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Women’s College World Series: A deep-dive preview of the 2024 WCWS

Published: May 28, 2024 · 3:28 PM EDT

On March 3, Louisiana did the unthinkable. Oklahoma’s NCAA-record 71-game winning streak came to an end inside Love’s Field in Norman, Oklahoma. The defending champs had been beaten for the first time in 378 days. The winning streak — which had included a 2-0 series sweep of Florida State in the 2023 WCWS final to earn the program’s third consecutive national championship — included wins over 42 different programs, a plus-506 run differential, 40 shutouts, 33 teams run-ruled, and 28 wins over ranked opponents.

Under coach Patty Gasso, the Sooners’ softball program has become the gold standard, like John Wooden’s UCLA teams or Geno Auriemma’s UConn teams. Oklahoma won its first national championship in 2000 when Gasso was in her sixth season as the head coach. The Sooners wouldn’t win another title until 2013.

They’ve won 5 of the last 7. But nothing was quite like that 2023 campaign, which saw Gasso’s group go 61-1 to post the highest final winning percentage (.984) in Division I history. OU won the Big 12 Championship by outscoring opponents 15-1 in 2 games. It then went 3-0 at the Norman Regional with a 38-3 margin. The Sooners went a perfect 5-0 at the WCWS, outscoring opponents 23-3

“I think this really was the roughest (season) I’ve ever had to go through,” Gasso said after the Sooners lifted the program’s seventh national championship. So much so that the trophy was actually left behind in the dugout and not retrieved until after the postgame media obligations. But OU has been the hunted in college softball for the better part of 4 years. The longer it goes on, the tighter the screws get.

Which brings us back to Norman on March 3, when the Ragin’ Cajuns celebrated as OU crashed back down to earth. The win streak was gone.

“We are human,” Gasso said after the game.

The Sooners didn’t deserve to win that day. They were uncharacteristically poor on the base-running path. They were sloppy in defense, committing 3 in a game for the first time in nearly 3 calendar years. “I know there’s too much pride on this team for us to mope around over it, we’re going to come back and be stronger,” Gasso said. “We’ve shown that and we’re made like that.” And she was right.

OU didn’t lose again for a month. Seventeen consecutive victories.

Then Texas won back-to-back games in Austin on April 6 and 7 to hand OU its first conference series defeat since the 2011 season. The back-to-back losses were also the first since 2020. A week later, Oklahoma lost a 9-4 game to BYU at home. Oklahoma State came to Love’s Field to close out the regular season by taking the first 2 games in the series to secure a Bedlam series win. And, as a result, OU’s stranglehold on the Big 12 was broken; Texas won the regular-season crown to snap OU’s streak of 11 consecutive regular-season conference titles.

“We’re just not playing complete games,” Gasso said after the series-clinching loss to OSU on May 4. “We know what we have to do, we just need time to figure out how to get it done and we don’t have a lot of time left.”

Senior Alyssa Brito was sitting right next to Gasso on the dais as the head coach talked about what needed to change. She and Alynah Torres looked almost shellshocked as Gasso answered “what’s wrong?” questions. When the attention shifted to them and they were asked what gives them the confidence they can still get where they need to be so late in the season, Brito was succinct.

“Remembering who we are,” she said.

Said Gasso: “What we’re talking about as a team is we’re never going to quit. You’ll never see this team quit. It’s just sometimes it just takes time, and when it breaks open, it’s gonna flood. I mean, we are gonna go off. But right now we’re just in that space.”

OU enters the WCWS with 6 losses on the season — the most in a year since 2019. They had 5 conference losses this season after losing just 4 combined conference games from 2016-23 (excluding 2020).

While this might not be the same Oklahoma team that ripped through the sport on its way to 3 consecutive national titles, it’s still a team with a pair of first-team All-Americans (Softball America), a brilliant and innovative coaching staff, and the most accomplished coach in the country.

Oklahoma beat OSU 8-2 a day later. It went 3-0 at the Big 12 Tournament, beating Texas 5-1 in the final. It went 3-0 at the Norman Regional with wins of 9-0, 6-3, and 3-2. It beat Florida State in 2 games in the Super Regionals to punch an eighth consecutive trip to the Women’s College World Series.

