Oklahoma’s senior class pulled off the unthinkable with four-peat

Five of Oklahoma’s seniors earned four national title during their time with the Sooners. An absolutely unbelievable run.

Winning one championship in sports is difficult. Winning two straight puts you in the history books forever. Winning three in a row means you’re a legend. But winning four straight? That’s unheard of in team sports, only being accomplished by a small handful of times throughout history.

“People say, ‘Let’s go win one,’” OU coach Patty Gasso said. “You’re like, ‘OK.’ It’s not like that. It’s very difficult. Everything has to go right. The thing about them is they’re resilient. They have a lot of pride in that.

The 2024 senior class for the Oklahoma Sooners softball team will finish their college careers not knowing how it feels to walk away from a season without a championship.

[autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag], [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag], [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] and [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] now have four rings. They’re joined in this senior class by [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag], [autotag]Karlie Keeney[/autotag], [autotag]Riley Ludlam[/autotag], [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] and [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag], all transfers who started their careers elsewhere.

“This one was the hardest one that I’ve ever had to work for in my life,” Jennings said via The Oklahoman. “This team, the adversity that we went through, we did it and we overcame everything.”

Oklahoma’s senior class finished with as many national championships as [autotag]NCAA Tournament[/autotag] loses, as OU finished off Texas on Thursday night. It was an 8-4 victory in Game 2 of the [autotag]WCWS[/autotag] final to win championship number eight, tied for the second-most all-time.

The Sooners won their unprecedented fourth-straight championship, giving [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag] a record-tying eight rings. Half of them have now come in succession.

The Sooner seniors wowed many inside and outside the world of sports with a career sweep of national championships, but a quote from their head coach tells their story better than anyone else can.

“This is the best senior class that has ever played the game, and I’ll stand behind that as long as I live,” said Gasso of their incredible run.

Patty Gasso has built a historic dynasty in Norman, and this senior class has pulled off something few imagined could ever be done. And we may never see another run like this again. But given what Oklahoma’s done, who’s to say they can’t run it back.

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How to watch Alabama softball vs. Tennessee in Game 3 of Knoxville Super Regional

Can Alabama softball pull off another upset on Sunday against the Lady Vols?

The rubber match of the three-game series between the Alabama Crimson Tide softball team and the Tennessee Lady Vols will occur Sunday afternoon from Sherri Parker Lee Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. The winner of Sunday’s SEC matchup will move on to the Women’s College World Series, while the loser will have its 2024 season come to an end.

The Lady Vols took Friday’s game one of the series with a 3-2 victory. Then, on Saturday, the Crimson Tide won a historical 14-inning contest 3-2 with an RBI by Kristen White to force a deciding game three.

Sunday’s matchup should be fun for the two SEC rivals. Here’s how you can catch all of the action!

How to watch Alabama softball vs. the Lady Vols softball on Sunday

  • Date: Sunday, May 26, 2024
  • Location: Sherri Parker Lee Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee
  • Time: 2 p.m. CT
  • TV Channel: ESPN
  • Live Stream: FuboTV (Watch Here)

Roll Tide Wire will continue to cover the Alabama softball team as the postseason progresses.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on X (Twitter) @Blackwood89.

Texas softball books spot in NCAA Tournament super regional

The Texas Longhorns softball team defeated Northwestern 7-0 in Game 6 of the Austin regional Sunday.

Teagan Kavan threw a one-hitter, recording 12 strikeouts, as the Texas Longhorns softball team defeated Northwestern 7-0 in Game 6 of the Austin regional to clinch their spot in the super regionals of the NCAA Tournament Sunday in Austin.

Katie Stewart’s two-RBI single in the top of the first kicked off the scoring for Texas before Mia Scott’s three-run home run in the second gave the Longhorns a 5-0 lead. Viviana Martinez and Bella Dayton added RBI for Texas.

Texas takes on Texas A&M in the super regional next weekend. The Longhorns defeated the Aggies twice in the regional round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament with 2-1 and 11-5 victories. Citlaly Gutierrez gave up one run on three hits, striking out five A&M batters in the 2-1 victory. Mac Morgan earned the victory in the second contest, giving up five runs on six hits in five innings pitched, striking out two batters.

Nicole May, Kelly Maxwell dominant in Oklahoma Sooners Norman Regional sweep

Kelly Maxwell and Nicole May were incredible in the Oklahoma Sooners Norman Regional Sweep.

[autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] and [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] had a fantastic weekend for the Oklahoma Sooners, setting the tone in their Norman Regional sweep. They combined for 19 innings pitched and allowed one earned run. The two held Oregon to just one earned run in 14 innings on Saturday and Sunday to advance to the Super Regionals.

The Sooners duo earned all three wins and Maxwell picked up a save on Sunday in the clincher. They recorded 26 strikeouts and along with Karlie Keeney, didn’t walk a batter all weekend.

It was a continuation of the weekend the Sooners had the week before in the Big 12 tournament, but even better. And it sets the stage for the Sooners to go deep in the NCAA tournament.

What the Sooners have put on display since the beginning of the Big 12 tournament is the aggressive Oklahoma Sooners team that has been so good for so long. And May and Maxwell set the tone from the circle, attacking hitters early in counts and throwing with confidence.

“All week long, we worked on being decisive,” Kelly Maxwell said after the win on Sunday. “I think that was the word of the day and I think Nicole May started with that. I just wanted to pick her up in that moment and have her back and be decisive.”

