The Women's College World Series began on Thursday, as eight teams vie for the 2024 NCAA championship title.

UCLA, Oklahoma, Texas, and Florida have already moved on to the winners' bracket, emerging from Thursday's first round victorious. Meanwhile Alabama, Duke, Stanford, and Oklahoma State will face elimination tonight after all suffering first-round losses.

Texas and Oklahoma enter the final week of the postseason as top seeds, with the Longhorns winning the regular season and the Sooners taking the Big 12 Tournament Championship. Oklahoma is currently eyeing their fourth-straight title, having won every NCAA softball championship since the suspended season in 2020.

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Despite an excellent regular season, Texas is still on the hunt for its first softball championship. And in yesterday's decisive win 4-0 over Stanford, Texas freshman Teagan Kavan became the first freshman in college history to throw a complete game shutout. 

"I knew I was prepared and had been in front of a big stage before," Kavan said of her performance on Thursday.

The Blue Devils are also making NCAA history this week. Duke's Marissa Young — the first Black head coach in WCWS history — will lead the Blue Devils to their first visit to the final round of the softball playoffs Friday as they face off against Alabama.

Thursday’s session brought in 12,566 fans — a new session attendance record for the WCWS. All games will be broadcast live across ABC and ESPN networks.

Don't miss a moment of the action:

Game 5: Alabama vs. Duke — Friday, May 31st at 7 PM ET on ESPN2
Game 6: Stanford vs. Oklahoma State — Friday, May 31st at 9:30 PM ET on ESPN2
Game 7: UCLA vs. Oklahoma — Saturday, June 1st at 3 PM ET on ABC
Game 8: Texas vs. Florida — Saturday, June 1st at 7 PM ET on ESPN

Oklahoma softball closed out its historically dominant season with even more dominance, sweeping Florida State in the 2023 Women’s College World Series finals en route to a third straight NCAA championship.

The Sooners (61-1) beat Florida State 3-1 on Thursday behind back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning, handing star FSU pitcher Kathryn Sandercock her first loss since March 12. They extended their own NCAA record winning streak to 53 games, with their last loss coming on Feb. 19.

With the win, Oklahoma also becomes just the second team to win three consecutive NCAA Division I softball titles, joining the UCLA Bruins, who did so in 1988-90. Yet despite their dominance throughout the season, the twin pressures of the winning streak and the championship streak weighed on the Sooners.

“What you feel right now from us is freedom, because it was absolutely suffocating as we’re going along,” Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso told ESPN on the field after the game. “The expectations were overwhelming, but they handled it like champions and that’s why we are here right now.”

Oklahoma’s bats contributed to the win, particularly the home runs from Cydney Sanders and Grace Lyons, but the pitching and defense did their part as well.

Oklahoma outfielder Jayda Coleman robbed a would-be three-run home run from FSU’s Kalei Harding in the third inning.

And Oklahoma took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth inning, Gasso put pitcher Jordy Bahl in the circle to hold onto it. Bahl had been lights out throughout the WCWS, and she retired all nine hitters she faced Thursday to secure the win.

“I don’t have a lot of words right now,” Bahl said in an interview with ESPN on the field after the game. “…We stick together. It’s not just one person who feels it, we all feel it. Sticking together is one of the toughest challenges this year.”

Oklahoma softball completed its Women’s College World Series three-peat Thursday night, sweeping Florida State to take its third consecutive title.

With the 3-1 victory against FSU, the Sooners finished the season on a 53-game winning streak. Check out more of the numbers behind their record-breaking season.

0.96

Oklahoma’s ERA ranked first in NCAA Division I by a wide margin. The next closest team, Central Arkansas, had a team ERA of 1.50. The Sooners’ pitching staff allowed just three runs across five games in the WCWS.

3

The Sooners became just the second team in NCAA softball history to win three WCWS titles in a row, joining the UCLA Bruins, who won the 1988, 1989 and 1990 titles. No team has won four in a row.

8.08

No other team in NCAA Division I averaged more than 6.87 runs per game. Oklahoma also led all D-I teams in batting average, home runs per game and slugging.

11

For the 11th time in 12 seasons, Oklahoma reached the WCWS. In that span, the Sooners have won six titles. The program has won seven overall.

24 ⅔

Sophomore ace Jordy Bahl tossed 24 ⅔ scoreless innings in the WCWS, including a complete-game shutout in the first game of the championship series against Florida State. She finished the WCWS with 33 strikeouts compared to just 12 hits allowed, earning her the Most Outstanding Player award.

53

With its sweep of Clemson in the super regionals, Oklahoma broke the NCAA softball record for consecutive wins, set by Arizona across the 1996-97 seasons. The Sooners kept the streak alive through the end of the season, finishing with 53 in a row and a 61-1 record.

109

Oklahoma has not lost in 109 days, since falling 4-3 against Baylor on Feb. 19. By the time the Sooners take the field again in 2024, they’ll have gone more than 300 days without a defeat.

Sophomore pitcher Jordy Bahl has propelled Oklahoma softball to the brink of a third consecutive Women’s College World Series title.

