Category: Softball

Oklahoma Sooners beat Hofstra Pride 11-0

Oklahoma dominates Hofstra 11-0 in the Norman Regional. Kinzie Hansen went 3-for-3 with four RBIs and Nicole May held the Pride to one hit over four innings of work.

Oklahoma softball started its national title defense in run-rule fashion with an 11-0 win over the Hofstra Pride.

Jayda Coleman reached first on an error, and Tiare Jennings smashed a double to the wall to move Coleman to third. Haley Lee beat out an infield single to drive Coleman in to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

In the bottom of the second, Grace Lyons made it 3-0 with her eighth home run of the season, a two-run bomb to score Kinzie Hansen.

With one out in the third, Lee and Alyssa Brito reached with back-to-back singles before Hansen cleared the bases with a double to make it 5-0.

In the fourth inning, Oklahoma put the game in run-rule territory, plating six in the inning and sending 11 Sooners to the plate to make it 11-0. Jayda Coleman hit her team-leading 15th home run of the season to kickstart the scoring in the frame. Cydney Sanders drew a walk, and Lee reached base for the third time in the game with a walk of her own. Jocelyn Erickson, pinch-running for Sanders, scored on a single by Brito, and Hansen added another pair of RBIs with a single to center to make it 10-0.

Oklahoma got their final run of the game when super senior Grace Green reached on an error, which allowed Hansen to score from second to make it 11-0.

Nicole May dominated from the circle, throwing four innings of one-hit ball. May didn’t walk a batter and struck out five to pick up her 17th win of the season and lower her ERA to 0.58 on the season. Alex Storako closed out the win with

Oklahoma now gets ready for Missouri, who beat California 5-1 in game two of the regional. Leadoff hitter Jenna Laird went 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles, an RBI, and two runs scored. Alex Honnold provided the big blast with a three-run home run out of the two-hole

The Sooners and the Tigers will face off at 2 p.m. CT.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=683578888]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jake on Twitter @jake_faigus

How to watch LSU softball take on Louisiana in the Baton Rouge Regional winners bracket on Saturday

The 10th-seeded Tigers won 12-2 in their opener against Prairie View A&M on Friday.

The Tigers took care of business to begin the NCAA softball tournament on Friday evening, earning a 12-2 run-rule win over Prairie View A&M in five innings.

The reward? A winners bracket date with a Louisiana team that’s regarded as one of the stronger two seeds in the entire tournament. The Ragin’ Cajuns also made things look pretty easy on Friday, winning their opener over Omaha with a 5-0 shutout.

Champions out of the Sun Belt, UL (47-13) went 22-2 in conference play while clinching the league’s auto-bid with a win in the conference tournament.

Here’s what you need to know as LSU looks to enter Sunday with a 2-0 record.

LSU softball rolls in Baton Rouge Regional opener with dominating run-rule win over Prairie View A&M

The Tigers move on to face Louisiana in the winners bracket on Saturday.

It was all LSU in the opener against Prairie View A&M at the Baton Rouge Regional on Friday evening. The Tigers began the NCAA tournament on a high note as they rolled to a 12-2 run-rule win in five innings.

Now, coach Beth Torina’s team will move on to the 1-0 game on Saturday against Louisiana, which won its opener over Omaha 5-3.

Despite putting away the first two batters she faced to begin the game, Tigers starting pitcher [autotag]Raelin Chaffin[/autotag] couldn’t escape the first inning unscathed as she gave up a one-run homer to right field to give the Panthers the early lead. She responded with a strikeout, her second of the frame, to avoid further damage.

That lead wouldn’t last long, though. LSU led off the bottom of the frame with three-straight singles to load up the bases, and a sacrifice fly from [autotag]Georgia Clark[/autotag] brought home [autotag]Danieca Coffey[/autotag] as well as [autotag]Ciara Briggs[/autotag] after an errant throw home.

[autotag]Taylor Pleasants[/autotag] added a third run in the inning on another sacrifice, this time from [autotag]McKenzie Redoutey[/autotag]. [autotag]Maci Bergeron[/autotag] would then add to the lead in the bottom of the second with a leadoff solo shot over the center field wall to give LSU a 4-1 lead.

Later in the inning, Prairie View recorded another error on a throw to first after an attempted sac-bunt from Coffey, sending [autotag]Raeleen Gutierrez[/autotag] home from third still with no outs on the board. A subsequent single allowed to Briggs would prove to be the end of Panthers starter Jerrica Rojas’ night.

That wouldn’t end the onslaught, though. Pleasants greeted the new pitcher with a two-RBI single to extend the lead to 7-1.

Things just got worse for PVAMU in the third. With runners at second and third, Gutierrez scored on a passed ball. Briggs reached on a throwing error, allowing Coffey to score, and an RBI double from Pleasants brought Briggs home.

An [autotag]Ali Newland[/autotag] home run capped off the inning and gave the Tigers a 12-1 lead. Prairie View would get a run back in the top of the fourth, but it stranded two runners on and remained in run-rule position.

