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NCAA Softball: Oklahoma heading to Super Regionals

Players of Washington Spirits on field/ JWS
Players of Washington Spirits on field/ JWS

The NCAA Softball Super Regionals are set. (Full bracket can be found here.)

Following the controversy that surrounded the regional site announcements — including eight SEC teams receiving hosting duties — the SEC saw seven teams advance while the Pac-12 has three teams remaining in the tournament. 

A breakdown of the matchups can be found below. 

No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 16 Washington

The number one seed in the country wasted no time taking care of business over the weekend. While the Sooners went down early against Wichita State, they came back in a big way, scoring eight in the second inning and then another 10 in the seventh in a 24-7 rout of the Shockers. They also tied the NCAA regional record with six home runs in one game. 

Washington, meanwhile, struggled against Michigan on Saturday, falling 2-1. Washington responded, taking down Michigan twice on Sunday, including coming back from being down 5-1 in Game 7 to exploding in the fourth inning and taking a 10-5 lead heading into the fifth. The score would stand as the Huskies advanced to face the Sooners in the Supers.

No. 3 Alabama vs. No. 14 Kentucky

The Crimson took swift care of Clemson, blanking them 5-0. Alabama didn’t allow a single run all weekend, as the Alabama pitchers recorded 44 strikeouts, breaking the record for the team’s most in regional play. 

Kentucky was in trouble heading into Sunday’s game against Notre Dame after dropping a game Saturday against the Irish. But the Wildcats responded in a big way, blanking Notre Dame in two straight games (7-0, 4-0) en route to a Super Regional appearance.

No. 8 Missouri vs. James Madison

Jordan Weber had a day Sunday, putting an exclamation point on Missouri’s statement weekend. The sophomore, who came five outs away from a no-hitter Friday, finished the job on Sunday in the Tigers’ 5-0 win over Iowa State and helped her team advance to the Super Regional. 

James Madison, meanwhile, got off to a slow start in Sunday’s game against Liberty. The Flames took the lead on a two-run home run to lead 3-1 after four innings. But the Dukes’ bats would respond, scoring five runs in the fifth. They would eventually win by a score of 8-5, extending their win streak to 27 and advancing to the Super Regional against Missouri. 

No. 6 Arkansas vs. No. 11 Arizona

Arkansas got the scoring started early in the first inning with two runs before Stanford responded with three of their own. Arkansas would do all of the scoring from that point on, with Linnie Malkin opening things up in the fifth inning with a three-run home run. The score would stand, as the Hogs took down the Cardinal 7-3 to advance to their second-ever Super Regional.

Arizona went down big in their final game against Ole Miss. Down by six runs, the Wildcats began to gradually claw back, scoring eight runs in the fifth to erase the deficit. Reyna Carranco would bring in the tying runs with a line-drive single to the right, and the Wildcats never looked back.

They would add on six more runs for a final score of 12-6.

No. 5 Oklahoma State vs. No. 12 Texas

Oklahoma State took down Mississippi State in a big way, defeating the Bulldogs in a final score of 10-2. OSU’s Sydney Pennington etched her name in the history books, breaking the program’s all-time career home run record with her 36th bomb.

Texas almost went home Sunday after dropping their first game against Oregon 3-2. But they would respond in a big way in Game 7, blanking the Ducks 1-0 off of a Jordyn Whitaker RBI.

No. 7 LSU vs. No. 10 Florida State

After dropping the first game against Louisiana by a score of 2-0, the Tigers bounced back in Game 7. LSU took a 7-1 lead in the fifth off of a Georgia Clark 3-run home run, but the Ragin’ Cajuns wouldn’t go quietly, scoring four runs in the sixth at an attempted rally before falling by a final score of 8-5.

Florida State blanked UCF on Sunday by a score of 2-0 to advance to the Super Regionals. Pitcher Kathryn Sandercock led the way, giving up only one hit with one walk and eight strikeouts. Through 83 pitches, the ace recorded 58 strikes.

No. 4 Florida vs. Georgia

Florida had a perfect weekend, going 3-0 against USF and South Alabama, including a dominant 8-0 win during the final game against USF behind a no-hitter from Elizabeth Hightower. Florida’s offense exploded in the seventh, scoring six runs, including a grand slam from Sarah Longley that marked the first home run of her career.

Meanwhile in Athens, Georgia took advantage of their home field advantage to take down No. 13 Duke. Tied in the bottom of the sixth, Sydney Chambley would drive home the winning run for the Bulldogs for a final score of 10-9.

Back when the two teams met in April, Florida won the series against the Bulldogs, taking back-to-back series wins after dropping the opener. 

No. 2 UCLA vs. Virginia Tech

After going down 1-0 against Minnesota, the Bruins responded in a big way, with Kinsley Washington bringing in two to give UCLA control of the game.

The Bruins would hold out and win 2-1. 

In Tempe, Virginia Tech took down BYU in five innings on Saturday to advance to the Super Regionals for the second time in program history. With a final score of 11-3, the Hokies hit five home runs, tied for their second-most in a game all season.

Teams will now play in a best-of-three series for a spot in the College World Series in Oklahoma City.

Naomi Osaka Issues Apology to Sorana Cirstea After Icy Australian Open Handshake

Naomi Osaka of Japan speaks to the media following victory over Sorana Cirstea of Romania in the Women's Singles Second Round during day five of the 2026 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 22, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia.
Naomi Osaka expressed regret after a tense moment with Australian Open opponent Sorana Cirstea today. (Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Naomi Osaka advanced to the third round of the 2026 Australian Open with a three-set victory over Sorana Cirstea on Thursday.

But the hard-fought win was overshadowed by a heated exchange at the net and a subsequent public apology from the former Japanese fan favorite.

After Osaka defeated the unseeded 35-year-old 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 at Margaret Court Arena, the two shared a tense handshake before Cirstea reportedly called Osaka out for her on-court conduct. The issue apparently centered on Osaka’s habit of shouting "Come on!" to celebrate points, specifically between Cirstea’s first and second serves — a move the Romanian considered both a distraction and a breach of sportsmanship.

In her immediate postmatch interview, Osaka dismissed Cirstea's complaints.

"Apparently a lot of 'come-ons' that she was angry about, but whatever," Osaka said. "I think this was her last Australian Open, so, okay, sorry she was mad about it."

However, during her subsequent press conference, Osaka apologized for her dismissive tone.

"I'm a little confused. I guess that emotions were very high for her," Osaka said. " I also want to apologize. I think the first couple of things that I said on the court were disrespectful. I don't like disrespecting people. That's not what I do."

Osaka went on to clarify that her vocal outbursts are self-motivating and not an attempt to rattle her opponent.

Cirstea, who recently announced that the 2026 season will be her last on the WTA Tour, later downplayed the incident. She called it a "five-second exchange between two players," insisting that "there was no drama."

Osaka, the No. 16 seed, will next face unseeded Australian Maddison Inglis in the third round on Friday.

How to watch Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open this week

No. 16 Naomi Osaka takes the court against Australia's Maddison Inglis this Friday (time TBA), live on ESPN.

WTA Star Coco Gauff Donates $150,000 to Support HBCU Tennis Athletes

US tennis star Coco Gauff speaks at a press conference before the 2026 Australian Open.
US tennis star Coco Gauff has contributed a total of $250,000 to the UNCF in the last two years. (Andy Cheung/Getty Images)

While competing at the 2026 Australian Open this week, US tennis star Coco Gauff is giving back to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), with the world No. 3 WTA player announcing a $150,000 donation to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) to fund HBCU tennis scholarships on Tuesday.

"Education has the power to change lives, and I hope this gift will help students achieve their dreams," said Gauff in a Tuesday statement.

Even more, this week's donation marks the two-time Grand Slam champion's second UNCF contribution in as many years, with her $100,000 pledge in 2025 bringing Gauff's total gift to $250,000.

"I feel like HBCU tennis a lot of times doesn't get the funding that they need," Gauff said after advancing to Thursday night's Australian Open third round. "I would always try to uplift marginalized communities and support where I can."

One of the youngest major donors in organization's 80-year history, the 21-year-old star's Coco Gauff Scholarship Program has already sponsored multiple HBCU tennis athletes.

"My family has a deep-rooted history with HBCUs," Gauff wrote in a 2025 press release. "As a young Black athlete, I understand how impactful it is to see people who look like me thriving in both sports and education…. My hope is that this scholarship gives more young Black players the confidence to chase their dreams, knowing they have a strong community behind them and a bright future ahead."

PWHL Player Poll: Olympic predictions, Best Trash-Talker, and Future Stars

Montréal star Marie-Philip Poulin celebrates her goal with the Victoire bench during a 2025/26 PWHL game.
Montréal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin was overwhelmingly voted "best team centerpiece" by her fellow PWHL players. (Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

PWHL players made their voices heard this week, as The Athletic published the results of the third-year league's first-ever anonymous player poll on Wednesday, surveying athletes on everything from the best trash-talkers to which nation's team will win Olympic gold at next month's 2026 Winter Games.

Leading the poll's individual accolades is 34-year-old Team Canada and Montréal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin, dubbed the PWHL's best player by 80% of respondents.

Poulin's Team USA counterpart, Seattle Torrent forward Hilary Knight, snagged second as each standout prepares for a fifth career Olympic run.

As for who will win gold in Italy, all but one player predicted a Canada vs. USA Olympic Final, with a 50/50 split on the eventual victor.

Athletes also answered overarching questions about the growing league in the player poll, with Detroit earning the most nods as a PWHL expansion city — though Denver and Chicago also scored double-digit votes.

As for the future face of the league, current New York Sirens forward and 2024 PWHL No. 1 draftee Sarah Fillier narrowly edged out current University of Wisconsin senior and Team USA Olympic defender Caroline Harvey in the players' poll.

Toronto Sceptres forward Emma Maltais beat out Montréal's Abby Roque by one vote for the title of top PWHL trash-talker, though most players tapped her for quantity over quality — an assessment Maltais herself agrees with.

"I'm not trash-talking," clarified the 26-year-old Canadian. "I'm just yapping."

Chicago Sky Star Angel Reese Expands Film and TV Portfolio

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese poses in a director's chair for the Netflix series "Hunting Wives."
Angel Reese made her film debut playing herself in a cameo in Netflix's "A House of Dynamite." (Dana Hawley/Netflix)

WNBA star Angel Reese is lighting up the silver screen, with the Chicago Sky forward racking up multiple film and TV credits during the league's offseason.

On Tuesday, Netflix revealed that Reese will play a character called "Trainer Barbie" in the second season of the streamer's hit show, The Hunting Wives.

Already a fan of the series, Reese's told Hunting Wives creator Rebecca Cutter to "just let me know if you need me for season 2" on X last summer — a conversation that helped spark the basketball star's casting.

Tuesday's news follows last week's announcement that Reese and Las Vegas Aces star center A'ja Wilson will each voice a role in the upcoming animated film GOAT, produced by the NBA's Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry.

When the film hits theaters on February 13th, fans will see Reese as Propp, a polar bear, while Wilson plays a reptile called Kouyate.

Reese first opened her acting portfolio by playing herself in a cameo in the October 2025 Netflix film A House of Dynamite, with Hunting Wives marking the 23-year-old's first foray into a scripted series.

The eight-episode second season of the Netflix show is currently in production, though a premiere date is still unknown.