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.
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: The Sooners have the top four batters in the Big 12, led by Jocelyn Alo (.487 average, 30 home runs, 82 RBIs) and Tiare Jennings (.485, 25 HRs, 84 RBIs).
Leading pitcher: Shannon Saile (17-0) led the Big 12 with a 1.31 earned-run average in 85 2/3 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.
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.
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 this season. She has a career 2.09 ERA in 6131/3 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.
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.
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 1782/3 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.
Georgia Bulldogs Location: Athens, Ga.
Enrollment: 29,765
Record: 34-21 (7-17 SEC)
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.
Leading pitcher: Mary Wilson Avant is 20-10 with a 2.69 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP in 197 2/3 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.
No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide Location: Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Enrollment: 38,103
Record: 50-7 (18-6 SEC)
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 2/3 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.
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: 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 2/3 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.
No. 10 Florida State Seminoles Location: Tallahassee, Fla.
Enrollment: 33,270
Record: 44-10-1 (26-5-1 ACC)
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: Sydney Sherrill leads the Seminoles with a .313 average in 55 games.
Leading pitcher: Kathryn Sandercock is 24-2 with a 1.09 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 147 1/3 innings pitched this season.
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.
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: 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 1/3 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.