The Panthers got two on in the top of the fifth in hopes of avoiding the end of the game, but Chaffin got a game-ending eighth strikeout. In her NCAA tournament debut, Chaffin was electric. She allowed just two hits and one earned run in a complete game victory.

LSU will face the Ragin’ Cajuns in the winner’s bracket at noon CT on Saturday.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=693609636]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

Three Lady Vols earn all-region softball honors

Three Lady Vols earn all-region softball honors.

Three Tennessee softball players have been named to the National Fast Pitch Coaches Association’s All-Region Team.

McKenna Gibson, Kiki Milloy and Ashley Rogers earned first-team honors when the NFCA announced its all-region teams, which honors players from the association’s 10 regions.

Gibson, the Lady Vols’ first baseman, recorded a .380 batting average, 15 home runs and 57 RBIs ahead of the NCAA Tournament.

Milloy enters the NCAA Tournament leading college softball with 23 home runs.

The senior is Tennessee’s leadoff hitter and holds the school’s all-time single-season record for home runs. In 2023, she was honored by the NFCA for the third time.

Rogers (16-1), a graduate student pitcher, recorded 160 strikeouts ahead of the NCAA Tournament.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

Patrick Murphy on Montana Fouts: ‘She’s our version of Tua’

Montana Fouts has been a leader for Alabama softball since she arrived in Tuscaloosa and head coach Patrick Murphy offers high praise for the pitcher.

Alabama softball pitcher Montana Fouts has enough accolades to divide among five players and have all five lead successful careers. She’s been a star not just for the Crimson Tide, but has been a national representative for the sport.

Her success and leadership at Alabama have assisted the program in more ways than imaginable. Head coach Patrick Murphy understands how important she is and has been to the team, the program and the game.

In the SEC Tournament, Fouts suffered a leg injury and has not been able to play since. There’s no clarity as to whether or not she will be able to pitch again this postseason.

During recent media availability, Murphy talked about Fouts and had nothing but extremely positive things to say about the graduate student pitcher. He even compared her to former Crimson Tide star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

“I’ve said it before. She’s our version of Tua. I don’t know how else to describe it. She’s just one of those once-in-a-lifetime kids.”

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama softball as the postseason continues for the Crimson Tide.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on Twitter @SpurrFM. 

Where Florida softball ranks among Most Outstanding Player winners in WCWS history

These are three names no Florida softball fan will ever forget.

The first year of the Women’s College World Series was way back in 1982 when the UCLA Bruins brought home the first-ever college softball national championship. Over a decade later in 1995, the Most Outstanding Player award — which is given to the best individual WCWS player each year — was created.

Since then, three members of the Florida Gators softball program have earned the highly-esteemed honor, with the first coming in 2011 when centerfielder Michelle Moultrie was co-MOP alongside Arizona State Sun Devil pitcher Dallas Escobedo. The other two were pitchers Hannah Rogers in 2014 and Lauren Haeger in 2015.

Take a look at the full list of award winners, courtesy of College Sports Wire.

Year Athlete Team Class Position
2022 Jocelyn Alo Oklahoma R-Senior DP
2021 Giselle Juarez Oklahoma R-Senior Pitcher
2020 Canceled due to COVID-19 – – –
2019 Rachel Garcia UCLA Senior Pitcher
2018 Jessie Warren Florida State Senior Third base
2017 Shay Knighten Oklahoma Sophomore First base
2016 Paige Parker Oklahoma Sophomore Pitcher
2015 Lauren Haeger Florida Senior Pitcher
2014 Hannah Rogers Florida Senior Pitcher
2013 Keilani Ricketts Oklahoma Senior Pitcher
2012 Jackie Traina Alabama Sophomore Pitcher
2011 Dallas Escobedo (co-MOP) Arizona St. Freshman Pitcher
2011 Michelle Moultrie (co-MOP) Florida Junior Centerfield
2010 Megan Langenfeld UCLA Senior Pitcher
2009 Danielle Lawrie Washington Junior Pitcher
2008 Katie Burkhart Arizona State Senior Pitcher
2007 Tayrne Mowatt Arizona Junior Pitcher
2006 Alicia Hollowell Arizona Senior Pitcher
2005 Samantha Findlay Michigan Freshman First base
2004 Kristin Schmidt LSU Senior Pitcher
2003 Keira Goerl UCLA Senior Pitcher
2002 Jocelyn Forest California Senior Pitcher
2001 Jennie Finch Arizona Senior Pitcher
2000 Jennifer Stewart Oklahoma Sophomore Pitcher
1999 Julie Adams UCLA Junior Third base
1998 Amanda Scott Fresno State Sophomore Pitcher
1997 Nancy Evans Arizona Junior Pitcher
1996 Jenny Dalton Arizona Senior Second base
1995 Tanya Harding UCLA Junior Pitcher

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. The WCWS takes place on Jun. 1 at OGE Energy Field at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Sooners are looking to defend its 2022 national title.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1959]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Auburn softball enters Clemson Regional with ‘extra motivation’

After missing a chance to host a regional this season, the Auburn Tigers are driven to make a statement in Clemson.

