Tag: 2023 Women’s College World Series

Women’s College World Series continues to display incredible growth

Viewership of the Women’s College World Series experienced another year of growth, reflecting how the sport’s grown in recent years.

The world of collegiate softball has experienced incredible growth over the last decade. Especially during Oklahoma’s national championship three-peat, the growth of the sport has exploded.

The energy, the fast paced nature, and the intriguing storylines of the game have turned it into must-see television in recent years. And it looks like the television numbers bear that out.

Even though the championship series wasn’t drawn out, the social media impressions and viewership numbers were quite impressive. Game 1 of the series boasted 1.3 million viewers with a peak at 1.5 million. While Game 2 had 1.9 million viewers with a peak of 2.3 million with an average viewership for the championship series at 1.6 million viewers. The viewership for the series was up seven percent year-over-year. – Alex Sinatra, College Sports Wire

The Women’s College World Series experienced a 7% increase from the 2022 viewership. Additionally, the Women’s College World Series generated an incredible buzz on social media.

The social media numbers were impressive as well with the series garnering almost one hundred million impressions in just two days, according to Zoomph. – Sinatra, College Sports Wire

NCAA softball, ESPN, and the team’s social media departments have done a great job marketing the sport over the last few years, highlighting the incredible athletes they have at the collegiate level.

Women’s athletics has seen a landmark year with the impressive numbers created by women’s gymnastics, basketball, and now softball. It’s a credit to the sports and to the universities and networks for investing in and providing exposure to these incredible athletes.

In softball, the Oklahoma Sooners have created a number of storylines that will keep the sport buzzing heading into the 2024 season. How far can they take their record win streak? Can they be the first team to ever win four-straight national championships? What will they look like after losing Jordy Bahl? Can anyone in softball dethrone the Sooners?

2023 was an incredible season filled with incredible stories, but 2024 will be another thrilling installment in the story of college softball.

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Jordy Bahl leaves Oklahoma with a lasting legacy in Norman and on the game

Jordy Bahl’s two years in Norman left a lasting impact on the Oklahoma Sooners and elevated softball to greater heights.

The transfer portal has opened the door for more player movement than ever before, and the Oklahoma Sooners have benefitted greatly from the portal. Whether it’s their Heisman-winning quarterbacks or the additions on the diamond, the Sooners have welcomed a lot of talent through the portal over the years.

Well, Monday marked arguably the University of Oklahoma’s biggest loss to the portal in star pitcher Jordy Bahl. Bahl announced via social media that she was entering the portal. Citing a desire to be close to family and raise the profile of softball in the state of Nebraska, Bahl is heading home.

Though she was in Norman for just two years, her legacy is cemented as one of the greatest to ever grace Marita Hynes Field for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Jordy Bahl was one of the two best pitchers in the sport in 2023, and after her run in the NCAA tournament and after outdueling NiJaree Canady, it’s easy to argue that she was the best pitcher in softball. It’s just a bummer that her time in Norman has come to an end.

But her departure doesn’t negate the impact she made and the legend she created.

Not only was she really good at what she did, her passion and ferocity in the circle made for incredible television. Bahl made a habit of turning it up a notch when opponents had runners on base and threatened to score. Regularly, she would find a way to work out of a jam and keep the opposition off the board.

The last three months of the season saw one of the more dominant runs the sport has ever seen, as she allowed just five runs in more than 100 innings of work from March 14 to the end of the season. That includes allowing just one run in the NCAA tournament and blanking all comers in the Women’s College World Series.

Back in 2022, Bahl earned the NFCA Freshman of the Year, was a two-time All-Big 12 selection, two-time All-American, and two-time Big 12 Pitcher of the Year recipient. In her time with the Sooners, bahl threw a pair of perfect games. One in 2022 against Cal State Fullerton and one in 2023 against Southeastern Louisiana. In 2022, she set a freshman record for strikeouts with 16 against Tennessee.