In the circle and at that the plate, the Sooners dictated the game. Though they’ve done a great job getting on base with walks, at times it created a passive mentality at the plate. That wasn’t the case in the Big 12 tournament and that wasn’t the case in the Norman Regional.

From the circle to the plate, the Sooners showed that this is the same team that has won three straight national titles and looking to make history with a fourth.

As the great Ric Flair once said, “to be the man, you gotta beat the man.” And Oklahoma is reminding everyone that they’re the team to beat. And with Maxwell and May pitching as well as they did this weekend, they’re going to be really tough to beat.

More: Best photos from Oklahoma Sooners 3-2 win over the Oregon Ducks.

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Morgan’s no-hitter carries Texas softball past Siena in Austin regional

Texas’ postseason run got off to a familiar start Friday.

The No. 1 Texas Longhorns softball team’s 2024 postseason run got off to a familiar start Friday. Continue reading “Morgan’s no-hitter carries Texas softball past Siena in Austin regional”

No. 9 Texas A&M softball team beats Albany to begin NCAA Bryan-College Station Regional

The Aggies play No. 25 Texas State on Saturday at 2 p.m. Albany and Penn State will battle for survival in an elimination game at 4:30 p.m.

The Texas A&M softball team began the NCAA Tournament this weekend by hosting the Bryan-College Station Regional.

The No. 9 Aggies (41-13) beat the University at Albany (33-12) by a final score of 6-2 on Friday night at Davis Diamond. Texas A&M needed a bounce back victory desperately after losing four of its last five games, all against SEC rival, No. 7 Florida.

The Great Danes started strong with 2 runs in the top of the first. The Aggies prevented a shutdown inning by scoring 5 in the bottom half of the frame. Texas A&M added a single run in the third.

Emily Leavitt (10-2) earned the win in the circle. The junior right-handed pitcher tossed 4.0 innings and allowed 2 hits, 2 runs (1 earned) and 1 walk with 3 strikeouts on 60 pitches. RHP Shaylee Ackerman picked up her first save. The graduate student pitched 3.0 scoreless frames and gave up 2 hits and 2 walks with 2 Ks on 51 pitches.

Senior first baseman Trinity Cannon and junior outfielder Kramer Eschete respectively racked up 2 runs batted in. Senior second baseman Rylen Wiggins and sophomore 1B Amari Harper had 1 RBI each.

No. 25 Texas State (45-13) and Penn State (34-19) are the other two teams competing in the Bryan-College Station Regional. The Bobcats beat the Nittany Lions 4-2 on Friday.

The Aggies play Texas State on Saturday at 2 p.m. Albany and Penn State will battle for survival in an elimination game at 4:30 p.m.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

No. 1 Texas softball set to start NCAA Tournament Friday

No. 1 overall seed Texas opens up NCAA Tournament play in the Austin regional against Siena on Friday.

The No. 1 overall seed Texas Longhorns softball team opens up NCAA Tournament play in the Austin regional against Siena Friday. Continue reading “No. 1 Texas softball set to start NCAA Tournament Friday”

Texas softball earns No. 1 overall seed for NCAA Tournament

Texas was awarded the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, the first in school history.

The Texas Longhorns softball team was awarded the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, the first in school history. Continue reading “Texas softball earns No. 1 overall seed for NCAA Tournament”

Alabama softball earns No. 14 overall seed in NCAA Tournament

Alabama softball earns a top-16 seed and will host a regional in Tuscaloosa!

Patrick Murphy and the Alabama Crimson Tide softball team have once again earned a top-16 overall seed in the NCAA Softball Tournament and will host a regional in Tuscaloosa beginning on May 17.

It has been an up-and-down season for Coach Murphy and the Tide, especially in the batter’s box, but thanks to strong pitching, Alabama has found itself in a positive position entering the postseason.

Alabama will now play host to USC Upstate (30-21), Southeastern Louisiana (45-13) and Clemson (34-17) at the famous Rhoads Stadium.

Southeastern Louisiana and Clemson will also face each other on Friday at 1 p.m. as the first game of the regional. Murphy and the Tide will open play on Friday against USC Upstate at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN+. The regional is a double-elimination format.

All 13 current teams from the SEC made the tournament with Alabama and Tennessee remaining the only two programs to be a national seed every season since the format was first introduced in 2005.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to cover the Alabama softball team as the postseason progresses.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on X (Twitter) @Blackwood89.

WATCH: Texas A&M men’s basketball team finds out March Madness fate for NCAA Tournament

“There was such a genuine feeling by our guys. So emotional, very raw, very transparent, really, really lifetime memory to be able to see.”

The Texas A&M men’s basketball team is officially going dancing in March Madness at the NCAA Tournament.

The Aggies (20-14) are the No. 9 seed in the South Region and will play new athletic director Trev Alberts‘ former school, No. 8 Nebraska, in the first round on Friday.

The Lady Aggies will also play the Cornhuskers in an 11 vs. 6-seed matchup. As noted by Robert Behrens on X, the managing editor of Good Bull Hunting, a Texas A&M website apart of SB Nation, for the first time since 2018, both Aggies men’s and women’s basketball teams have made the NCAA Tournament.

After the selection show, Buzz Williams was not made available to the media but the men’s head coach spoke to 12th Man Productions about his instant reaction to the selection.

“There was such a genuine feeling by our guys,” Williams said. “So emotional, very raw, very transparent, really, really lifetime memory to be able to see that. We’re excited. We’re thankful.”

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.