Despite being the No. 1 team in the country, the Oklahoma Sooners won’t get the opportunity to ease into the Women’s College World Series as they get set to take on No. 10 Northwestern (the No. 9 seed in the tournament), who outlasted Arizona State on Sunday night to win their Super Regional matchup.
Northwestern brings to Oklahoma City one of the best pitchers in the country in Danielle Williams who’s gone 31-4 this season with a 1.86 ERA. She’s struckout 323 batters in 241 innings pitched for the Wildcats and was a top 10 finalist for National Player of the Year.
The Wildcats lineup also boasts five players hitting better than .300 on the year, led by Rachel Lewis. Lewis has 22 home runs, 61 RBIs, and 26 stolen bases on the season.
Looking to repeat as national champions, the Oklahoma Sooners boast an incredible lineup of their own with nine players hitting better than .300 and three players hitting better than .400 on the season. The Sooners also boast a ton of power with Jocelyn Aloa, Tiare Jennings, and Grace Lyons each surpassing the 20-homer mark in 2022.
Alo is on the verge of her third 30 home run season and has a chance to leave the all-time home run record at more than 120 for her career.
The big question facing the Sooners is the status of Jordy Bahl. Bahl has been held out for the last several weeks as she recovers from what was described as soreness. In her absence, Hope Trautwein and Nicole May have been fantastic, leading the Sooners to an unbeaten mark in NCAA tournament play.
As Oklahoma gets set to take on the Northwestern Wildcats, here’s how you can tune in for the [autotag]Women’s College World Series[/autotag] opener.
- Date: Thursday, June 2, 2022
- Time: 1:30 p.m. CDT
- TV Channel: ESPN following Texas vs. No. 5 UCLA.
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
- Radio Broadcast: The game can be heard on 107.7 The Franchise in Oklahoma and nationwide on The Varsity app.
No. 1 Oklahoma vs No. 10 Northwestern
Players to watch:
No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners
[autotag]Jocelyn Alo[/autotag]: .497 batting average with 29 home runs, 72 RBIs, 49 walks, Reigning National Player of the Year, 2022 Big 12 Player of the year.
[autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag]: .385 batting average with 24 home runs and 72 RBIs, 38 walks.
[autotag]Grace Lyons[/autotag]: .418 batting average with 21 home runs and 62 RBIs, 20 walks. 2022 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
[autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag]: .429 batting average with 7 home runs, 37 RBIs, 46 walks, and 13 stolen bases.
[autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag]: 21-1 with a 0.95 ERA, 199 strikeouts in 132.1 innings pitched. 2022 Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
[autotag]Nicole May[/autotag]: 15-0 with a 0.99 ERA, 93 strikeouts in 85 innings pitched.
[autotag]Hope Trautwein[/autotag]: 18-1 with a 0.40 ERA, 141 strikeouts in 104.1 innings pitched.
No. 11 Northwestern Wildcats
Jordyn Rudd: .375 batting average with 8 home runs, 52 RBIs, 18 walks, and 13 stolen bases.
Rachel Lewis: .356 batting average with 22 home runs, 61 RBIs, 43 walks, and 26 stolen bases.
Skyler Shellmyer: .354 batting average with 1 home run, 8 RBIs, 22 walks, and 22 stolen bases.
Nikki Cuchran: .341 batting average with 8 home runs, 50 RBIs, and 13 walks.
Danielle Williams: 31-4 with a 1.86 ERA, 323 strikeouts in 241 innings pitched.
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