Tag: UCLA Bruins Softball

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.

Bedlam squads lead latest NFCA USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Having fantastic seasons, the Oklahoma Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowgirls lead the way in the latest NFCA USA Today Sports Coaches Poll.

The Oklahoma Sooners continued their impressive dominance over Texas with a three-game sweep of the Longhorns.

As impressive was the turnout for the Friday night affair at Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. The regular season showdown set a new attendance record, with nearly 9,000 fans pouring into the stadium to witness the top 10 clash.

The Sooners outscored Texas 22-5 in the three-game sweep and are now 5-0 against top five opponents. In those five wins, Oklahoma has outscored the opposition 41-9.

For their efforts this weekend, they remain the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation in the NFCA USA TODAY Sports top 25.

Sitting just behind the Sooners at No. 2 are the Oklahoma State Cowgirls. OU’s Bedlam foe has had a remarkable season in their own right. Their two losses on the season include the series opener to Florida State and an 11-6 loss to Maryland on the opening weekend of the season down in Mexico.

They look like a legitimate threat to the Sooners’ national champion reign.

Here’s a look at the top 10 teams in the latest NCFA USA TODAY Sports poll.

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

The Oklahoma Sooners were voted the unanimous No. 1 team in the USA Softball preseason top 25.

To the surprise of no one, the Oklahoma Sooners were unanimously voted the No. 1 team in the nation in the ESPN/USA Softball poll as voted on by coaches across the sport.

Oklahoma has now spent more than a year atop the rankings after being selected the preseason No. 1 team prior to 2022. The Sooners will open the year with No. 19 Duke and play No. 14 Stanford and No. 16 Washington in the Mark Campbell Invitational in Irvine, Calif. on February 9.

They’ll play a total of nine teams ranked in the preseason top 25, including No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 Oklahoma State, and No. 4 Florida State.

The two-time defending national champions are the prohibitive favorite despite losing all-time home run leader Jocelyn Alo. They boast an incredibly deep lineup, which includes the last two national freshmen of the year in Tiare Jennings and Cydney Sanders. Their pitching staff is deep with returning All-American Jordy Bahl and transfer addition Alex Storako, who logged 200 innings and 300 strikeouts in 2022.

Here’s a look at the ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason top 25.

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

The Oklahoma Sooners continue their journey in the Women’s College World Series against the UCLA Bruins here’s, how you can tune in.

The Women’s College World Series doesn’t get bigger than this. On Monday, two blue blood programs in the world of college softball will meet head to head for the right to go to the WCWS championship.

UCLA, the team with the most national championships all-time (12) will face off with Oklahoma, who has the third most national championships all-time (5).

The Sooners come into the WCWS semi-finals after beating Northwestern and Texas. UCLA dropped their first game of the Women’s College World Series to Texas 7-2 and then bounced back with wins over Northwestern and Florida. In those two wins for the Bruins, they outscored their opponents 14-1.

The Sooners and the Bruins met back in the first week of the season, a 4-1 win for the Oklahoma Sooners. In that pivotal nonconference matchup, Jordy Bahl announced her arrival to the softball world by holding the Bruins to one unearned run on four hits and she struck out 14 batters.

Oklahoma’s offense continues to put up numbers at a ridiculous pace. They’ve outscored opponents 72-7 in the NCAA tournament, averaging 10.28 runs scored per game.

This is an incredible matchup and the stakes are huge. Oklahoma needs one more win to set up an all-Big 12 championship series. UCLA has to beat the Sooners twice to advance and spoil the party.

Here’s how you can tune in to Oklahoma vs. UCLA in the semifinals of the [autotag]Women’s College World Series[/autotag] contest.

  • Date: Saturday, June 6, 2022
  • Time: 11 a.m. CDT
  • TV Channel: ESPN
  • 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 UCLA Bruins

Players to watch:

No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners

[autotag]Jocelyn Alo[/autotag]: .500 batting average with 30 home runs, 75 RBIs, 52 walks.

[autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag]: .395 batting average with 26 home runs and 78 RBIs, 39 walks.

[autotag]Grace Lyons[/autotag]: .415 batting average with 21 home runs and 64  RBIs, 21 walks.

[autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag]: .436 batting average with 7 home runs, 38 RBIs, 47 walks, and 13 stolen bases.

[autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag]: 21-1 with a 0.95 ERA, 199 strikeouts in 132.2 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]: 20-1 with a 0.60 ERA, 149 strikeouts in 116 innings pitched.

UCLA Bruins

Delanie Wisz: .409 batting average with 15 home runs, 61 RBIs, 29 walks.

Briana Perez: .394 batting average with 10 home runs, 44 RBIs, 17 walks, and 16 stolen bases.

Kinsley Washington: .354 batting average with 5 home runs, 34 RBIs, 15 walks, and 12 stolen bases.

Maya Brady: .339 batting average with 13 home runs, 48 RBIs, 21 walks, and 11 stolen bases.

Megan Faraimo: 23-5 with a 1.80 ERA, 289 strikeouts in 191 innings pitched.

Holly Azevedo: 21-2 with a 1.28 ERA, 140 strikeouts in 126 innings pitched.

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