There are a slew of reasons why this year’s Women’s College World Series is special.
It is the 30th running of the event in Oklahoma City. It is the first WCWS with expanded seating, including an upper deck. And it is the first time the NCAA softball championship will be staged since 2019 after the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the 2020 season.
Softball fever. Catch it.
Before the WCWS gets underway Thursday morning at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium, get to know the eight teams vying for a national title.
The field of eight includes West Coast powers Arizona and UCLA, Bedlam rivals Oklahoma and Oklahoma State as well as an SEC power, Alabama, led by a pitcher named for a state not in the WCWS (Montana Fouts).
This year's WCWS even includes an unseeded team from Colonial Athletic Association, James Madison. Just don't call them a Cinderella team.
“We deserve to be here,” JMU redshirt junior Lynsey Meeks told the Daily News Record in Harrisonburg, Virginia. “We deserve to be recognized for how much work we’ve put in. I don’t consider us a mid-major anymore. We’re up with the big dogs, and we deserve to be there.”
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No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners
Location: Norman
Enrollment: 31,244
Record: 50-2 (16-1 Big 12)
Coach: Patty Gasso, 27th season at OU (1491-398-3 overall, 1330-339-2 at OU)
WCWS history: 14th appearance. Won four NCAA titles (2000, 2013, 2016-17).
Leading hitter: With a team this deep, you could throw a dart at the lineup and find a hitter capable of leading a team. The Sooners have the top four batters in the Big 12 — Jocelyn Alo (.487 average, 30 home runs, 82 RBIs), Tiare Jennings (.485, 25 HRs, 84 RBIs), Jayda Coleman (.469, eight HRs, 47 RBIs) and Kinzie Hansen (.453, 21 HRs, 58 RBIs).
Leading pitcher: Shannon Saile (17-0) led the Big 12 with a 1.31 earned-run average in 85 ⅔ innings pitched. Don’t forget about Nicole May (13-1, 1.75 ERA).
Short hops: The Sooners will be making their fifth consecutive appearance in the WCWS. OU lost only twice in the regular season, but both of those teams (Georgia and Oklahoma State) are on the Sooners’ side of the bracket. With a win against James Madison on Thursday, OU would face either OSU or Georgia at 6 p.m. Friday.
Road to OKC: The top-seeded Sooners opened regional play on May 21 with a 19-0 rout of Morgan State in five innings and followed that up with wins over Wichita State (7-5 and 24-7). No. 16 seed Washington came to Norman for the super regional, but Gabbie Plain and the Huskies fell to the Sooners 4-2 in the opener and 9-1 in five innings for Game 2.
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James Madison Dukes
Location: Harrisonburg, Va.
Enrollment: 19,895
Record: 39-2 (17-1 Colonial)
Coach: Loren LaPorte, fourth season (146-32)
WCWS history: First appearance
Leading hitter: Infielder Sara Jubas is hitting .409 this season with 10 home runs and 34 RBIs, but she isn’t the only threat in the Dukes’ lineup. Outfielder Kate Gordon has a .368 average with 18 home runs and 55 RBIs.
Leading pitcher: Redshirt senior Odicci Alexander is 16-1 with a save this season, posting a 1.14 ERA with 186 strikeouts in 117 innings. She does have prior NCAA tournament experience, allowing one earned run in six innings against UCLA in the 2019 regionals. She has a career 2.09 ERA in 613 ⅓ innings pitched.
Short hops: The Dukes are the first school from outside the Power Five conferences to reach the WCWS since Louisiana in 2014. The last time a non-seeded team advanced to OKC was 2012 when LSU and South Florida made it. Georgia is the other unseeded team to advance this season.
Road to OKC: In the Knoxville Regional, the Dukes twice beat Liberty (4-3 in 10 innings and 8-5) and No. 9 Tennessee 3-1. In the Columbia Super Regional, JMU held off No. 8 seed Missouri in the opener 2-1 as Alexander struck out 10 Tigers and allowed one hit with six walks. In Game 2, Mizzou won 7-1, handing Alexander her first loss of the season. In Game 3, Newton went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored and JMU cruised past Mizzou 7-2.
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No. 5 Oklahoma State Cowgirls
Location: Stillwater
Enrollment: 24,649
Record: 47-10 (15-3 Big 12)
Coach: Kenny Gajewski, fifth season (220-105)
WCWS history: 12th appearance
Leading hitter: Infielder Alysen Febrey has 25 multi-hit games this season and is sporting a .409 average with 18 HRs and 59 RBIs, while only striking out 18 times in 176 at-bats. Infielder Kiley Naomi is hitting 8-for-17 with three HRs in the NCAA Tournament.
