Tag: Women’s College World Series

Oklahoma, UCLA, & Arizona have the Most Outstanding Player winners in WCWS history

This school has the most number of Most Outstanding Players in the Women’s College World series.

The Women’s College World Series (WCWS) started in 1982 with UCLA taking home the the first ever National Championship in softball. In 1995,  the Most Outstanding Player (MOP) award was created. The award is given to the best individual WCWS player each year.

Oklahoma has six players who have received the award, the most out of any school, with UCLA and Arizona having five apiece. The majority of the award winners are seniors, but there have been a few freshman to be honored with the award.

In 2005, the first freshman received the award and it was Michigan’s Samantha Findlay. Then in 2011, the last time a freshman won the award, Dallas Escobedo from Arizona State was co-MOP. Most recently, however, the seniors from Oklahoma have taken the award with Jocelyn Alo winning in 2022 and Giselle Juarez in 2021.

Year Athlete Team Class Position
2022 Jocelyn Alo Oklahoma R-Senior DP
2021 Giselle Juarez Oklahoma R-Senior Pitcher
2020 Canceled due to COVID-19 – – –
2019 Rachel Garcia UCLA Senior Pitcher
2018 Jessie Warren Florida State Senior Third base
2017 Shay Knighten Oklahoma Sophomore First base
2016 Paige Parker Oklahoma Sophomore Pitcher
2015 Lauren Haeger Florida Senior Pitcher
2014 Hannah Rogers Florida Senior Pitcher
2013 Keilani Ricketts Oklahoma Senior Pitcher
2012 Jackie Traina Alabama Sophomore Pitcher
2011 Dallas Escobedo (co-MOP) Arizona St. Freshman Pitcher
2011 Michelle Moultrie (co-MOP) Florida Junior Centerfield
2010 Megan Langenfeld UCLA Senior Pitcher
2009 Danielle Lawrie Washington Junior Pitcher
2008 Katie Burkhart Arizona State Senior Pitcher
2007 Tayrne Mowatt Arizona Junior Pitcher
2006 Alicia Hollowell Arizona Senior Pitcher
2005 Samantha Findlay Michigan Freshman First base
2004 Kristin Schmidt LSU Senior Pitcher
2003 Keira Goerl UCLA Senior Pitcher
2002 Jocelyn Forest California Senior Pitcher
2001 Jennie Finch Arizona Senior Pitcher
2000 Jennifer Stewart Oklahoma Sophomore Pitcher
1999 Julie Adams UCLA Junior Third base
1998 Amanda Scott Fresno State Sophomore Pitcher
1997 Nancy Evans Arizona Junior Pitcher
1996 Jenny Dalton Arizona Senior Second base
1995 Tanya Harding UCLA Junior Pitcher

The road to the WCWS starts May 19 with Regionals taking place across 16 campus sites. Each site will have a four-team, double-elimination tournament with the 16 winning teams advancing to super regionals. Super regionals are May 25-28 on eight campus sites. The two teams at each site will play in a best-of-three tournament format.

The winners from each super regional then advance to the Women’s College World Series (WCWS). The WCWS takes place on Jun. 1 at OGE Energy Field at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Oklahoma is looking to defend their 2022 national title.

Charting Texas softball’s path to the Women’s College World Series

We look at who Texas softball might have to beat to get to the College World Series.

Texas softball is on the rise after following a national championship appearance last season with a strong showing in 2023. This year saw the team win 42 games headlined by a sweep of this year’s No. 6 tournament team Oklahoma State.

Head coach Mike White’s team didn’t receive the most optimal seeding for this year’s Tournament. Despite the immediate victory of hosting a regional, the NCAA placed Texas as the No. 13 team in the bracket.

The Longhorns slot seven places behind the Oklahoma State Cowgirls despite better overall record, conference record and standing, conference tournament results and a head-to-head sweep. As a result the team will face a difficult path to the College World Series.

Here’s a look at who Texas might need to get past within its bracket to reach Oklahoma City.

Texas softball to host Texas A&M in its NCAA Tournament region

Buckle up. Texas and Texas A&M softball are placed in the Austin Region.

A rivalry could be renewed in a high stakes environment for last year’s national runner-up softball team. The Texas Longhorns will host the Texas A&M Aggies in the Austin Regional this weekend in what could be a passion-filled battle.

Despite the recent hiccup that saw the team swept by Baylor in Waco, it has been steadily successful all season. Texas (42-13-1) is joined by Texas A&M (33-19), Texas State (34-23-1) and the Longhorns’ first opponent Seton Hall (42-16).

Despite the difficult SEC schedule the Aggies faced, the Longhorns would figure to be the heavy favorite to win the region. The season has saw Texas sweep then-No. 3 Oklahoma State and face premier nonconference competition.

The year saw head coach Mike White’s team split with formidable Alabama and Virginia Tech programs and earn a convincing neutral site victory over Missouri to start the season. In addition, the Longhorns have more seen more reps than most against this year’s title favorite, No. 1 Oklahoma.

Texas will take on Seton Hall in its tournament opener.

Oklahoma dominates list for top 10 longest win streaks in softball history

Is your school on this Top-10 list?

