OU, OSU Softball Both World Series Bound

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowgirls both punched their tickets to the Women’s College World Series with Super Regional victories over the weekend.

The Sooners defeated Washington in two games, while OSU took two of three from Texas to claim a spot in the college softball championship tournament.

Oklahoma entered the Super Regionals ranked No. 1 in the nation and the No. 1 overall seed in the college softball postseason. Their reward was a matchup with a Washington team that was ranked inside the top 10 for most of the season and was considered grossly underseeded by most analysts.

The Huskies gave OU a fight in game one on Friday afternoon. Sami Reynolds and Kelley Lynch both went yard off Sooners pitcher Nicole May; fortunately, both homers were solo shots. That proved to be most of the offense for Washington on the day, as May allowed just five hits overall.

Jocelyn Alo launched a home run for OU, as well, and Sooners catcher Kinzie Hansen circled the bases after her single up the middle trickled through the center fielder’s legs and went to the outfield wall. OU’s two-run fifth inning put the Sooners ahead for good and they took the game, 4-2.

Saturday was not as dramatic. OU scored in every inning, drubbing the Huskies for a 9-1, five-inning run-rule victory. Alo, the national home run leader, hit another dinger and was joined this game by Kinzie Hansen and Jana Johns.

OU now advances to the WCWS for the fifth consecutive time.

Up in Stillwater, the Cowgirls started their weekend with a cozy 6-1 win over the Longhorns before dropping game two by a 4-2 score.

The Cowgirls put game one starter Carrie Eberle back in the pitcher’s circle for the rubber match, and Eberle did not disappoint.

Eberle tossed her 19th complete game and fourth shutout of the season, allowing four hits and one walk against three strikeouts. The Cowgirls plated two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning behind RBI singles from Avery Hobson and Chelsea Alexander, and that’s all OSU needed to send the Longhorns packing, 2-0.

The spotlight now turns to Oklahoma City, where OU and OSU join six other teams vying for a national championship. The Oklahoma squads will enjoy an unparalleled home-field advantage, but their path to the title might involve an early showdown between the schools.

OU and OSU find themselves on the same side of the bracket. Oklahoma will open the WCWS against James Madison on Thursday, June 3, and OSU will open up against Georgia later that day. If both teams win, or both lose, they will face each other head-to-head in their second game of the tournament for a chance to advance.

The OU-James Madison matchup begins at noon Thursday and will be broadcast on ESPN. OSU’s Georgia game will immediately follow at 2:30 p.m. on the same channel.

The other side of the brack et in Oklahoma City will include Alabama, Arizona, Florida State and UCLA.

Oklahoma is a four-time national champion but hasn’t won the WCWS since 2017. It’s looking to avenge its championship series loss to UCLA in 2019, the last time the WCWS was played, when it bowed out to the Bruins in two games.

Oklahoma State, the No. 5 overall seed, is on the hunt for its first softball national championship. OSU is one of only two teams to have defeated the Sooners this season – the other being Georgia – but OU went 3-1 overall against the Cowgirls this year.