Leading pitcher:Virginia Tech transfer Carrie Eberle has been the Cowgirls’ ace all season, making 29 starts (with two relief outings) and posting a 1.41 ERA with 153 strikeouts in 178 ⅔ innings pitched.
Short hops: The Cowgirls, who will face Georgia on Thursday, have two former Bulldogs and Georgia natives on their roster in Febrey and infielder Jordan Doggett. OSU is making its second straight appearance in the WCWS, as the Samantha Show-led Cowgirls went 1-2 in OKC two years ago.
Road to OKC: The Cowgirls barely broke a sweat in the Stillwater Regional, rolling past Campbell 10-0 in the opener before ousting Mississippi State 9-3 and 10-2. In the Stillwater Super Regional, OSU beat Texas 6-1 in the opener behind home runs from Febrey, Hayley Busby and Karli Petty. In Game 2, Shae O’Leary held the Cowgirls to just two hits in a 4-2 Texas win. In Game 3, Eberle allowed only four hits in a 2-0 complete-game shutout for OSU.
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Georgia Bulldogs
Location: Athens, Ga.
Enrollment: 29,765
Record: 34-21 (7-17 Southeastern)
Coach: Lu Harris-Champer, 21st season at Georgia (1,163-428-1 overall, 959-362 at UGA)
WCWS history: Fifth appearance
Leading hitter: Infielder Lacey Fincher leads the Bulldogs with a .338 average and is tied with infielder Sydney Kuma for the team lead with 15 home runs. Fincher is a patient hitter who will find a way to reach base (.511 on-base percentage), walking a team-high 42 times as well as getting hit by six pitches this season.
Leading pitcher: Mary Wilson Avant is 20-10 with a 2.69 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP in 197 ⅔ innings pitched this season. She is coming off back-to-back complete-game shutouts in Georgia’s sweep at No. 4 seed Florida in the super regionals.
Short hops: Outfielder Jaiden Fields, who had the game-winning hit that ended OU’s 40-game winning streak on April 20, is the sister of Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields. Georgia is 2-3 all-time against OSU.
Road to OKC: The Bulldogs hosted a regional, but No. 13 Duke was the national seed. Georgia beat Western Kentucky 11-3 in six innings in the opener and then held off the Blue Devils in a pair of one-run wins (1-0 on May 22 and 10-9 on May 23). In the Gainesville Super Regional, Avant was lights out in the circle. Payden Bordeau hit a three-run home run in Game 1, a 4-0 Georgia win. In Game 2, Fields homered for the second straight day as the Bulldogs rolled to a 6-0 win.
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No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide
Location: Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Enrollment: 38,103
Record: 50-7 (18-6 Southeastern)
Coach: Patrick Murphy, 23rd season (1,147-318)
WCWS history: 13th appearance. Won the 2012 national title.
Leading hitter: The Crimson Tide have four players who have played in every game and each of them can rake. Alexis Mack and Bailey Hemphill are each hitting .416 this season. Elissa Brown (.396, 24 stolen bases) and Kaylee Tow (.369, 14 doubles) are also dangerous.
Leading pitcher: Montana Fouts (25-3, 1.49 ERA) is fourth in the nation with 314 strikeouts in 196 ⅔ innings pitched. Lexi Kilfoyl (13-3, 1.57 ERA) is nearly as unhittable, with a .188 opponent batting average.
Short hops: While the top-seeded Sooners can bludgeon opponents with home runs (146 total), facing the third-seeded Crimson Tide is more of a death by a thousand paper cuts. Alabama only has 37 home runs this season but has only allowed 24.
Road to OKC: The Crimson Tide rolled through the Tuscaloosa Regional, shutting out Alabama State (9-0) and Clemson (6-0 and 5-0). Alabama faced a tougher test hosting Kentucky in the super regional but held off the Wildcats 4-3 in the opener. Kilfoyl kept Kentucky at bay in Game 2, striking out seven batters in a 4-1 win.
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No. 11 Arizona Wildcats
Location: Tucson, Ariz.