The Arizona Wildcats hold the record for the most wins in a row in NCAA D1 softball history with 47 games. The Oklahoma Sooners are hot on the record, however, and in the past five years have gotten close to breaking the record each year. The Sooners make the list more times than any other school.

The 2023 Women’s College World Series (WCWS) is approaching and the Sooners are poised to break the longstanding record the Wildcats set in 1996. The WCWS is set to start June 1 and Oklahoma is currently ranked first.

The Sooners also have three players in the running for the 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. The award “aims to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by Division I softball players over the course of the entire season.”

Top 10 finalists for 2023 USA Softball collegiate player of the year award

Which ten players made the list for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year?

The field has been narrowed down to just ten Division 1 players for the prestigious 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. The award “aims to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by Division I softball players over the course of the entire season.”

The University of Oklahoma, a powerhouse in the sport, has three players on the list while UCLA and Tennessee have two players each. The other schools represented are Clemson, Wichita, and Florida.

Three finalists will be revealed May 17 and the recipient of the award will be announced prior to the NCAA Women’s College World Series slated for Jun. 1-9 at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex.

Player School Position
Jordy Bahl Oklahoma Pitcher
Maya Brady UCLA Utility
Valerie Cagle Clemson Pitcher/Utility
Jayda Coleman Oklahoma Outfield
Megan Faraimo UCLA Pitcher
Tiare Jennings Oklahoma Infield
Sydney McKinney Wichita Infield
Kiki Milloy Tennessee Outfield
Ashley Rogers Tennessee Pitcher
Skylar Wallace Florida Infield

Don’t miss a single game of the 2023 Women’s College World Series. Read more about the broadcasting schedule here.

Oklahoma remains No. 1 in D1Softball’s top 25, Texas moves into top 5

The Oklahoma Sooners are still No. 1 in D1Softball’s top 25, and the Texas Longhorns made a big jump after their sweep of Oklahoma State.

The Oklahoma Sooners remain atop the top-25 rankings according to D1Softball. The Sooners have been nothing short of dominant this season in softball. They are currently on a 34-game winning streak after only losing to Baylor on the road in February. They avenged that loss with a weekend sweep in Waco where the Sooners held the Bears scoreless in all three games.

They hold a record of 42-1 still and are the clear favorites to win the Women’s College World Series.

The Texas Longhorns had a fantastic weekend as well, taking down the Oklahoma State Cowgirls in a top 10 thriller in Austin. It was a tight showdown, but Texas came away with the sweep and moved into second place in the Big 12. After their weekend, they moved to No. 5 in D1Softball’s latest poll.

Oklahoma State fell to No. 8. UCLA is in the No. 2 slot followed by Tennessee, Florida State and Texas to round out the top five.

Despite being swept, the Baylor Bears remained in the top 15 and are the fourth Big 12 school in the top 25.

 

The Sooners have seven more games in the regular season and then play in Oklahoma City for the Big 12 Softball Championship, and then the postseason begins for the Sooners.

The Sooners have absolutely dominated the college softball season this year and are firmly in the driver’s seat to win the whole thing. There will be challengers along the way for Oklahoma’s crown but with the best offense and pitching staff in softball, it’s hard to envision anyone knocking off the back-to-back national champions.

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OU streaming platform SoonerVision on ESPN+ to launch August 1

SoonerVision on ESPN+ launches on August 1.

The much-publicized “SoonerVision on ESPN+” will finally launch on Aug. 1. No longer will Sooners fans need PPV to view nonconference matchups. From now on, Oklahoma Sooners content will be easily accessible on ESPN+.

The new home for SoonerVision was announced in May.

This deal will affect not only the football program but every varsity program at OU. Every single sport will be more accessible to the average fan. After sky-high ratings for the 2022 Women’s College World Series, Oklahoma softball might get even more publicity than it already does.

This deal with ESPN is the most expansive of its kind for a university athletics program. It includes the OU spring game, archived content and 25-plus OU basketball games.

It’s easy to wonder if OU’s move to the SEC is what got this deal going in the first place. ESPN will be the media rights holder for the SEC starting in 2024 after outbidding former rights holder CBS.

Athletic director Joe Castiglione shared the news Saturday night on social media.

If you don’t want to wait until Monday, have no fear. There’s already good Oklahoma content on the ESPN app, including a recap of the 2000 football season.

ESPN will have a bonanza of Sooners content for you to peruse now and in the future.

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2022 Women’s College World Series final does better ratings than CWS counterpart

With the Women’s College World Series coming out ahead, both the WCWS and the College World Series saw huge ratings in 2022

Both college softball and college baseball are considered growing entities, but, as of now, one appears to be ahead of the other, and it might not be what you think.

Both the Women’s College World Series and College World Series were broadcast on ESPN. The WCWS produced both a higher peak viewership and a higher average viewership. The WCWS accomplished this while having lower ratings than in 2021.

How streaming figures into this is a bit of a question mark. These are only cable numbers. When including cord-cutters, the numbers are going to be much higher.

This is a very good thing for the future of sports for women’s athletics and college sports in general.

