OKLAHOMA CITY — The University of Oklahoma softball program could extend its record run of consecutive national titles to five at this year’s Women’s College World Series.
Coach Patty Gasso’s Sooners — the No. 2 seed when the NCAA Division I tournament began earlier this month with a 64-team field — will face No. 7 seed Tennessee, a fellow Southeastern Conference program, in their WCWS opener. Oklahoma beat Alabama, yet another SEC school, on Saturday to win the Norman Super Regional.
Action in the eight-team, double-elimination event begins Thursday at OGE Energy Field at Devon Park. The final two teams will play for the title in a best-of-three series starting June 4.
Gasso, who will coach the United States at the 2028 Summer Olympics, has led the Sooners to eight national titles, including six of the past eight awarded and seven of 10. This is Oklahoma’s first season in the SEC after leaving the Big 12, along with rival Texas.
In other first-round matchups Thursday, third-seeded Florida will play No. 6 seed Texas, No. 9 seed UCLA meets No. 16 seed Oregon and No. 12 seed Texas Tech will face unseeded Ole Miss.
Oklahoma will face Tennessee star pitcher Karlyn Pickens, who broke her NCAA record by throwing a 79.4 mph pitch during Saturday’s win over Nebraska. Pickens then shut out the Cornhuskers on Sunday, 1-0.
Nebraska’s loss means Oklahoma won’t be facing former Sooners pitcher Jordy Bahl, who transferred to join her home-state Cornhuskers after being named the most outstanding player of the 2023 WCWS with Oklahoma.
Although No. 1 overall seed Texas A&M, which shared the SEC tournament title with Oklahoma, was knocked out in regional play, the SEC has five teams in the field, with Florida and Ole Miss joining Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas in that number.
Florida beat Georgia in three games to advance. The Gators won national titles in 2014 and 2015 and lost to Oklahoma in the semifinals last year.
Texas has reached the best-of-three championship series in two of the past three seasons, with both losses coming to Oklahoma.
Ole Miss and Texas Tech are first-time qualifiers.
Texas Tech beat host Florida State in a super regional. Pitcher NiJaree Canady, last year’s USA Softball collegiate player of the year, led Stanford to the national semifinals two straight years before transferring to Texas Tech. She led the Red Raiders to their first Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles.
Ole Miss is the only unseeded team remaining. The Rebels beat Arizona twice to win the Tucson Regional and beat host Arkansas in the Fayetteville Super Regional.
UCLA and Oregon will meet in a matchup of former Pac-12 teams that moved to the Big Ten this year.
Oregon, the Big Ten regular-season champion, defeated upstart Liberty to advance. Liberty stunned Texas A&M in regional play but couldn’t get past the Ducks this weekend.
UCLA was down to its last out against South Carolina in the second game of the Columbia Super Regional before winning, then took the third game Sunday to advance to the WCWS. The Bruins could add to their record 12 national titles.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES
At OGE Energy Field at Devon Park in Oklahoma City
(Double-elimination; x-if necessary)
Thursday, May 29
Game 1: Texas (51-11) vs. Florida (48-15), noon
Game 2: Oklahoma (50-7) vs. Tennessee (45-15), 2:30 p.m.
Game 3: Texas Tech (50-12) vs. Ole Miss (42-19), 7 p.m.
Game 4: UCLA (54-11) vs. Oregon (53-8), 9:30 p.m.
Friday, May 30
Game 5: G1 loser vs. G2 loser, 7 p.m.
Game 6: G3 loser vs. G4 loser, 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 31
Game 7: G1 winner vs. G2 winner, 3 p.m.
Game 8: G3 winner vs. G4 winner, 7 p.m.
Sunday, June 1
Game 9: G5 winner vs. G8 loser, 3 p.m.
Game 10: G6 winner vs. G7 loser, 7 p.m.
Monday, June 2
Game 11: G7 winner vs. G9 winner, noon
x-Game 12: G7 winner vs. G9 winner, 2:30 p.m.
Game 13: G8 winner vs. G10 winner, 7 p.m.
x-Game 14: G8 winner vs. G10 winner, 9:30 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
(Best-of-3; x-if necessary)
Wednesday, June 4
TBD vs. TBD, TBA
Thursday, June 5
TBD vs. TBD, TBA
Friday, June 6
x-TBD vs. TBD, TBA