In her two seasons, Bahl threw 26 complete games, 15 shutouts, and recorded 397 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .145 batting average in 2022 and .160 in 2023. She had a record of 44-2 in two seasons to help lead Oklahoma to national titles in both seasons in Norman.

Jordy Bahl’s departure will be felt. She was a beloved teammate. Simply go back and watch the embrace between Bahl and battery mate Kinzie Hansen when they clinched the national championship.

Look at the reactions from her teammates in the wake of her announcement on Twitter.

She did great things at Oklahoma and will no doubt do great things at her next landing spot. Jordy Bahl’s mark on the sport of softball is indelible. Whatever the future holds, she’ll have left a lasting impression in Norman and in the sport of softball with the passion and joy that she plays with.

Here’s a look back at some of the best photos of Jordy Bahl’s time with the Oklahoma Sooners.

5 takeaways from Oklahoma Sooners record-breaking national championship season

2023 was an incredible season for Oklahoma Sooners Softball. Here are five takeaways from the record-breaking, championship run.

It’s been a few days since the Oklahoma Sooners clinched their seventh straight national championship. Still, it feels surreal the kind of season the Sooners had.

They finished 61-1. They have a 53-game winning streak. They possess the No. 1 offense, ERA and fielding percentage in college softball despite not having a National Player of the Year finalist. They had a 14-0 beat down of then No. 1 UCLA. The countless clutch, come-from-behind moments. A perfect postseason. A three-peat.

It was an incredible season that created a number of memories for the team and its fan base. It was a run that helped further elevate the game of softball to national consciousness. Here are five takeaways from the 2023 season for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Stephen A. Smith on Sooners success: ‘I want to know what’s in the water in Oklahoma’

Stephen A. Smith on Oklahoma Softball: “…all I can say to all the young ladies out there, anybody that wants to learn how to play softball in a winning way, clearly the place to visit is Oklahoma University.”

Oklahoma softball has been on a remarkable run over the last three years en route to three consecutive national championships. On the way to becoming the second program in the history of NCAA softball to three-peat, the Oklahoma Sooners became must-see television.

They didn’t just win games, they did it in a way that left no doubt who the best team in softball was. They scored 500 runs for the third straight season, becoming the first program to reach the 500-run mark in three consecutive years.

It has been an incredible run that even caught the eye of Stephen A. Smith, an analyst for ESPN, who acknowledged Oklahoma’s greatness on his show “First Take.”

I want an investigation into this program. Obviously, I’m being very facetious in giving them mad mad credit and love. Let me explain to America something that’s going on here. I want to know what’s in the water in Oklahoma. Something. Not only have they won three consecutive national championships, they are 56-4, 59-3 and 61-1. Have a 53-game winning streak this past season. Over the last three years, that is 176-8. The year before that. They were 20-4 before the pandemic canceled the season. OK. And previously, they had won two of the three previous championships before that. Oh, no, what the (expletive) is going on here? This level of domination? I mean, we think about UCLA with John Wooden. You think about, you know, you think about that. You think about the Boston Celtics, 60s and 70s. The level of domination going on in Oklahoma at the University of Oklahoma with this softball team is unreal. So congratulations to them. It is something special, and all I can say to all the young ladies out there, anybody that wants to learn how to play softball in a winning way, clearly the place to visit is Oklahoma University. — Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s First Take

Oklahoma’s run of success over the last decade is as impressive as any. Not only at the collegiate level but also at the professional level. It’s a run that rivals the New England Patriots and the Alabama Crimson Tide in football over the last two decades.

Patty Gasso’s led Oklahoma to a level of success that rivals that of legendary women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma and the UConn Huskies. From 2008-2009 through the 2015-2016 season, the Huskies won six national titles in eight seasons.  

Our Jaron Spor wrote Friday about the impact Patty Gasso has had on the sport of softball. Stephen A. Smith’s recognition of the Sooners’ run is further evidence of how much the sport has grown during Oklahoma’s back-to-back-to-back championship stretch.

While some may bemoan the dominant nature of Oklahoma softball, their success has led to tremendous growth of the sport.

