The NCAA softball season is underway, with No. 19 Georgia and No. 10 Texas already falling victim to upsets.

There are plenty of things we know about this season: Oklahoma is good. Jocelyn Alo is very good. Montana Fouts is deadly on the mound. ESPN needs to put more games on their main networks, such as this Sunday’s UCLA-Florida State showdown on ESPN as part of a 40-game weekend slate.

But there are also plenty of unknowns and intriguing storylines to follow along the way. Just Women’s Sports breaks down a few as the season continues with a couple of key tournaments this weekend that could shake up the national discussion.

How far will Oklahoma go?

The defending national champions are already off to a hot start, taking down No. 3 UCLA last Saturday 4-1. The Sooners have given up just two runs through six games so far.

Oklahoma has made it to six WCWS championship series, winning five of them, including four in the last decade. They’ve only gone back-to-back once, i 2016 and ’17.

While the Sooners lost some talent from the their title team, they return 2021 Player of the Year Jocelyn Alo, Freshman of the Year Tiare Jennings and Jayda Coleman, a finalist for the same award. They’ve also added freshman Jordy Bahl, who was named National Pitcher of the Week after striking out 14 in the win over UCLA.

She’s just getting 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝. @jordybahl | #ChampionshipMindset pic.twitter.com/frtGhd5Sr7

— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) February 13, 2022

The Sooners are at the top of the conversation about national championship contenders. They lost just four games last season, making it all the way to late April without a loss before Georgia handed them their first. Oklahoma’s next big test comes in a doubleheader on Feb. 25 against No. 9 Arizona and No. 18 Tennessee.

Which conference will stand out?

The Washington Huskies made headlines last season when they walked out of their NCAA watch party. The fifth-ranked team in the country wound up as the 16th seed in the NCAA Tournament and met eventual champion Oklahoma in the super regional.

The Pac-12 at large felt disrespected by the NCAA’s seeding last year, with UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez admitting she was “shocked” during the selection show. Since then, the Pac-12 has lost a lot of talent, and the conference’s strength will be tested in some early-season matchups. At the Elite Invitational this weekend, Washington and UCLA will go up against No. 5 Florida State and No. 7 Oklahoma State. While Oklahoma headlines the Big 12, Oklahoma State picked up a couple of key pieces in the offseason in Miranda Elish (Texas), Julia Cottrill (Florida) and Morgan Day (Illinois State).

The SEC, with three teams inside the top five, continues to be one of the strongest conferences in softball. Second-ranked Alabama has one of the nation’s best returning pitchers in All-American and reigning Pitcher of the Year Montana Fouts.

The Big Ten will resume a non-conference schedule after playing only conference games last season due to COVID-19. Last year, only three Big Ten teams made the NCAA Tournament and none earned a national seed. They didn’t fare much better in the tournament, with Minnesota making it the farthest — to the regional finals where they lost to UCLA. Going up against some of the country’s best against, the Big Ten has a fresh chance to prove itself.

Jocelyn Alo and the home run record: a matter of time

Jocelyn Alo will look to make some history of her own as she continues to anchor the Oklahoma offense this season. The fifth-year senior currently has 90 home runs in her career, just five shy of the record set by Lauren Chamberlain seven years ago.

Make it 9️⃣0️⃣ career 💣’s for @78jocelyn_alo!

She is now tied for fourth all time in NCAA history with Stacey Nuveman. #NCAASoftball x 🎥 @OU_Softball pic.twitter.com/A4yaYJfYet

— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) February 12, 2022

If the Alo can break the record within 15 games, she’ll have done so faster than Chamberlain, who amassed 95 home runs in 220 games. It’s certainly possible: Alo hit 12 home runs in her first 15 games last season. In total, she smashed 34 homers, setting an Oklahoma and Big 12 single-season record. So far, she has two through five games, and the ability to heat up at any moment.

Oh, and did we mention that she’s a member of the Just Women’s Sports Varsity Squad?

Can ESPN and the NCAA come to terms on scheduling?

Inequities at NCAA Tournaments were at the center of national discussions last year, and softball was no exception. From a lack of showers to a tournament format that could mean going without a day off, the criticism over player treatment was loud.

On top of it all, despite a massive uptick in viewership through the first games of the WCWS, ESPN scheduled the final game of the national championship for 3 p.m. ET midweek. Issues arose earlier in the tournament when rain delays caused Florida State to play a game past 3 a.m. ET. A mere 12 hours later, the Seminoles took the diamond again for a spot in the championship series. This year’s tournament has expanded from seven days to nine, bringing it more in line with the men’s tournament and giving the athletes more rest days.

The 2021 WCWS was the most-watched on record, recording higher viewership than the men’s baseball tournament with an average audience of 1.2 million.

ESPN is promising unprecedented softball coverage throughout the regular season, including a new game-of-the-week series called “Thursday Night Throwdown” that will air for four weeks from mid-April through early-May. Those games will air in primetime slots on ESPN2.

There are still opportunities for more games to move to main networks; for example, Sunday’s matchup between No. 3 UCLA and No. 4 Florida State, originally slated for ESPN2, will now air on ESPN as part of the network’s premier weekend of women’s sports. If there is one learning from last season, it’s that people want more softball on their televisions.

