Tag: Washington Huskies Softball

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.

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.

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.

5 takeaways from Oklahoma’s 5-0 weekend at the Mark Campbell Invitational

The Oklahoma Sooners went 5-0 in the Mark Campbell Invitational with three ranked wins, two shutouts, and two run-rule wins. Here are 5 takeaways.

The Oklahoma Sooners got things started with a bang in the Mark Campbell Invitational over the weekend, going 5-0 to open the season.

They were challenged in two of their five matchups, winning one-run ball games against Liberty and Washington, but also picked up a pair of run-rule wins over Stanford and San Jose State.

Oklahoma beat three top 25 teams, including a 4-0 shutout of Duke, a 10-1 win over Stanford, and the 5-4 nailbiter against the Huskies.

It was a productive start to the season that saw the Oklahoma Sooners deploy a lot of players. 15 players registered an at-bat, and four pitchers threw four or more innings pitched. And here’s a breakdown of the weekend from Seth Oliveras.

Oklahoma Sooners pitching dominant in opening day doubleheader sweep

Jordy Bahl and Nicole May combined for 15 shutout innings and 18 strikeouts to lead the Sooners to a 2-0 record on opening day of the 2023 season.

The Oklahoma Sooners opened the 2023 season with wins over No. 16/19 Duke and Liberty in a Thursday doubleheader. They beat the Blue Devils 4-0 and Liberty 1-0.

Shutting out their opponents to start the season isn’t all that different. The Sooners blanked their first three opponents of the season a year ago. The difference, however, is Oklahoma’s offense powered them to two run-rule wins in those first three shutouts.

On opening day, it was pitching and defense that helped the Sooners start 2023 on a high note.

[autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag] threw a complete game shutout, allowing just four hits and a pair of walks across seven innings. Bahl struck out eight Blue Devils and drove in a pair of runs from the plate.

In the nightcap, [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] followed up a stellar performance from Bahl with one of her own, striking out 10 in an extra-inning complete game shutout of Liberty. Like Bahl, May only allowed six baserunners (four hits and two walks) but didn’t get much run support from an offense that’s starting off slower than they have in recent years.

But with how deep the Sooners are in the circle, the Oklahoma offense isn’t under the same pressure to score that they’ve had in recent years. But they’re going to score, and they’re going to score a lot. Jayda Coleman, Tiare Jennings, and Cydney Sanders aren’t going to go a combined 4 for 20 like they did in the two wins on opening day.

The Sooners offense will get going, but so far it’s been the pitching that’s carried them. And they haven’t even deployed all of their arms yet. With No. No. 17/14 Stanford on Friday night, it’s likely that we’ll see Michigan transfer [autotag]Alex Storako[/autotag]. Storako threw 300 strikeouts in 200 innings last year for the Wolverines.

Oklahoma plays No. 14/16 Washington on Saturday and San Jose State. on Sunday. And this is where things get interesting. Will head coach Patty Gasso use a strict rotation and go with Storako on Friday night and then true freshman [autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag] on Saturday? Or will she go back to Jordy Bahl against a top-25 opponent and let Deal get her feet wet against San Jose State on Sunday?

After relying on the offense to bully teams over the last several years, in 2023 the pitching staff is going to be as dangerous as Oklahoma’s vaunted lineup. That was on full display on Thursday on the first day of the season.

This Oklahoma Sooners team is going to be challenged every outing, but the pitching has shown on the first day of the season that they’re willing to duel it out with the opposition.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

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.

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.