Tag: Northwestern Wildcats Softball

NCAA Tournament super regionals set after a wild weekend of college softball

A look at the super regional matchups, which includes the Oklahoma Sooners welcoming the Clemson Tigers to Norman.

The first weekend of the NCAA Tournament was fantastic. There were a pair of big-time upsets, fantastic back-and-forth action and most of the top softball teams advanced to what should be a great slate of super regional action next weekend.

There were big offensive outbursts and even a perfect game in a winner-take-all matchup on Sunday afternoon that highlighted a fabulous weekend for the sport of collegiate softball.

Three of the top 16 went home early. No. 2 UCLA, No. 10 LSU, and No. 11 Arkansas were unable to make home field hold up, and were sent home early. UCLA didn’t even get a chance to play Los Angeles Regional winner San Diego State because the Bruins were beaten by Grand Canyon and Liberty before the regional final.

With one more leg before the Women’s College World Series, here’s a look at each of the super regionals and what those teams had to do to advance.

Relive Oklahoma’s 13-2 victory over Northwestern in stunning still photos

Check out the best images from the Oklahoma Sooners’ 13-2 win over the Northwestern Wildcats in their Women’s College World Series opener.

The Oklahoma Sooners might have been held in check for the first couple of innings, but when Rylie Boone doubled off the right field wall to lead off the third, the floodgates opened.

Oklahoma scored six in the third and seven in the fourth to collect their 39th run-rule win of the season and according to Soonerssports.com, it was just the second time in a Women’s College World Series game that a team had hit two grand slams in a game.

Tiare Jennings and Jana Johns’ grand slams powered Oklahoma to a blowout win against the Big 10 champion and with a pitcher who was one of the best in softball in 2022.

The Oklahoma Sooners will next take on Red River Rival, the Texas Longhorns in the next stage of the Women’s College World Series. But before we move on, let’s revisit the action through some incredible images.

 

Sooners Nation reacts to Oklahoma Softball’s 13-2 win over Northwestern

The Oklahoma Sooners poured it on in the third and fourth innings to beat Northwestern 13-2 and Sooners Nation loved it.

USA Softball top 10 finalist for National Player of the Year Danielle Williams had just about made it through the Oklahoma Sooners lineup without much of a threat from the top offense in softball. Staked to a 1-0 lead after Rachel Lewis’ solo shot in the Northwestern half of the third, it looked like Oklahoma was in for a battle.

Then Riley Boone happened.

Known for her speed and her desire to put the ball on the ground and run, the Wildcats’ defense was playing in, even in the outfield. Boone then did her best Jayda Coleman impression, launching the ball over the head of Rachel Lewis in right field for a double to lead off the third inning.

Jana Johns drove Boone home with an RBI single. Johns moved to second on a single by Jayda Coleman and after a wild pitch moved Johns and Coleman up a base, Jocelyn Alo was given a free pass to load the bases for Tiare Jennings with no outs.

With a 1-1 lead in the top of the third, Jennings made Williams pay for leaning on her change up a bit too much and launched a ball to deep center field that cleared the fences for a grand slam. It was Jennings’ third grand slam of the season and 25th home run.

At the end of the inning, the Sooners had a 6-1 lead and the ball game felt over at that point. But that wouldn’t stop Oklahoma from pouring it on and sending a message to the rest of the college softball world. Oklahoma would add seven more runs in the bottom of the fourth including a Jana Johns grand slam for her 12th home run of the season.

It was a fantastic way to start the Women’s College World Series as the Oklahoma Sooners look to repeat as national champions. Sooners Nation enjoyed the action and reacted on social media.

WATCH: Tiare Jennings grand slam gives Oklahoma commanding lead

Tiare Jennings broke open the Oklahoma Sooners opening round Women’s College World Series matchup vs. Northwestern with a third inning grand slam.

Northwestern struck first with a home run in the top of the third, doing their best Sooners impression. But that might have been the moment that awakened the sleeping dragon that was the Oklahoma lineup, who hadn’t put much together through the first two innings against All-American Danielle Williams.

After Rylie Boone led off with a double and Kinzie Hansen drove her in with an RBI single, OU loaded the bases for Tiare Jennings.

She didn’t wait long to jump on Williams’ change up and blasted the first pitch to deep center field for her third grand slam of the season.

That gave the Sooners a 5-1 lead and they’d add another to make it 6-1 before the registering their final out.

Jennings now has 25 home runs and 76 RBIs on the season and the Sooners are in control of their opening round WCWS matchup vs. Northwestern.

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No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners vs. No. 10 Northwestern: How to watch, stream, listen, and key players for WCWS

The Oklahoma Sooners open up the Women’s College World Series against No. 10 Northwestern on Thursday, here’s how you can tune in.

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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Trio of Sooners top 10 finalists for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award

Jocelyn Alo, Jordy Bahl, and Grace Lyons were named among the top 10 finalists for the 2022 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award.

Oklahoma Sooners softball has had a tremendous 2022 in search of back-to-back national championships. They’re 45-1, the No. 1 team in the nation, and heading into Bedlam, the favorite to advance to the College World Series and win the whole thing.

Jocelyn Alo has been the headliner in her record-breaking season. She once again leads the Sooners in home runs and batting average. Alo is looking to become the second Sooner since Keilani Ricketts to win the award in back-to-back seasons. Ricketts won the award in 2012 and 2013 and was a member of the 2013 national championship team.

She’s having a tremendous year and is one of three Sooners to be named finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award.

But her season isn’t the only one that’s defined Oklahoma softball in 2022. The breakout year from Grace Lyons has been a key factor in the Sooners’ offense remaining deadly even as Alo gets walked or has an off day at the plate. And Lyons has come up clutch throughout the year as well, with multi-home run games and walk-off hits.

Though the offense carries a lot of the headlines, Jordy Bahl’s arrival to Norman has headlined a pitching staff that has been dominant in 2022. Bahl has become the ace of the staff, appearing in a team-leading 28 games and holds a 20-1 record with 191 strikeouts. The standout freshman has also been nominated for the NFCA National Freshman of the Year award for her performance in 2022.

The award will be narrowed to three finalists on May 18 and announced prior to the start of the College World Series, slated to begin on June 2 at the USA Softball complex in Oklahoma City.

Here’s a look at the 10 finalists.