Tag: Florida State Seminoles Softball

Sooners No. 1: Updated look at D1Softball’s top 10 after opening week of action

Oklahoma Sooners still No. 1 in the latest softball rankings. What do the rest of the rankings look like?

The opening week of softball action has come and gone. It was a great opening week of tournaments across the country. There were several surprises but a number of the top teams showed that they were indeed contenders to start the season.

Of the surprises, perhaps none was bigger than UCLA struggling with Maryland and San Diego while losing big to Texas and Oklahoma State in Southern California. The Bruins were bounced from the Los Angeles regional last May. Are they heading in the wrong direction as a program, or is this just an early-season funk.

Florida State dropped their opener to Charlotte, but responded well over their final four games of the week.

It’s just week one, but teams like Texas, Tennessee, and Oklahoma State made statements about their status as contenders in 2024.

The Oklahoma Sooners remained the No. 1 team in the nation in both D1Softball and Softball America’s latest top 25 rankings released on Monday.

Here’s a look at the top 10 teams in D1Softball’s top 25 and where they ranked according to Softball America.

Sooners unanimous No. 1 in ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason top 25

The Oklahoma Sooners enter the season as the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation by ESPN/USA Softball. How does the rest of the top 25 look?

The Oklahoma Sooners enter the season as the No. 1 team in the nation following a 61-1 season and third straight national championship.

Though they lost a number of impact players off of last year’s squad, they still feature some of the best that college softball has to offer. With Jayda Coleman, Tiare Jennings, Kinzie Hansen and Alyssa Brito at the plate and Nicole May and Kelly Maxwell in the circle, the Sooners have a ton of star power that gives the Sooners a chance to do something that’s never been done before; win four consecutive national titles.

They’ll face challenges from across the country, but the Oklahoma Sooners have had a target on their back for years and continue to fend off all comers.

Who are the teams that are expected to be the biggest threats to the Queens of Softball’s crown? Here’s a look at the preseason ESPN.com/USA Softball top 25.

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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No. 1 Oklahoma vs No. 3 Florida State: WCWS championship key players, game preview, prediction

Women’s College World Series Championship preview between No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 3 Florida State: How to watch, key players and prediction.

After surviving the Women’s College World Series field unscathed, the Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida State Seminoles meet in the championship series starting Wednesday night.

This year’s championship is a rematch of the 2021 series that the Oklahoma Sooners won after dropping Game 1 of the three-game series. In 2021, Florida State was the No. 10 seed in the tournament and had to overcome an opening day loss in the WCWS, beating third-seeded Alabama twice to get to the finals.

This year, both the Sooners and Seminoles were the highest remaining seeds in the WCWS after UCLA was bounced in the Los Angeles Regional. Neither team suffered a loss in Oklahoma City, setting up a showdown of national powerhouses.

Led by Patty Gasso and Lonni Alameda, the two schools have rich histories. The Sooners have five more championships than Florida State, but the Seminoles have reached the championship series three times in the last six years and won it in 2018.

Here’s a look at the matchup between the No.1 Oklahoma Sooners and No. 3 Florida State Seminoles for the NCAA championship.

Day 5 of the Women’s College World Series: semifinal matchups set, how to watch

The semifinals are set for the Women’s College World Series. Here are the matchups and how you can tune in.

And then there were four. The Oklahoma Sooners and Florida State Seminoles have managed to get through their respective brackets unscathed and are just one win away from setting up a rematch of the 2021 Women’s College World Series.

Oklahoma will take on Stanford, who they beat 2-0 on Thursday to open the WCWS. Florida State will face Tennessee, who bounced back from their 9-0 loss to Oklahoma to eliminate Oklahoma State on Sunday.

Monday’s action promises to be a fun one, and by the end of it, we’ll know who will be facing off in the Women’s College World Series championship.

The Sooners and the Cardinals will kick off the day in the early time slot while the Seminoles and Volunteers get the primetime matchup. Both games can be seen on ESPN.

Here’s a look at Monday’s matchups and how to watch.

No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Stanford, 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.*

No. 3 Florida State vs. No. 4 Tennessee, 6 p.m. CT on ESPN.*

*If necessary games to follow each of the semifinal matchups.

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Day 4 of the Women’s College World Series: Matchups and how to watch

A pair of elimination games take place on Sunday to determine who heads to the Women’s College World Series semifinals and who goes home.

On Saturday in the Women’s College World Series, the higher seeds held serve to advance to the semifinals. Oklahoma toppled Tennessee, 9-0, and Florida State won a close game against Washington, 3-1.