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I’m just going to put this out there: The tournament that had the Oklahoma Sooners win yet another national championship had better ratings. I’m just saying.

After a bit of a down year in 2021, the CWS’ ratings were up 19% to get back to pre-pandemic numbers.

This is definitely something to keep an eye on in the future. Both baseball and softball are going to be getting more interesting at the collegiate level very soon.

More and more high school baseball players are opting to go to college with the MLB draft still shortened following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, in softball, Women’s Professional Fastpitch, a professional softball league is in its first season. The WPF has multiple former Sooners in its ranks, including Collegiate Player of the Year Jocelyn Alo and WCWS Star Hope Trautwein.

ESPN put both the CWS and WCWS on their streaming service ESPN+, making it even easier to follow college sports than ever.

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Sooners pitcher Hope Trautwein signs with Women’s Professional Fastpitch league

Oklahoma pitcher Hope Trautwein will be taking her talents to the WPF’s USSSA Pride.

The softball journey isn’t over yet for national champion Hope Trautwein. The former North Texas and Oklahoma star signed with the USSSA Pride of Women’s Professional Fastpitch, a professional women’s softball league.

Although her time was short at OU, Trautwein anchored the best pitching rotation in the country with a 22-1 record with a 0.77 ERA. She also just had the seventh most strikeouts in college softball.

While she was at North Texas, Trautwein became the first pitcher to strikeout all 21 batters in a perfect game.

The WPF just began its inaugural season after being announced last year. Trautwein will end up playing against her former teammate Jocelyn Alo, who signed with the Smash It Sports Vipers, the other team in the newly founded league. Alo was taken first overall in the WPF’s inaugural collegiate draft earlier this year.

The WPF, ran by another Sooners legend, Lauren Chamberlain, has plans to expand to six or eight teams down the road. With college softball getting more and more attention on the national stage, perhaps they will end up doing just that.

ESPN’s Women’s College World Series coverage averaged one million viewers per game for the third consecutive year, so there is definitely a market for what the WPF offers.

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No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners vs. Texas Longhorns: How to watch, stream, listen, and key players for game 2 of WCWS championship

After Oklahoma’s 16-1 win over Texas, the Sooners are one win away from their second straight national championship and here’s how to tune in.

The Oklahoma Sooners roared out of the gate in game one of the Women’s College World Series championship. Their 16-1 win tied an all-time record for most runs scored in a game, while their six home runs set a new record for a championship series game.

Jocelyn Alo, Tiare Jennings, Taylon Snow, and Jana Johns each hit home runs.

The Sooners chased Texas ace Hailey Dolcini after just 0.2 innings pitched making it likely that she’ll get the start again in game two. In her last two appearances against Oklahoma, the Sooners have tagged her for 10 runs, seven earned, in just five innings of work.

After Hope Trautwein threw 90 pitches to pick up her fourth win of the Women’s College World Series and sixth of the NCAA tournament, Jordy Bahl may get the start for the Sooners on Thursday night, which would be her first since a complete game, 7-1 win over Oklahoma State back on May 2, more than a month ago. She’s been solid in relief appearances in the the last week.

The Sooners look to finish off their back-to-back pursuit of the national championship and here’s how you can tune in to game two of the [autotag]Women’s College World Series[/autotag] championship.

  • Date: Thursday, June 9, 2022
  • Time: 6:30 p.m. CDT
  • TV Channel: ESPN2
  • 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.

It’s a matchup that has everyone pumped, including a couple of legends in the Red River Rivalry.

No. 1 Oklahoma vs Texas Longhorns

Players to watch:

No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners

[autotag]Jocelyn Alo[/autotag]: .527 batting average with 34 home runs, 85 RBIs, 53 walks.

[autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag]: .391 batting average with 29 home runs and 86 RBIs, 39 walks.

[autotag]Grace Lyons[/autotag]: .397 batting average with 22 home runs and 67 RBIs, 22 walks.

[autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag]: .424 batting average with 8 home runs, 40 RBIs, 51 walks, and 13 stolen bases.

[autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag]: .419 batting average with 2 home runs, 27 RBIs

[autotag]Hope Trautwein[/autotag]: 22-1 with a 0.64 ERA, 157 strikeouts in 126 innings pitched.

[autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag]: 21-1 with a 1.02 ERA, 203 strikeouts in 137.1 innings pitched.

[autotag]Nicole May[/autotag]: 15-1 with a 1.30 ERA, 97 strikeouts in 89.1 innings pitched.

Texas Longhorns

Janae Jefferson: .401 batting average with 7 home runs, 34 RBIs, 31 walks, and 16 stolen bases.

Mia Scott: .368 batting average with 3 home runs, 35 RBIs, 25 walks, and 26 stolen bases.

Mary Iakopo: .332 batting average with 11 home runs, 57 RBIs, and 27 walks.

Courtney Day: .312 batting average with 12 home runs, 34 RBIs, and 14 walks.

Hailey Dolcini: 24-12 with a 2.46 ERA, 217 strikeouts in 215.1 innings pitched.

Estelle Czech: 13-1 with a 3.11 ERA, 81 strikeouts in 99 innings pitched.

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