The Sooners’ winning streak reached 52 games with Wednesday’s 5-0 victory against Florida State, which puts them one game away from a third consecutive national title.

Bahl tossed a complete-game shutout, adding to her already impressive WCWS run. She has thrown 21 ⅔ scoreless innings, including 30 strikeouts compared to just 12 hits and three walks.

“She is made to be able to do that,” Oklahoma head coach Patty Gasso said. “She wants the ball like nobody’s business. Not that we don’t have faith in our others. It’s just she is like a very, very hot pitcher right now. She’s throwing the best she has all season right now.

“You want to take advantage of that without running her too hard where she’s going to run out of gas.”

And Bahl can contribute on offense too. She served as a pinch runner in Wednesday’s win, and she provided a key boost.

“Jordy has wheels,” teammate Kinzie Hansen said. “She runs circles around us at practice sometimes. She strikes us out, too. It’s all over the place.”

Those wheels came in handy, as Bahl scored the first run for Oklahoma in what had been a scoreless game through three innings.

“I think base running is really fun,” Bahl said with a smile on Wednesday. “So when I went out there, I was thinking just be fast but be smart.

“Get a good jump. If the ball is in the dirt, you’re going, but get a good jump.”

The Sooners added two more runs in the fourth inning after Bahl got the team on the scoreboard, then one each in the fifth and the sixth.

“From that point on, everything just started,” Gasso said. “We started finding some gaps, get a little more confidence in what we’re doing.”

The Sooners will look to clinch the series – and a third straight WCWS title – on Thursday night.

Oklahoma softball isn’t taking its Women’s College World Series run for granted.

The Sooners (59-1) won their 51st consecutive game Monday, beating Stanford 4-2 in the WCWS semifinals. The extra-innings win came against a Cardinal team that features pitcher NiJaree Canady, who proved tough for the Oklahoma batters to crack.

Yet like much about Oklahoma softball, the win seemed inevitable. So did the result: The Sooners reached their fourth consecutive WCWS championship series, where they’ll vie for their third consecutive title. They’ll face Florida State, the team they beat in 2021 to start their run of championships. They also beat the Seminoles earlier this season.

For Oklahoma, though, what matters is not what has come before but what comes next. Take star player Tiare Jennings, who hit the game-winning two-run double against Stanford — but only after the Cardinal intentionally walked Jayda Coleman to get to her.

“It didn’t really matter to me,” Jennings said. “Either way, I was going to have to find a way to either get on or help my team the best way I can. We talked about not being results-oriented, and that’s what happened today. I didn’t get results I wanted earlier in the game, but I was going to keep swinging.”

Jennings brought in two runs and tied former Oklahoma star slugger Jocelyn Alo for the WCWS career RBI record.

Oklahoma pitcher Jordy Bahl has been lights out in the WCWS, not allowing a run in 14 ⅔ innings. For Bahl, the game plan boils down to this: “Be present, stay simple.”

“The second I try to do too much with any one of my pitches, I start overthrowing and things tend to go downhill,” she said.

And as Oklahoma looks to win another title and firmly cement their status as a dynasty, they’re enjoying the moment.

“We win a lot. And that’s fabulous,” Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso said. “But sometimes we’re so used to taking it for granted. This means a lot. This means a lot to get to the championship game.”

Oklahoma softball kept its record 51-game winning streak alive, outlasting Stanford in extra innings Monday to reach the Women’s College World Series finals.

Stanford entered the eight-team WCWS in Oklahoma City as the second-lowest seed. The Cardinal were seeded No. 9 overall in the 64-team postseason field but advanced to the WCWS semifinals with wins against No. 5 Alabama and No. 7 Washington.

Stanford’s tournament run set up a rematch with Oklahoma. The Sooners notched a 2-0 win against the Cardinal in the first game of the double-elimination WCWS last Thursday. The Cardinal needed two wins Monday against the Sooners to advance, while the Sooners just needed one win to eliminate the Cardinal.

Led by pitcher NiJaree Canady, Stanford pushed Oklahoma to the brink in the opening game of the semifinals, but Oklahoma won 4-2 in nine innings to advance to the championship series for the fourth consecutive year.

Kylie Chung’s two-run blast in the first inning gave Stanford an early 2-0 lead. Oklahoma clawed its way back, with a solo home run from Jayda Coleman tying the game in the third inning, but Canady held the Sooners’ bats in check. The Cardinal freshman, who pitched a one-hitter Sunday against Washington to help Stanford advance to the semifinals, held her own against a formidable Oklahoma lineup.

The game went to extra innings tied 2-2. After Stanford stranded two runners in the bottom of the eighth, Oklahoma went ahead in the top of the ninth off a two-run double from Tiare Jennings. Sooners pitcher Jordy Bahl then closed out the win in the bottom of the inning.

Oklahoma is seeking its third straight WCWS title. The Sooners also won in 2021 and 2022. The only team in NCAA softball history to claim three titles in a row is UCLA, which won in 1988, 1989 and 1990.