Some may dislike the idea of one dominant team, it creates fascinating storylines that make for incredible theater each time they take the stage. Whether you’re for them or against them, people tune in to see what’s going to happen.

Oklahoma softball sells.

They sell out home stadium, set records at away stadiums and generate incredible ratings.

Love them or hate them, they’re great for the sport. When someone as prominent as Stephen A. Smith takes the time on his daily show to talk about their greatness, that not only builds up Oklahoma but it helps the sport grow.

As we’ve seen recently, exposure has helped both softball and women’s basketball reach new heights in popularity over the last few years. And as the Oklahoma Sooners completed their three-peat, the sport of softball continues to reach higher heights.

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5 Oklahoma Sooners earn NCAA All-Tournament team selections

Five Oklahoma Sooners selected to NCAA All-Tournament team after clinching national championship.

After an incredible run during the NCAA tournament, five Oklahoma Sooners were named to the All-Tournament team.

The tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, [autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag], is joined by battery mate [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag], second basemen [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] and outfielders [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] and [autotag]Rylie Boone.[/autotag]

Only four teams were represented on the All-Tournament team, with the Sooners’ five leading the way. Florida State had three selections: Kathryn Sandercock, Kaley Mudge and Michaela Edenfield. Tennessee was represented by Kiki Milloy and Zaida Puni, and Stanford was represented by NiJaree Canady and Taylor Gindlesperger.

Here’s a look at what Oklahoma’s selections did during the NCAA tournament to earn their all-tournament team honors.

Team effort highlights Oklahoma’s national championship win

Oklahoma’s depth has been a key factor to its success in 2023 and it was on full display in their national title win over Florida State.

In Oklahoma’s magical run in 2023, the Sooners reset the standard for excellence in college softball. Their 61-1 record made them the winningest team in history after extending the game’s best all-time winning streak to 53 games.

On the final night of the season, in the game that clinched the Sooners’ third consecutive national title, Oklahoma’s deep roster powered the Sooners.

Alex Storako gave Oklahoma four strong innings before giving way to the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, Jordy Bahl. Storako allowed three hits and one run in the start. Though the home run put the Sooners behind in the game, she limited the damage when in danger with the help of some excellent defense behind her.

The Michigan transfer had been a huge key to Oklahoma’s success early in the season when Bahl was going through a bit of a sophomore slump. And on the grandest stage, Storako had a fantastic performance to keep Oklahoma in the game long enough for the bats to take off.

In the Sooners’ next at-bat, back-to-back home runs from Cydney Sanders and Grace Lyons put Oklahoma up, 2-1, in the game. That was the ninth home run of the season for both players. Sanders and Lyons each had more than 20 home runs in 2022, but this year the long ball was more difficult to come by. When it mattered most, the two power hitters powered Oklahoma to a lead and, ultimately a national title.

And that’s what has been special about this team. Despite Jayda Coleman and Tiare Jennings going hitless, the Sooners’ lineup is full of players that can hurt the opposition with one swing of the bat.

Their depth was the difference all season long. As Oklahoma dealt with injuries in the early part of the season or with early season struggles, the depth helped keep them afloat. And as the season wore on, it came through in critical moments, as it did on Thursday night.

In the wake of making their trip to the championship series, the Sooners celebrated with chants of “we too deep.” In their sweep of Florida State for the national title, they put that depth on display.

Best photos from the Sooners’ national title win

Oklahoma beats Florida State 3-1 for their third straight national championship

The Oklahoma Sooners cap off another dominant season with a 3-1 win to claim their third-straight national championship.

Oklahoma capped off a historic season with a 3-1 win over Florida State to win the national championship for a third straight season. The Sooners have now won seven national championships and six in the last ten years.

Alex Storako and Kathryn Sandercock were battling back and forth through the first three innings of the game. Storako got into some trouble in the third inning. With runners on first and second and one out, Kalei Harding drove a ball to deep center field, where Jayda Coleman tracked it down and robbed Florida State of a three-run home run.

Florida State got on the board first in the bottom of the fourth inning thanks to a Mack Leonard home run that made it 1-0 in favor of the Seminoles.

Oklahoma quickly responded in the top of the fifth inning with back-to-back home runs from Cydney Sanders and Grace Lyons, which made it 2-1 in favor of the Sooners. Jordy Bahl provided herself an insurance run in the top of the sixth to put Oklahoma up 3-1 on Alynah Torres’ single.

From their, it was all Jordy Bahl, who retired all nine batters she faced in what was another sensational performance for the sophomore pitcher. Bahl was named Most Outstanding Player of the Women’s College World Series. In the NCAA tournament, she was 7-0 and allowed just one run, back in the super regionals vs. Clemson. In Oklahoma City, Bahl was flawless, going 4-0 and allowing no runs across four appearances, which included a pair of complete game shutouts.

Storkao was really good for the Sooners in the first four innings of the game. She allowed three hits, one run, and recorded two strikeouts.

Oklahoma finished the season 61-1 as the winningest team in college softball history. They extended their all-time win streak record to 53 games and became just the second team in softball history to win three national titles in a row. There appear to be no signs of this run ending anytime soon. Patty Gasso has created a dynasty.

All season long, the Oklahoma Sooners created magic. In the circle, in the field, and at the plate. This national title-clinching win over Florida State had memorable moments in every phase of the game.

Simply put, Patty Gasso and her team rose to the occasion every time they faced adversity and wouldn’t be denied.

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Twitter reacts to Oklahoma’s win over Florida State and 3rd straight national championship

Twitter reacts to Oklahoma’s win over Florida State to complete the national championship three-peat.

The Oklahoma Sooners are the back-to-back-to-back national champions. Oklahoma clinched its third straight national title, sixth in the last decade and seventh overall with a 3-1 win over Florida State on Thursday night.

It was another in a long line of incredibly clutch performances for what is being deemed the greatest softball team in the history of the sport. With their 61-1 record, the Sooners are the winningest team in the sport’s history. They finished the season on a 53-game winning streak and became the first program to score 500 runs in three straight seasons.

Their ace, Jordy Bahl, went 4-0 in the Women’s College World Series, and didn’t allow a run in the effort. She threw two shutouts, including in Game 1, and had two relief appearances of at least three innings that led to Sooners wins. For her effort, she was named the Most Outstanding Player.

The national title win was the culmination of a season filled with pressure-packed moments and incredible comebacks during their dominant run.

These Oklahoma Sooners somehow found a way to raise the bar yet again for the college softball world. They found a way to still amaze a fan base that has been in awe for years at what Patty Gasso’s program is capable of.

And in the win that clinched their third straight national title, the Sooners received a strong performance from Alex Storako, an incredible defensive play from Jayda Coleman, back-to-back home runs from Cydney Sanders and Grace Lyons and another dominant performance from ace Jordy Bahl.

From the first pitch to the final out, Twitter was buzzing, but it reached a fever pitch when Oklahoma clinched their third straight national title.

Jordy Bahl does it again in Oklahoma’s shutout win over Florida State

With 10 strikeouts, Oklahoma’s Jordy Bahl put on another dominant display against Florida State in what’s been an incredible postseason run.

The last time the Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida State Seminoles took the field together before game one of the Women’s College World Series championship, Sooners’ ace Jordy Bahl had an ERA hovering above 2.00.

Bahl had an ERA of 2.23  before throwing three shutout innings of relief in Oklahoma’s 5-4 win over the Seminoles.

Since the win over Florida State on March 14, Jordy Bahl’s allowed runs in just three appearances and just five total runs. She’s allowed just five runs in her last 26 appearances, which accounts for 100.1 innings pitched.

Over that span, she’s lowered her ERA to 0.92 on the season.

Wednesday night’s performance against Florida State was just another in a long run of outings that has cemented Bahl as the best pitcher in softball. This is her second complete game shutout in the last week after throwing seven innings of shutout ball against Stanford.