When it came to picking a regional host, the No. 16 Auburn Tigers had a resume worthy of such honor. However, the NCAA Tournament selection committee failed to share those sentiments, thus moving Auburn into the traveling category.

Auburn will compete in the Clemson Regional, hosted by the No. 16 overall seed, Clemson. Should Auburn come out of the weekend on top, their next destination would be Norman, Oklahoma to face the postseason’s top overall seed.

D1Softball’s Rhiannon Potkey understands Auburn’s frustrations and feels that the orange and blue Tigers will have extra drive heading into the weekend.

The Tigers certainly have enough reasons to be miffed by their placing in the bracket. Not only did the committee not give Auburn a national seed, they sent the Tigers back to Clemson for the second straight season. Auburn beat Alabama and LSU head-to-head in SEC play, and both squads received national seeds over the Tigers. If they needed extra motivation, they got it.

This bracket will not be a breeze for any team, as the Clemson Regional features three of the game’s top pitchers in Auburn’s Maddie Penta, Clemson’s Valerie Cagle, and Cal State Fullerton’s Myka Sutherlin. Auburn’s performance against regional hosts such as Alabama and LSU should boost Auburn’s chances of winning the regional, as Potkey has predicted that Auburn will upset Clemson for the weekend victory.

Potkey likes Auburn’s chances should they get past Cal State Fullerton on Friday.

The Tigers have plenty of pop in the lineup, led by [autotag]Nelia Peralta[/autotag], [autotag]Lindsey Garcia[/autotag], and [autotag]Denver Bryant[/autotag] among others. Auburn is 1-2 all-time in games against Cal State Fullerton. The two teams last met in Fullerton in 2015 with the Titans beating Auburn 3-2. That is where Auburn will start. They are just hoping for a better finish than the last trip to Clemson.

Auburn’s run to the Women’s College World Series begins Friday at 4:30 when the Tigers face Cal State Fullerton at McWhorter Stadium.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

[lawrence-related id=66389]

How to watch as No. 10-seeded LSU softball opens NCAA Regional against Prairie View A&M on Friday

The Tigers will look to avoid a repeat of last season’s 0-2 regional showing.

It’s NCAA tournament time again for coach Beth Torina’s LSU softball team.

After a 40-win campaign, the Tigers earned the No. 10 national seed and are hosting a regional this weekend in Baton Rouge, which also features Louisiana and Omaha. First up, however, LSU will face the SWAC champion Prairie View A&M Panthers, which enters at 30-18 on the year.

The Tigers will open their run at 5 p.m. CT on Friday night.

PVAMU is on a four-game winning streak having clinched the SWAC’s auto-bid by winning the conference tournament. With a 22-2 record in league play, the Panthers also captured the regular season SWAC title.

Louisiana and Omaha face in Game 1 at 2:30 p.m. CT.

LSU went 0-2 on the road in the regional round last season. Torina’s squad will hope for a different result this time in the comfortable confines of Tiger Park. Here’s what you need to know to follow this one.

Auburn vs. Cal State Fullerton: How to watch the opener of the Clemson regional

Opening day of the NCAA Regionals is here. Here’s everything you need to know for Auburn’s regional opener with Cal State Fullerton.

The No. 16 Auburn Tigers (40-17) face the Cal State Fullerton Titans (33-19) in the opening game of the Clemson Regional at McWhorter Stadium. If you are wondering how to catch the action live, you have come to the right place.

After ending the regular season as the No. 3 team in the SEC, the Auburn Tigers just missed hosting an NCAA regional in 2023 and will have to work towards the Women’s College World Series on the road by competing in the Clemson Regional, hosted by No. 16 overall seed, Clemson.

First up is a quiet challenger in the Cal State Fullerton Titans. The Titans enter the postseason as the champion of the Big West Conference with a 20-7 conference record. Cal State Fullerton also has a respectable resume by holding three wins against tier-one teams in the latest RPI and ranks in the top 40 of the RPI.

The Titans are led by stellar pitching as Myka Sutherlin has posted a 19-9 record and a 1.19 ERA with an impressive 227 strikeouts.

RELATED: Ranking 2023 NCAA Softball Regional hosts

The opening day of the Clemson regional should be an exciting one for the Auburn Tigers. Below, you will find key information ahead of Friday’s game including a broadcast guide, a projected lineup, and players to keep an eye on.

Ranking the Regional Hosts in the 2023 NCAA Softball Tournament

Did the selection committee get it right?

The NCAA Softball Tournament is here and it is time to take a look at the teams hosting regionals.

Some teams such as the Oklahoma Sooners and the UCLA Bruins did not have too much to worry about on Selection Sunday, however, teams such as the Auburn Tigers were watching nervously to see if they would be hosting a regional.

The power rankings of the teams selected to host are as follows: