Oklahoma softball’s 53rd consecutive win meant one other OU nationwide championship — its third in a row — and a still-active document. The Sooners topped Florida State within the 2023 championship collection on the Ladies’s Faculty World Sequence to proceed its streak of victories.
OU broke the NCAA document for the longest win streak with an 8-7 win on Could 27, 2023, to shut out an excellent regional sweep over Clemson and put the Sooners previous Arizona on the all-time checklist. The Wildcats received 47 straight video games throughout the 1996-97 seasons.
This is a deeper have a look at the longest profitable streaks in DI faculty softball historical past.
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Oklahoma, 2023-24 (present)
The Sooners have received 53 video games in a row, coming into the beginning of the 2024 common season. That places them alone on high, with Oklahoma profitable one other title in Oklahoma Metropolis to shut the 2023 season. Oklahoma’s solely regular-season loss in 2023 got here to Baylor in February. Their forty eighth straight win got here in Recreation 2 of the tremendous regionals — the Sooners trailed 7-4 within the seventh and all the way down to their final out and final strike when Kinzie Hansen despatched an 0-2 pitch over the fence for a three-run bomb. OU then got here again to take the lead within the high of the ninth and maintain off Clemson to advance to its seventh-straight journey to the WCWS. The record-breaking win, that beat Arizona’s document set in 1997, was much more vital as a result of it was the Sooners’ final recreation performed on Marita Hynes Subject.
Arizona, 1996-1997
The Wildcats owned the longest streak in NCAA softball historical past till 2023 Oklahoma got here round. Arizona received 47 video games in a row from April 5, 1996 to March 23, 1997. The group took residence the championship in each seasons, and completed with a mixed 119-16 document in these two seasons.
Oklahoma, 2019
Oklahoma’s win streak ended at 41 video games after the Sooners misplaced to Wisconsin of their third NCAA match recreation. OU was creeping up on Arizona’s all-time streak of 47 however fell six brief. Oklahoma’s completed convention play with a pristine 18-0 document. The Sooners’ 41 consecutive wins is the longest win streak within the span of a single season.
Oklahoma, 2021-2022
Oklahoma put 40 wins collectively, a run that began within the 2021 WCWS Finals, together with profitable the nationwide title, and prolonged to a 38-0 begin within the 2022 season — breaking the document to greatest begin to a season. Star Jocelyn Alo additionally broke the profession residence run document in the course of the streak as OU received 31 of their 38 video games in 2022 by run-rule. However Texas halted the streak with a 4-2 win on April 16.
Oklahoma, 2020-2021
The Sooners received 40 video games in a row, beginning once they received their final seven video games of the 2020 season, which bought halted resulting from COVID-19. OU then continued to win in 2021, not falling till Georgia upset the No. 1 Sooners on April 20. Oklahoma would finish the season 56-4 with a nationwide championship.
South Carolina, 1997
The Gamecocks went 38 video games with no loss or tie proper across the similar time Arizona was by itself streak. South Carolina went 63-5 that season. After securing its first SEC common season and match championships, the Gamecocks superior to their first ever Ladies’s Faculty World Sequence, the place they bowed out after shedding to Washington and Michigan.
Florida, 2008
Florida’s 37-game win streak from March 12 to Could 18 helped the group make its first Ladies’s Faculty World Sequence. The Gators went 70-5 total and 27-1 in SEC play. In a present of simply how a lot expertise this group had, Stacey Nelson, Kim Waleszonia, Aja Paculba, Francesca Enea, and Ali Gardiner all made the All-America group.
Princeton, 1996
The Tigers notched what was then an NCAA document with 37 wins in a row from March 20 to April 28 earlier than shedding 3-1 to Brown. After all, Princeton would not maintain onto this document for lengthy. However just a few groups have handed them within the 20-plus years since. The 1996 group additionally completed the 12 months ranked No. 1 within the Northeast Area for the second straight 12 months. Earlier than that, the Tigers had been the highest ranked group solely as soon as earlier than in 1985.
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Oregon, 2017
The latest group on the checklist bought right here with a 35-game win streak that lasted from February 9 to April 4. The Geese tied an NCAA document as a result of their win streak got here within the first 35 video games of the season. They did not register a loss on the 12 months till April 7, when UCLA handed Oregon the primary of back-to-back losses. The Geese completed 54-8 on the season.
DUCKS WIN! Oregon run-rules PSU, 8-0, and ties the NCAA document for the very best begin to a season at 35-0!! WOW! #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/0ryUwXUBMp
— Oregon Duck Softball (@OregonSB) April 5, 2017
UCLA, 1999
UCLA’s 35-game win streak is one among just a few on this checklist to return in a championship-winning season. The Bruins broke faculty data for wins, runs, complete bases, residence runs, RBIs, doubles, hits, walks and steals. They ended the season with a 63-6 document.
Canisius, 1993
Beneath coach Mike Rappl, Canisius ripped off a then-NCAA document 35-game win streak that put each the coach and the group on the map. The group went 36-3 that season. The Golden Griffins additionally had their win streak come within the first 35 video games of the season. After shedding recreation two of a doubleheader towards UMass on Could 8, the group went 1-2 the remainder of the best way.
Cal State Fullerton, 1987
Cal State Fullerton was the first group in NCAA softball historical past to get to 35 consecutive wins. The Titans have been no strangers to the highlight by then, having received a nationwide championship in 1986. They’d get there once more in 1987 after going undefeated from March 6 to April 21.
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Florida, 2015
One other latest winner, the Gators had a 34-game profitable streak. They did not match their 37-game win streak from 2008, however this Florida group outdid its predecessor the place it counts: these Gators took residence the nationwide championship with a win over Michigan within the Ladies’s Faculty World Sequence remaining.
Arizona, 2000
Arizona’s personal 34-game win streak was bookended by losses to Washington. The Wildcats went on to tear off a 13-game profitable streak earlier than shedding within the opening spherical of the Ladies’s Faculty World Sequence. It was solely the second time since 1990 that the Wildcats did not make the nationwide title recreation.