With Florida State and Oklahoma’s wins on Saturday, Tennessee and Washington change brackets in elimination play.

The Volunteers will take on the Oklahoma State Cowgirls. The winner of that matchup will face Florida State for a chance to go to the Women’s College World Series finals. The Seminoles beat Oklahoma State in their WCWS opener on Thursday.

Washington will take on Pac-12 conference mate Stanford. The winner of this conference showdown will face the back-to-back defending national champion Oklahoma Sooners. Oklahoma beat Stanford on Thursday to open the Women’s College World Series.

Stanford and Oklahoma State have already survived one elimination game. The Cardinal beat Alabama, and the Cowgirls beat Utah to stay alive in the Women’s College World Series.

Here’s a look at Sunday’s matchups and how to watch.

No. 9 Stanford vs. No. 7 Washington, 2 p.m. CT on ABC.

No. 6 Oklahoma State vs. No. 4 Tennessee, 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

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Day 3 of the Women’s College World Series: Matchups and How to Watch

A trip to the WCWS semifinals is on the line with two winners brackets games on Saturday.

The Women’s College World Series has been spectacular thus far. There have been big offensive performances and clutch pitching. There have been four shutouts and three games where a team scored eight or more runs.

Two teams were eliminated in Friday’s action in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma State rebounded from their 8-0 loss to Florida State in the Women’s College World Series opener with an 8-0 win over Utah to advance. Stanford, which suffered a 2-0 loss to Oklahoma on Thursday, came back and beat Alabama 2-0 on Friday to stay alive.

Here’s a look at Saturday’s matchups and how to watch.

No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 4 Tennessee – 2 pm CT on ABC.

No. 3 Florida State vs. No. 7 Washington – 7 pm CT on ABC.

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Day 1 of the Women’s College World Series: Matchups and How to Watch

Game times and how to watch day one of the Women’s College World Series.

The Oklahoma Sooners take their next step toward winning their third straight national championship on Thursday when the Women’s College World Series begins day one.

There are several intriguing matchups to watch on Thursday and while the Sooners are the favorites, they’ll face challenges on their side of the bracket from every team.

Led by Ashley Jones, Tennessee is No. 2 in the nation in team ERA, and Stanford’s [autotag]NiJaree Canady[/autotag] leads the nation in ERA. The Volunteers are also No. 2 in the nation in scoring offense. Alabama isn’t a team to sleep on either, with [autotag]Montana Fouts[/autotag] leading the way for the Crimson Tide.

The other side of the bracket doesn’t have to face UCLA, but Florida State and Oklahoma State are playing good ball. Washington and Utah have been battle-tested through the Pac-12.

Thursday’s matchups are just the beginning of the double-elimination bracket. The first-round elimination games will take place on Friday.

Here’s a look at Thursday’s matchups and how to watch.

No 4. Tennessee vs. No. 5 Alabama: 11:00 am CDT on ESPN

No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Stanford: 1:30 pm CDT on ESPN

No. 3 Florida State vs. No. 6 Oklahoma State: 6:00 pm CDT on ESPN

No. 7 Washington vs. No. 15 Utah: 8:30 pm CDT on ESPN

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Key players to watch for each team in the Women’s College World Series

As the eight teams descend on Oklahoma City, here are some of the key players to watch in the Women’s College World Series.

This week, the eight teams who qualified for the Women’s College World Series will descend upon Oklahoma City to crown the 2023 national champion. While the Oklahoma Sooners are the favorite to win the title, they’ll be challenged along the way.

Each of the eight teams in the Women’s College World Series is bringing some serious talent with them to USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium.

While there are certainly a lot of talented players worth mentioning from each team, here’s a look at some of the key players in this year’s WCWS field.

Women’s College World Series field set for Oklahoma City

With the super regionals complete, here’s a look at the Women’s College World Series field and how each team punched their ticket to Oklahoma City.

In what has become one of the best weekends in sports, the super regionals didn’t disappoint. There were incredible matchups across the board, and while just two of the super regionals went to a game three, there was plenty of drama across the country.

Of the eight teams that advanced, only one lower-seeded team in the super regional was able to advance. The Stanford Cardinal. Of the eight teams represented, three are from the Pac-12, two are from the Big 12, two are from the SEC, and one is from the ACC. No Big Ten teams were able to make it to the Women’s College World Series, and no mid-major programs advanced to OKC in 2023.

With the super regionals complete, here’s a look at the Women’s College World Series field and how each team punched their ticket to Oklahoma City.