In 2012 and 2013, Sydney Steele was in the stands cheering on her sister, Haley Steele, while she competed for Arizona State University at the Women’s College World Series.

A decade later, Haley is cheering for her Sydney and her Stanford Cardinal teammates — using an identical homemade sign. The two sisters — both #32 — are eight years apart.

After losing its opening game to Oklahoma, Stanford fought back against elimination on Friday night against Alabama. Sydney delivered an RBI double in the second inning before scoring a solo home run in the seventh, leading Stanford to a 2-0 win over the Crimson.

Sydney credits Haley — who also scored a home run during the 2013 Women’s College World Series — with fueling her love of softball and inspiring her to reach this stage.

“Watching my sister play college ball, she’s my reason why I love softball. I grew up around it,” Sydney said after Stanford’s win on Friday. “My dream was always to come to the Women’s College World Series, just like she did, one day.”

Despite having competed at the WCWS herself, Haley is still in awe watching her sister.

“I’m my sister’s greatest supporter and to see her hard work pay off on the biggest stage in our sport is surreal,” she told Just Women’s Sports. “Sydney, her teammates, and coaches have most definitely earned their ticket to be here and I’d like to see Stanford get the job done this year. That’s my little sister and she came to compete!”

In a statement made to ESPN on Wednesday, the NCAA announced that it would be “soliciting feedback” after the organization faced criticism following the Women’s College World Series.

Scheduling is at the top of the list of complaints following the tournament. A major point of contention was the Florida State, Oklahoma State elimination game which ended at 2:18 a.m. Oklahoma City time. Critics say the late end time was due to scheduling failures and mismanagement. Unlike the men’s competition, the WCWS does not feature days off between games.

Inequities in training facilities, batting cages and locker rooms were also the focus of mounting grievances during the WCWS.

“The NCAA Division I Softball Committee, which includes active softball coaches and administrators from the membership, oversees the format and scheduling for the Women’s College World Series. The committee is actively discussing and soliciting feedback on adjustments to the schedule in Oklahoma City and will continue overall review and advancements to the Women’s College World Series to ensure an outstanding student-athlete championship experience,” NCAA senior vice president Joni Comstock told ESPN.

Patti Gasso wants change.

The Oklahoma softball head coach appeared on the ESPNPlus show “Stephen A’s World” to discuss their recent title. From there, the coach gave her thoughts about the ongoing inequities between men’s and women’s sports in the NCAA.

“As much as people enjoy watching us — and there’s a lot of revenue and a lot of eyes on this championship, it’s the fastest growing sport that America is watching, and the numbers show it — and yet, we’re still not being treated or have the same opportunities, amenities that others do,” Gasso said. “And it’s sad for me.”

The 2021 WCWS was the most-watched on record, a trend that has continued to permeate women’s sports throughout the year. Yet, as Gasso points out, there’s still a long way to go in making sure there’s equal treatment.

“We deserve a better bracket, better timing, we deserve instant replay,” she said. “We deserve locker rooms. We deserve showers. We deserve batting cages.”

“We have to go find our own cages, otherwise our teams are gonna stand out in the hot sun taking batting practice in one cage and on an open field. That’s unheard of. That is absolutely unheard of.”

Once again, scheduling at the Women’s College World Series is a point of contention for coaches and fans.

Oklahoma exploded offensively in Game 2 to force a Game 3 in the series and, despite the fact that the two teams will be playing for a national title, the game is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on Thursday instead of primetime.

The scheduling issue came up earlier in the tournament, after Florida State and Oklahoma State played a WCWS game Sunday that started around midnight due to a rain delay and didn’t end until after 3 a.m. ET. Just 12 hours later, Florida State was back at it, playing Alabama at 3:30 p.m. ET on Monday for a spot in the championship series.

“It’s very uncomfortable when we are talking to our players about standing up for what is right, yet what is happening around us is not right,” Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso said earlier this week. “And the players will do whatever you put in front of them. They’re not going to complain. They’re going to go to bed at 3, wake up at 7, because it’s the World Series. But that’s not the memory they need to have.”

It’s not the first time that Gasso has raised the issue of the WCWS format with the NCAA. About a month ago, she pointed out the differences between the men’s and women’s tournaments — namely that the men’s College World Series stretches out over nearly two weeks and doesn’t include doubleheaders, while the women’s tournament is more compressed.

The men’s and women’s World Series events drew similar television ratings in 2019. This year, viewership for the softball tournament has been up. The first game of the championship series averaged 1,862,000 viewers on ESPN, a 37 percent increase over last year’s Game 1 and the largest audience for a Finals Game 1 on record.

Despite this, the final game of the WCWS — the one that will crown a national champion — airs at 3 p.m. ET midweek. ESPN, which has contractual obligations with the NBA, has an NBA playoff doubleheader scheduled for Thursday night.

As Michigan State coach Jacquie Joseph told the Washington Post in April: “What’s lower than an afterthought? That’s us.”

Tune in to watch Oklahoma and Florida State battle it out for the national title at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN.