Tag: Washington Huskies Softball

Washington softball blows out Wisconsin 9-1 in Florida

The Huskies only played one game on Saturday, but cruised to yet another victory to move to 6-1 on the season.

The Washington Huskies’ bats have gotten off to a hot start in the 2024 season and showed up again in the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational, helping coach Heather Tarr’s team cruise to a 9-1 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers in five innings.

Former top recruit Kinsey Fiedler went 3 for 3 on the day, driving in 2 runs and scoring twice, while Brooklyn Carter also notched 2 hit, an RBI, and a run scored. Rylee Holtorf’s RBI single in the 5th inning invoked the 8-run “run-ahead” rule.

Ruby Meylan earned the victory while throwing a complete game. The All-American allowed 1 earned run on 2 hits, walked 2 batters, and struck out 7. Even though Meylan excelled in the circle once again, her earned run average rose to 0.66 on the season.

The Huskies’ afternoon matchup with No. 12 LSU was canceled due to inclement weather. They will return to the field on Sunday morning to finish off the tournament with a matchup against the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Washington softball starts hot at Shriner Children’s Clearwater Invitational

The Washington Huskies got off to a roaring start at their weekend tournament in Clearwater, Florida.

The Washington Huskies started their weekend on the best note possible, earning two big wins over the No. 18 Kentucky Wildcats and Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Shriner Children’s Clearwater Invitational in Clearwater, Florida.

Coach Heather Tarr’s team earned an 8-1 victory over the Wildcats behind another strong performance from All-American Ruby Meylan in the circle. She gave up 1 unearned run over 5 innings while striking out 6 batters and walking 4, lowering her earned run average on the season to 0.43.

Sydney Stewart and Jillian Cellis both hit their first home runs of the season and Meylan got some help behind her, with Alana Johnson making a highlight reel catch in right field. The Huskies put together a five-run 5th inning to break the game open, capped off by a two-run triple by Avery Hobson.

In the second game of the doubleheader, Washington’s bats came alive once again to earn a 12-4 victory over the Golden Gophers. Olivia Johnson led the way, going 3 for 4 at the plate with 4 runs batted in, while Cellis added 3 hits and Brooke Nelson contributed with 3 RBIs.

Lindsey Lopez allowed 1 earned run over the final 4 innings of the game and earned her second win of the season.

The Huskies return to the diamond on Saturday for another doubleheader, with their first matchup of the day coming against the Wisconsin Badgers before a showdown with the No. 12 LSU Tigers.

Washington softball moves up four spots in NCAA rankings

Following a hot start to the season, the Washington Huskies are sitting just outside the top 5.

After a strong start to the season at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, the Washington Huskies softball team has moved from No. 10 to No. 6 nationally. Coach Heather Tarr’s team impressed in its season-opening tournament, going 3-1 with the only loss coming against the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners.

The Huskies ended the weekend with an 8-4 victory over the Iowa State Cyclones, headlined by Rylee Holtorf’s 3-5 performance at the plate with 2 runs scored and an RBI. Lindsay Lopez earned her first victory of the season after allowing just one earned run over five innings and All-American Ruby Meylan came in for the final 1.1 inning to record her first save of the season.

Sophomore Brooklyn Carter had an impressive weekend for the Huskies, going 7/16 at the plate, scoring 4 runs, and stealing 6 bases, but the most eye-opening performance came from first-year Jadyn Glab. Glab went 3/11 with a double and a home run, accounting for a team-leading 6 RBIs which earned her Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors.

In the circle, Meylan got off to a strong start, going 1-1 with a save. She allowed just 1 earned run over 11.1 innings, good for a 0.62 ERA and 0.71 WHIP with 12 strikeouts against 8 baserunners allowed.

The Huskies will return to the diamond on Friday as they travel to the Shriner Children’s Clearwater Invitational in Clearwater, Florida, where they will have a chance to continue rising in the rankings. The weekend opens with a double header against No. 18 Kentucky and Minnesota, and Tarr’s team is also scheduled for a matchup with No. 12 LSU on Saturday.

Sooners Kelly Maxwell named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week

Oklahoma Sooners pitcher Kelly Maxwell wins Big 12 Pitcher of the Week.

It was a fantastic start to her Oklahoma career for senior Kelly Maxwell. She threw five scoreless innings to beat the Duke Blue Devils and followed that up with another 2.2 scoreless innings to get the win over Washington.

