Sunday, the NCAA announced the 64 teams who would compete in the 2023 NCAA Division I Softball Championship. Oklahoma was seeded No. 1 overall with No. 2 seed UCLA and No. 3 seed Florida State rounding out the Top-3 seeds.
The field of 64 teams is filled by 32 teams who automatically earned a spot because they were conference champions and the remaining 32 slots were filled with at-large selections.
Regionals are May 19-21 with each of the 16 campus sites hosting a four-team, double-elimination tournament with the 16 winning teams advancing to super regionals. Super regionals are May 25-28 on eight campus sites. The two teams at each site will play in a best-of-three tournament format.
The winners from each super regional then advance to the Women’s College World Series (WCWS). The WCWS takes place on Jun. 1 at OGE Energy Field at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Oklahoma is looking to defend their 2022 national title while some teams like Charlotte, Eastern Illinois, George Mason, North Carolina Central, Northern Colorado, Northern Kentucky and Omaha, are making their first ever appearance in the tournament.
Surprisingly, despite having three players in the Top 10 list, softball powerhouse Oklahoma players were not among the Top 3.
Initially, the field was narrowed down to just ten Division 1 players for the prestigious 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. And now, the field was again narrowed to the Top 3 finalists. The award “aims to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by Division I softball players over the course of the entire season.”
Surprisingly, despite having three players in the Top 10 list, softball powerhouse Oklahoma players were not among the Top 3.
Cagle was named a USA Softball Top 10 Finalist in 2021 and is a two-time ACC player of the year. She was also named the freshman of the year in 2021. Cagle is a two-way player and has shined on and off the mound. She has a .457 batting average, .889 slugging percentage and 23 wins in the circle which places her at No. 11 on the NCAA leaderboard.
UCLA’s Maya Brady
Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports
There have only been two UCLA players to win the award. With Rachel Garcia (2017-21) winning the award twice, in 2019 and 2018, and Stacey Nuveman in 2002. Brady won the 2023 Pac-12 batting title with a .456 average following all conference regular-season games and was named the 2023 Pac-12 Player of the Year.
Florida’s Skylar Wallace
Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun
Rounding out the finalists is Florida’s Skylar Wallace. She is the 2023 SEC Player of the Year and a three-time SEC Player of the Week. She has a 1.036 slugging percentage which ranks first in the nation. Additionally, her .460 batting average is fifth in the nation.
The player of the year will be announced on May 30 at the athlete banquet prior to the NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS).
The list of draftees included 14 eligible seniors who were selected as members of the 2023 Softball College Draft Class.
Athletes Unlimited Softball held the 2023 Athletes Unlimited College draft at 7 p.m. ET May 8 on YouTube. College players were invited by the player executive committee to join the league and their names were called live.
Athletes Unlimited Softball is a “women’s professional softball league changing the game into can’t-miss-a-thing, action-packed moments you’ve never seen before.”
The list of draftees included 14 eligible seniors who were selected as members of the 2023 Softball College Draft Class. The No. 1 overall pick was Wichita State’s middle infielder Sydney McKinney. She is also one of the Top-10 finalists for the 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award.
See who was selected in the Athletes Unlimited Softball draft.
Athletes Unlimited Softball held the 2023 Athletes Unlimited College draft at 7 p.m. ET May 8 on YouTube. College players were invited by the player executive committee to join the league and their names were called live.
Season 4 begins July 28 and 56 of the world’s best professional softball players will battle it out for five weeks of competition at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Illinois.
Athletes Unlimited Softball is a “women’s professional softball league changing the game into can’t-miss-a-thing, action-packed moments you’ve never seen before.”
The league is unique and players are in control of everything off-the-field from which athletes to recruit to creating league rules and the players retain equity in the league. Each week of the season the top four players become new captains and then draft their teams from scratch.
The scoring is a bit different as well. “During every game, players can earn or lose points by performing as individuals and winning as a team. Every moment counts as athletes aim to climb the leaderboard to earn bonuses and become Champion.”
The Arizona Wildcats hold the record for the most wins in a row in NCAA D1 softball history with 47 games. The Oklahoma Sooners are hot on the record, however, and in the past five years have gotten close to breaking the record each year. The Sooners make the list more times than any other school.
The 2023 Women’s College World Series (WCWS) is approaching and the Sooners are poised to break the longstanding record the Wildcats set in 1996. The WCWS is set to start June 1 and Oklahoma is currently ranked first.
The Sooners also have three players in the running for the 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. The award “aims to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by Division I softball players over the course of the entire season.”
Which ten players made the list for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year?
The field has been narrowed down to just ten Division 1 players for the prestigious 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. The award “aims to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by Division I softball players over the course of the entire season.”
The University of Oklahoma, a powerhouse in the sport, has three players on the list while UCLA and Tennessee have two players each. The other schools represented are Clemson, Wichita, and Florida.
Three finalists will be revealed May 17 and the recipient of the award will be announced prior to the NCAA Women’s College World Series slated for Jun. 1-9 at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex.
