Photograph courtesy Ty Russell/Oklahoma Softball
With the beginning of the 2024 season quick approaching, all eyes will quickly be on the chase for the title.
Early focus might be centered on the College of Oklahoma as they start the hunt to change into the primary staff in Division I historical past to win 4 consecutive nationwide championships.
The Sooners tied UCLA (1988, 1989, 1990) as the one groups to ever win three consecutive titles after they defeated Florida State to assert the 2023 title.
Further Inning Softball might be reviewing the 41 nationwide champions which have beforehand hoisted the trophy.
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2017 Oklahoma Sooners
The Venue: USA Softball Corridor of Fame Stadium, Oklahoma Metropolis, Okla.
The Head Coach: Patty Gasso
The Gamers (Girls’s Faculty World Collection Roster): Nicole Pendley, Sydney Romero, Kelsey Arnold, Hannah Sparks, Macey Hatfield, Paige Parker, Nicole Mendes, Paige Lowary, Lea Wodach, Shay Knighten, Melanie Olmos, Caleigh Clifton, Alissa Dalton, Raegan Rogers, Kylie Lundberg, Vanessa Taukeiaho, Falepolima Aviu, Mariah Lopez
The Common Season: The 2016 Oklahoma Sooners that gained the nationwide championship featured a robust core component of freshmen and sophomores, so it was no shock that the Sooners have been one of many favorites to make a return journey to Oklahoma Metropolis in 2017. And just like the 2016 staff, Oklahoma discovered a second gear through the halfway level of the season. After dropping back-to-back video games to Cal Poly, the Sooners discovered themselves with a 23-7 total document, however would shut the common season on a 24-1 tear to conclude the yr with a 47-8 mark heading into the postseason. OU additionally posted a 17-1 mark in Massive 12 play and completed first within the convention after which defeated Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State by way of shutout to win the Massive 12 Match. The Sooners have been paced offensively by Nicole Mendes, Sydney Romero, Shay Knighten, Caleigh Clifton and Nicole Pendley. Mendes topped the Sooners with a .408 batting common and likewise added seven house runs, whereas Romero batted .339 with 12 homers and 59 RBIs. Knighten adopted up her freshman season with an excellent sophomore yr as she batted .358, hit 11 house runs and drove in 70 runs, whereas Clifton batted .356 and scored 70 runs and Pendley had 17 house runs and 65 RBIs. Paige Parker as soon as once more anchored the Sooners pitching workers as she completed the yr with a 26-5 document and a 1.43 earned run common. Missouri switch Paige Lowary contributed a 16-3 document and a NCAA-leading 11 saves, whereas Mariah Lopez went 18-1 and posted a 2.08 ERA. Knighten, Parker and Clifton have been every named All-American (Second Workforce).
The Regional: Oklahoma started the postseason by internet hosting the NCAA Norman Regional which featured North Dakota State, Arkansas, Tulsa and the Sooners. The Sooners opened regional play in opposition to North Dakota State and the Bison bought an RBI single from Tabby Heinz within the prime of the ninth inning to shock Oklahoma 3-2. Dealing with elimination every time they took the sector, the Sooners confronted Arkansas of their second recreation of the regional. OU jumped out to an early lead as Sydney Romero and Nicole Pendley every produced RBI singles staking the Sooners to a 2-0 lead. Arkansas would reply instantly because the Razorbacks scored thrice within the backside of the primary inning to take a 3-2 lead. OU tied the sport at 3-3 within the prime of the second inning courtesy a sacrifice fly by Shay Knighten after which took the lead for good within the prime of the fourth inning when Nicole Mendes scored on a wild pitch. OU added an insurance coverage run within the prime of the sixth inning on an RBI single by Knighten. Paige Parker and Paige Lowary mixed to six.2 innings of scoreless aid whereas placing out seven. Sport three of the regional featured a rematch with North Dakota State and the Sooners jumped on the Bison early on the best way to a 10-2 win. Knighten and Pendley every went 3-for-4 and drove in 4 runs to tempo the OU offense, whereas Mariah Lopez allowed two runs in 5.1 innings to safe the victory. The fourth recreation for OU was one for the ages because the Sooners staged a dramatic rally to take down Tulsa and stay alive within the regional. Tulsa scored single runs within the first and second innings in opposition to Parker to take a 2-0 lead. The Sooners minimize the result in 2-1 within the backside of the fifth inning on a house run from Pendley and evened the rating at 2-2 within the backside of the sixth inning when an a single by Romero scored Caleigh Clifton. Tulsa positioned the Sooners in critical jeopardy within the prime of the tenth inning by scoring two runs to take a 4-2 lead, however the Sooners would reply. Mendes led off the underside of the tenth inning with a single and Clifton adopted with a house run that tied the sport at 4-4. Knighten adopted with a single to leftfield and Romero hit a walk-off house run giving OU a 6-4 victory. Lowary was excellent in aid as she permitted simply two runs in 8.1 innings of labor. With a visit to the Tremendous Regional on the road, Parker turned in a gem main the Sooners to a 3-0 victory over Tulsa. Parker went 7.0 innings and struck out 10 batters to prepared the ground, whereas Mendes and Macey Hatfield homered and Romero additionally drove in a run to tempo the offense.
The Tremendous Regional: Oklahoma traveled to Alabama for the Tremendous Regional because the Sooners would face Auburn in a rematch of the 2016 Girls’s Faculty World Collection championship finals. OU opened the Tremendous Regional with a dominant pitching efficiency from Paige Parker in a 4-0 Sooners win. Parker went 7.0 innings, allowed simply 4 hits and struck out 14 batters to close out the high-powered Tigers offense. Makayla Martin matched Parker by way of 5 innings, however the Sooners lastly broke by way of within the prime of the sixth inning. With two outs and Sydney Romero on first, Fale Aviu lined a single to maintain the rally alive and OU scored the primary run of the sport when Nicole Pendley adopted with a double. Macey Hatfield then reached on an infield single to push the Sooners result in 2-0. Oklahoma doubled the result in 4-0 within the prime of the seventh inning on RBI singles from Shay Knighten and Romero. Oklahoma earned a proper to return to Oklahoma Metropolis, Okla., and defend its nationwide championship because the Sooners rode a robust aid outing from Paige Lowary and the bat of Pendley to a 5-2 victory over Auburn. Pendley put the Sooners in entrance to remain within the backside of the second inning when she belted a three-run homer placing OU forward 3-0. The Tigers fought again with runs within the third and fifth innings to trim the result in 3-2, however Oklahoma would put the sport away within the sixth inning because the Sooners scored twice highlighted by an RBI double from Pendley. Lowary, working in aid of Lopez, went 4.2 innings, allowed simply two hits, no earned runs and struck out 5.
The Discipline on the Girls’s Faculty World Collection: Baylor, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas A&M, UCLA, Washington
The Sooners on the Girls’s Faculty World Collection: Oklahoma confronted a well-known foe in its opening recreation of the WCWS because the Sooners confronted Baylor of the Massive 12 Convention. OU wasted little time in leaping out to large lead in opposition to the Bears because the Sooners scored 4 runs within the backside of the primary inning. Fale Aviu hit a sacrifice fly that scored Nicole Mendes to offer OU a 1-0 lead and Nicole Pendley belted a three-run homer later within the inning to push the OU result in 4-0. Baylor countered with a run within the prime of the second inning, however the Sooners answered with a run within the backside of the third inning as Aviu produced an RBI single that scored Caleigh Clifton to up the result in 5-1. The Sooners made it 6-1 within the sixth inning after which held off a Baylor rally to put up a 6-3 win. Paige Parker and Paige Lowary mixed to restrict the Bears to simply six hits and no earned runs. Sport two of the WCWS for the Sooners was in opposition to Washington as OU appeared to achieve a measure of revenge in opposition to the Huskies after dropping to UW through the common season. OU took an early lead with a run within the prime of the second inning when Lea Wodach reached on a fielder’s selection that allowed Aviu to attain. OU upped the result in 2-0 within the fifth inning when Aviu singled in Kelsey Arnold who reached by way of an error to start out the inning. Sydney Romero made it 3-0 Sooners within the sixth inning with a solo homer and the combo of Parker and Lowary would shut the door on the Huskies as OU posted a 3-1 win. With a chance to safe a spot within the championship finals, OU would sq. off in opposition to Oregon within the Sooners third recreation of the WCWS and would depend on just a little Sooner Magic. Oregon broke by way of first when Danica Mercado belted a two-run house run within the prime of the fifth inning giving the Geese a 2-0 lead. OU would reply again instantly as Wodach reached on an error to start out the inning and the Sooners minimize the result in 2-1 when Nicole Mendes reached on a fielder’s selection. With runners on second and third, Shay Knighten delivered a clutch two-out, two-run single that put the Sooners forward 3-2. The Sooners elevated the result in 4-2 later within the inning when Pendley doubled house Knighten. Lowary relieved Parker and retired six consecutive batters clinching a spot within the championship finals for OU.
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