That’s 7.2 innings without allowing a run. In her first two outings, she allowed just one hit, two walks, and a hit by pitch while recording four strikeouts.

For her efforts, Maxwell was awarded Big 12 Pitcher of the Week. It was the seventh time in her career that Maxwell has won a weekly award.

More: Social media reacts to the Sooners extra-inning win over Washington

The Sooners are off to a 4-0 start to the season and Maxwell is a big reason why. She’ll be counted upon in big spots all season like she was late in the win against Washington.

Her big-game experience will be huge for the Sooners as they attempt to make history in pursuit of a fourth-straight national championship. Kelly Maxwell provided a glimpse of what she’s capable of in week one for the Oklahoma Sooners.

More: 3 Stars from the Sooners 4-0 week in Puerto Vallarta

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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.

3 Stars from Oklahoma Sooners 4-0 weekend in Puerto Vallarta

The Oklahoma Sooners finished the weekend 4-0 and here are the 3 Stars from their strong start to the season.

The Oklahoma Sooners 2024 season is off to a strong start. They’re 4-0 with a pair of top 10 wins over Washington and Duke. In the process, they extended their record-breaking winning streak to 57 games.

It wasn’t easy by any stretch, but the Sooners overcame adversity along the way to pull out the victories. They battled in an extra inning showdown that felt like a College World Series matchup and found a way to come out on top.

And while they went 4-0, it’s still early in the season and there are areas where they can continue to grow. The Sooners showed off their depth as veterans and true freshmen made contributions throughout the weekend.

As we continue our look at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, here are this weekend’s three stars and a couple of honorable mentions.

Washington Softball goes 1-1 in ranked play to open 2024 season

The Washington Huskies beat up on Nebraska, but lost a heartbreaker to the Oklahoma Sooners in Mexico.

Coach Heather Tarr and the Washington Huskies softball team got off to a great start to the season in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge. The No. 7 Huskies are 2-1 on the season after beating the No. 17 Nebraska Cornhuskers in an 8-0 run-rule victory in five innings on Thursday.

Third-team All-American Ruby Meylan dazzled in the circle, allowing just two hits over five innings while freshman Jadyn Glab went 2-2 with a three-run home run and an RBI single in her college debut. Glab and sophomore Alana Johnson provided all the offense the Huskies would need, as Johnson added 3 RBIs of her own in Washington’s impressive victory.

Tarr’s team followed that up with a 4-3 comeback victory over the Utah Valley Wolverines in the first game of their Friday doubleheader. Glab added two more RBIs and freshman pitcher Sidne Peters provided four scoreless innings in relief with 6 strikeouts to earn her first career victory.

Then came the Huskies’ battle with the nation’s No. 1 team, the juggernaut Oklahoma Sooners. Coach Patty Gaso’s team has won three straight national championships, but the Huskies gave the Sooners all they could handle on Friday even though they came up short.

After the Sooners jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the second inning, grad transfer Jillian Celis’ two-run single gave the Huskies a 3-2 lead over the reigning national champions, which held until the sixth inning. The Sooners knotted the game at 3-3 in the sixth which forced extra innings and in the eighth inning, Riley Boone delivered a go-ahead RBI single to give Oklahoma a 4-3 victory.

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

There are three games on Day 2 of the Women’s College World Series. Here’s a look at Friday’s schedule.

Day one of the Women’s College World Series featured a pair of impressive offensive performances from Tennessee and Florida State and a pitcher’s duel for the ages between Jordy Bahl and NiJaree Canady.

It was a fantastic opening day for the WCWS in Oklahoma City. The only negative takeaway was they weren’t able to finish each of the opening round matchups due to inclement weather.

On the bright side, moving Washington and Utah to Friday gave us another day with a three-game WCWS slate.

The Huskies and the Utes are each looking to punch their ticket to the winners’ bracket semifinals. The evening matchups give us our first elimination games in Oklahoma City.

Will Utah’s incredible postseason run continue? Can Oklahoma State and Stanford bounce back from being shutout on Thursday? Will Alabama be able to keep their game closer against Stanford than they were able to against Tennessee in the opener?

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

No. 7 Washington vs. No. 15 Utah – 12 pm CT on ESPN2

No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 9 Stanford – 6 pm CT on ESPN*

No. 6 Oklahoma State vs. Loser of Washington vs. Utah – 8:30 pm CT on ESPN*

*Denotes Elimination Game

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