Emma Hruby is an associate editor at Just Women’s Sports.

The NWSL is expanding its footprint across ESPN, with the broadcaster signing on to carry 16 additional regular-season games in both the 2026 and 2027 seasons, upping the platform's total to 33 matches per year.

ESPN will also introduce a season-long "Match of the Week" centerpiece series, as well as live coverage of NWSL Decision Day, when eight concurrent matches will close out the season on the same day. 

"The NWSL showcases some of the best athletes in the world," ESPN EVP of programming and acquisitions Rosalyn Durant said in a press release. "We are proud to increase our commitment on ABC and ESPN, and to further elevate women's sports and the athlete stories."

This media rights extension builds on the league's ongoing blockbuster four-year, $240 million TV deal with ESPN, adding inventory for the final two seasons of the November 2023 agreement.

The deal expansion comes in light of the league's significant growth this season, with the NWSL seeing gains across both attendance and viewership, including a 72% year-over-year ratings rise on ESPN.

"This supplemental agreement underscores the growing demand for women's soccer and ensures our players and clubs receive the visibility they deserve on some of the most prominent sports platforms," said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman in a statement.

The 2025 WNBA season is over for Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, but the 23-year-old star is still making headlines, with Reebok set to drop her signature Angel Reese 1 sneakers on Thursday.

The Angel Reese 1 is a cornerstone of Reebok's re-entry into the basketball market, with the sportswear giant engineering the signature shoe for on-court performance by including features like responsive cushioning and added upper support.

Inspired by the brand's classic Mobius line, the shoes will hit the shelves in three colorways — an iridescent white "Diamond Dust," a bold pink "Mebounds," and a black and white "Receipts Ready" — with Reese's personal logo incorporated into the design.

Reese first signed with Reebok as an NIL athlete at LSU in 2023, a little over six months after winning the NCAA championship with the Tigers.

This week's rollout follows the July sneak peek of the signature sneakers worn by Reese on the cover of NBA 2K26's WNBA Edition.

"This isn't just a shoe, it's my style, my story, and my stamp on the game," Reese said in Reebok's press release. "I wanted to design a basketball shoe that elevates performance, innovation, style, and creative expression, all at once."

"Reebok and I built something that's true to who I am, and I hope it pushes others to stand in their power too."

How to buy the Angel Reese 1 Reebok sneakers

All three colorways of the Angel Reese 1 sneakers will be available for a retail price of $120 beginning at 10 AM ET on Thursday at Reebok.com as well as in select stores.

No. 5 New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart isn't letting Sunday's left knee knock take her off the 2025 WNBA Playoffs court, with the forward planning to compete in Game 2 against the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday night.

An emotional Stewart finished Game 1 on the bench, going down with a knee injury in overtime of the Liberty's 76-69 upset win over the Mercury on Sunday.

"What I felt in that moment scared me more than anything," Stewart told reporters on Wednesday morning.

A Monday MRI revealed a sprained MCL, and though the two-time WNBA MVP did not practice on Tuesday, she participated in the team's Wednesday shootaround and said her pain had diminished to a three out of 10.

"[As long as] I don't wake up from my nap and feel like s—t," said Stewart, "I'm willing to take that [chance of re-injury] because I want to be out with my team, and they told me that structurally everything looks OK."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Even when the game-day status for Stewart was still unknown, New York Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello promised that the defending champions would give their star "as much time as we can."

"We know what's at stake," Brondello told reporters on Tuesday. "We don't want to go back to Phoenix [for Game 3], but they're going to come in hungry."

Stewart echoed that sentiment on Wednesday morning, saying "We want to finish it here. Not having to go back to Phoenix is our main priority."

How to watch the Phoenix Mercury vs. New York Liberty in Game 2

No. 5 New York will look to oust No. 4 Phoenix from the 2025 WNBA Playoffs with a first-round sweep on Wednesday night, when the Liberty host the Mercury for Game 2 at 8 PM ET.

The matchup will air live on ESPN.

Star sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is reaching new heights, setting a new US record for the 400-meter race in the event's Tuesday semifinals at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

The four-time Olympic gold medalist finished the flat event in 48.29 seconds, shaving more than 0.40 seconds off the previous US record of 48.70 seconds set by track legend Sanya Richards-Ross in 2006.

Both her personal best and the fastest time in the world for that event this year, McLaughlin-Levrone's performance also makes her the seventh-fastest woman of all time in the 400-meter dash — elevating expectations that she could challenge the long-standing world record of 47.60 seconds, set by then-East German sprinter Marita Koch in 1985.

Known for her dominance in the 400-meter hurdles, the 26-year-old made the decision to focus on the flat 400-meter event ahead of this year's competition. 

"I definitely wasn't expecting that time," she said afterwards. "It just shows the fitness is there. I'm excited for the finals and grateful to have taken down a record by an amazing woman."

How to watch McLaughlin-Levrone in the 400-meter final

McLaughlin-Levrone will take aim at the 2025 World Athletics Championships' 400-meter podium — and, perhaps, another record time — during the event's final on Thursday.

The US star will race against 2024 Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino and silver medalist Salwa Eid Naser when the final begins at 9:24 AM ET.

Live coverage will air on USA Network.