Enrollment: 35,801
Record: 41-13 (12-10 Pac-12)
Coach: Mike Candrea, 36th season at UA (1,858-503-2 overall, 1,674-434-2 at UA)
WCWS history: 24th appearance. Won the NCAA title eight times (1991, 1993-94, 1996-97, 2001, 2006-07).
Leading hitter: Outfielder Janelle Meoño sets the table for the Wildcats, hitting a team-best .439 with 12 stolen bases and 44 runs scored. Dejah Mulipola is one of the top-hitting catchers in the country with a .401 average, 21 home runs and 63 RBIs.
Leading pitcher: Alyssa Denham is Arizona’s primary ace, starting 25 games and posting a 1.88 ERA with 106 strikeouts in 137 ⅔ innings pitched.
Short hops: Candrea is the NCAA’s all-time leader in softball coaching victories, but this could be the legendary coach’s final rodeo in OKC. He is reportedly under contract for just one more season and the team has been showing signs of affection for Candrea on social media and in the dugout, leading to that speculation.
Road to OKC: In the Tucson Regional, Arizona cruised past UMBC (7-0) and Ole Miss (12-6 and 12-6). In the Fayetteville Super Regional, sixth-seeded Arkansas couldn’t contain Mulipola and the Wildcats. Mulipola hit two of Arizona’s four home runs in a 10-4 Game 1 win. In Game 2, Mulipola’s two-run homer off of Autumn Storms was all UA needed in a 4-1 win.
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No. 10 Florida State Seminoles
Location: Tallahassee, Fla.
Enrollment: 33,270
Record: 44-10-1 (26-5-1 Atlantic Coast)
Coach: Lonni Alameda, 13th season at FSU (756-335-3 overall, 599-177-2 at FSU)
WCWS history: 11th appearance. Won the NCAA title in 2018.
Leading hitter: Southmoore graduate Sydney Sherrill leads the Seminoles with a .313 average in 55 games. The redshirt junior also has 13 of FSU’s 107 stolen bases.
Leading pitcher: Kathryn Sanderco*ck is 24-2 with a 1.09 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 147 ⅓ innings pitched this season. Caylan Arnold (10-6, 1.66 ERA) has started 22 games for the Seminoles.
Short hops: Alameda played at OU from 1990-92. .. Florida State’s 1.61 ERA is seventh best in the country. … The Seminoles have won their last six games in Oklahoma City.
Road to OKC: In the Tallahassee Regional, the Seminoles dispatched Kennesaw State 6-2 and twice shut out UCF (3-0 and 2-0). In the Baton Rouge Super Regional, the Seminoles survived a pair of thrillers against seventh-seeded LSU. In Game 1, Cassidy Davis drove in Sherrill on a sixth-inning sacrifice fly for the lone run. In Game 2, Kiersten Landers drove in Dani Morgan with a walkoff single in the bottom of the ninth for a 4-3 win.
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No. 2 UCLA Bruins
Location: Los Angeles
Enrollment: 31,577
Record: 46-5 (19-2 Pac-12)
Coach: Kelly Inouye-Perez, 15th season (671-178-1)
WCWS history: 30th appearance. Won the NCAA title 13 times (1982, 1984-85, 1988-90, 1992, 1995, 1999, 2003-04, 2010, 2019).
Leading hitter: There are no easy outs with the Bruins, whose lineup includes nine players batting at least .300. Brianna Perez leads UCLA with a .364 average and has 13 home runs and 41 RBIs.
Leading pitcher: Rachel Garcia is on the U.S. Olympic team for good reason. She is 17-1 with a 0.95 ERA and 162 strikeouts in 118 ⅓ innings pitched this season. Megan Faraimo (19-3, 1.10 ERA) isn’t a bad No. 2 starter.
Short hops: Outfielder Bubba Nickels, UCLA’s other Olympian, is hitting .353 in 24 games this season as she comes back from injury.
Road to OKC: In the Los Angeles Regional, UCLA defeated Long Beach State (8-0 in five innings), Fresno State (5-4 in eight innings) and Minnesota (2-1). In the super regionals, Virginia Tech stunned the host Bruins in the opener 7-2 last Thursday. But UCLA responded with shutout performances from Faraimo and Garcia, winning 2-0 and 6-0, respectively.
How to watch the WCWS
Thursday's games at USA Softball Hallof Fame Stadium (all games on ESPN):
11 a.m.: OU vs. James Madison
1:30 p.m.: OSU vs. Georgia
6 p.m.: Arizona vs. Alabama
8:30 p.m.: Florida State vs. UCLA