Through four appearances in the Women’s College World Series, Jordy Bahl hasn’t allowed a run and is 4-0.

The thing that’s been most impressive is Bahl’s ability to lock in when opposing runners get into scoring position.

When Florida State did get runners on base, they weren’t able to take advantage because of Bahl’s ability to work around a jam. In the third inning, Florida State had a runner on second and one out and wasn’t able to score, with Bahl ending the inning with a flyout and a strikeout to get out of trouble.

In the top of the fourth, the Seminoles put runners on second and third with two outs. Again, Bahl came up with the clutch strikeout to end the inning. Oklahoma’s sophomore ace stole the show when Florida State had opportunities to cash in.

And in the bottom of the fourth, when Oklahoma’s offense got going, it was too late for the Seminoles. Over their final three at bats, Florida State managed just a hit and a walk and couldn’t get a runner into scoring position.

Adding to her legend, Bahl provided the breakthrough run for the Oklahoma Sooners, scoring from first on Kinzie Hansen’s double. In a game where it looked like runs would be difficult to come by, Bahl’s speed and baserunning ability came through in the clutch to help put the Sooners on the scoreboard and ahead for good.

One game doesn’t win a championship for Oklahoma, but this performance from Jordy Bahl put them in a strong position to win their third straight national championship. All that stands in their way is one more win against a formidable Florida State Seminoles team.

Here’s a look at the best photos from Wednesday’s win over Florida State.

Jordy Bahl shuts out Florida State, leads Oklahoma Sooners to 5-0 win

The Sooners got a fantastic performance from Jordy Bahl, who recorded 10 strikeouts in Oklahoma’s 5-0 win over Florida State in game one of the Women’s College World Series.

The Oklahoma Sooners got off to a great start in their Women’s College World Series championship showdown with Florida State with a 5-0 win to take game one.

[autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag] got the start for the Sooners and she was absolutely dominant. Bahl kept the Florida State bats at bay, allowing just two hits and a walk in a complete game shutout. She struck out 10 Seminoles. It was the second time in the last week that Bahl recorded a complete game shutout after blanking the Cardinal 2-0 in an 11-strikeout performance.

It took a while for Oklahoma’s offense to get going in this one. But with Bahl dealing, they could afford to be patient at the plate.

But in the fourth inning, the Sooners broke through. [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag] reached on a hit-by-pitch after Patty Gasso successfully challenged the call at the plate. Then Gasso inserted Bahl to pinch run for Lee at first. And Bahl made the call look genius on [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag]’s double, coming all the way around from first to put the first run of the game on the board.

After Hansen advanced on a passed ball, [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] brought her in with an RBI single to make it 2-0. Brito advanced to second on a fielder’s choice before going to third on [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] single that died at the plate. Brito scored on a throwing error on the play, putting Oklahoma up 3-0.

Bahl provided the shutdown inning in the bottom of the fifth, retiring the Seminoles in order.

In the bottom of the fifth, [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] reached on a bunt single and advanced to second on a fielder’s choice. Hansen came through again with her second RBI again, driving Coleman in from second base.

[autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] added an RBI single in the fifth to make it 5-0 and set a new record for RBIs in a career in the Women’s College World Series with 29 in her three trips to the Women’s College World Series.

Kinzie Hansen continued her hot run through the NCAA tournament, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. She’s batting .500 throughout the postseason and has three home runs and 13 RBIs for the Sooners.

But the story of the game was the pitching. Jordy Bahl has been the most outstanding player of the Women’s College World Series. She’s 4-0 and hasn’t allowed a run in 21.2 innings pitched in the WCWS, and has 30 strikeouts across four appearances.

Oklahoma forced Florida State to use four pitchers to keep from utilizing their ace Kathryn Sandercock, who will most assuredly start game two against the Oklahoma Sooners. [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag] will have a decision to make between Alex Storako and Nicole May in game two of the series.

The Sooners and Seminoles square off Thursday starting at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN. Game three, if necessary, will be played on Friday on ESPN at 7 p.m. CT.

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