No. 1 Oklahoma (48-2) makes their return to Marita Hynes Field this weekend for the Norman Super Regional against No. 16 Washington (45-12) in a best-of-three series with a spot in the Women’s College World Series on the line.
The Sooners were granted the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament after an incredible regular season that saw them put up record-setting offensive numbers all year long. They lived up to that ranking in the Norman Regional a week ago going 3-0 in the round capped off with a 24-7 beat down of Wichita State in the regional final.
Despite that, head coach Patty Gasso has said openly on multiple occasions now that she was unsure why Oklahoma had been given the top seed given their lighter strength of schedule compared to some other top teams – specifically those from the Pac-12.
That segues perfectly to the No. 16 Huskies who were widely viewed as the single most obviously under-seeded team in the entire bracket. They made waves during the selection show by walking out of the room when their draw was revealed, not even staying to see who the remaining teams in their regional were.
This was absolutely justifiable. Glad they walked out. Total disrespect from the committee. pic.twitter.com/nYkeu4Y0ON
— Aaron Levine (@AaronQ13Fox) May 17, 2021
Someone who agreed with their disdain was in fact Gasso, who said she supported their form of silent protest and went into further detail about her lack of understanding at what the criteria is for the seeding and pleading for there to be more transparency in the process as a whole.
Simply put, in many people’s minds this a matchup of perhaps an even higher quality than the Super Regionals. These are elite teams that will be clashing in Norman this weekend, as evidenced by the second game of the series being the first ever collegiate softball game to be broadcast on ABC.
Oklahoma is looking to clinch their 14th all-time berth in the WCWS and their fifth straight with two wins this weekend over Washington. Tickets for the series are completely sold out for this star-studded matchup of title contenders.
This series will mark the 27th, 28th and (potentially) 29th all-time meetings between the Sooners and the Huskies with Washington holding the slight historical edge 14-12. The two teams have met four of the last five seasons, including three collisions in the WCWS. The Huskies are coached by Heather Tarr in her 17th year with the program.
For this powerhouse Super Regional matchup, here is everything you need to know:
Game 1 – Friday
WHEN: 2:00 p.m. CT
WHERE: Norman, Oklahoma (Marita Hynes Field)
HOW TO WATCH: ESPN2
HOW TO LISTEN: Sooner Sports Radio Network – The Franchise 2 103.3 FM/1560 AM; Tune In Radio App (Chris Plank & Destinee Martinez)
Game 2 – Saturday
WHEN: 2:00 p.m. CT
WHERE: Norman, Oklahoma (Marita Hynes Field)
HOW TO WATCH: ABC
HOW TO LISTEN: Sooner Sports Radio Network – KRXO 107.7 FM The Franchise in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Tune In Radio App (Chris Plank & Destinee Martinez)
Game 3 – Sunday (If Necessary)
WHEN: 3:00 p.m. CT
WHERE: Norman, Oklahoma (Marita Hynes Field)
HOW TO WATCH: ESPN
HOW TO LISTEN: Sooner Sports Radio Network – KRXO 107.7 FM The Franchise in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Tune In Radio App (Chris Plank & Destinee Martinez)