Joining the Sooners in Oklahoma City are No. 1 Texas, No. 4 Florida, No. 5 Oklahoma State, No. 6 UCLA, No. 8 Stanford, No. 10 Duke, and No. 14 Alabama. Fans can bet on the field by signing up with DraftKings. Here’s what you need to know for the tournament, and for each team looking to knock off the Sooners.

How they got here

1 Texas (52-8) — The Longhorns blasted Siena and Northwestern in regional action with a plus-24 margin in 3 games. They lost Game 1 of the Super Regionals to Texas A&M, and held off a seventh-inning charge in Game 3 to win 6-5 and advance to the WCWS.

2 Oklahoma (54-6) — The Sooners beat Cleveland State and then Oregon in the regional round before breezing past Florida State to reach the WCWS. They beat the Seminoles 11-3 in five innings in Game 1 of the Super Regionals and then 4-2 in Game 2.

4 Florida (51-13) — The Gators beat Missouri to win the SEC Tournament championship and then flew through regionals without so much as breaking a sweat. They beat FGCU 6-0, then run-ruled South Alabama 9-1 in five innings in consecutive days. Baylor gave UF a challenge in the Super Regionals, though, winning Game 2 and pushing the Gators in Game 3.

5 Oklahoma State (49-10) — The Cowgirls gave up just 3 runs during the Stillwater Regional and then hammered Arizona in the Super Regionals. They run-ruled the Wildcats in Game 1, 8-0, before winning 10-4 in Game 2. BYU and Oklahoma are the only teams to put more than 5 runs on the Cowgirls since the beginning of March.

6 UCLA (42-10) — The Bruins won the Pac-12 Tournament and then outscored Grand Canyon a combined 18-1 in 2 games at the Los Angeles Regional. They faced Georgia in the Super Regionals and won both games in blowout fashion, taking Game 1 8-0 in six innings and then Game 2 6-1.

8 Stanford (48-15) — The Cardinal actually lost a game at the Stanford Regional and were forced into a winner-take-all Sunday matinee game against Cal State Fullerton. After giving up 2 runs and 3 hits in the second inning to surrender the lead, Stanford scored 4 in the bottom of the third and held Cal State Fullerton to just 2 total hits and 0 runs the rest of the way. Stanford then lost Game 1 of the Super Regionals against LSU, but responded with a 3-0 win in Game 2 and then an 8-0 victory in Game 3.

10 Duke (52-7) — The Blue Devils swept the ACC’s regular-season and conference tournament titles by going 20-4 against the rest of the league. They dominated the regional round with wins over Morgan State and South Carolina. They beat Missouri in 3 games at the Columbia Super Regional, taking the decisive Game 3 by putting 3 runs on the board with 2 outs in the top of the ninth inning to win 4-3.

14 Alabama (38-18) — The Crimson Tide actually posted a losing record in conference play (10-14) but still did enough to host a regional. They beat USC Upstate 1-0 and then Southeastern twice to advance to the Knoxville Super Regional, where they took a 14-inning thriller from Tennessee in a do-or-die Game 2. In Game 3, Jocelyn Briski threw 6.1 innings with just 1 run allowed on 4 hits to power Alabama to a 4-1 win.

Numbers to know

1 Texas — Texas ranks top-10 in both home runs hit this season (88) and ERA (1.93). The Longhorns have outscored opponents 485-137. They have one of the best offenses in the country, led by a Player of the Year finalist in catcher Reese Atwood. Texas ranks second nationally in on-base percentage (.473) and fourth in slugging percentage (.627).

2 Oklahoma — OU has outscored opponents 483-107 this season. While the Sooners rank first in on-base percentage (.473) and second in slugging percentage (.724), its the defense that has been key to another WCWS run. OU has run-ruled teams 23 times this season and pitched 22 shutouts (second nationally). Only Seton Hall has a better fielding percentage than OU (.980).

4 Florida — The Gators rank fourth nationally in on-base percentage (.448) and they’re tied for 11th nationally with 107 stolen bases. Four different hitters have at least 53 RBI. While the pitching isn’t elite, the offense has been. Florida ranked first in the SEC in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs scored, RBI, hits, doubles, triples, total bases, plate appearances, walks, stolen bases, and steal attempts. They finished 1 shy of Georgia’s league-leading 92 home runs, and they weren’t even in the top half of the league in strikeouts.

5 Oklahoma State — National Player of the Year finalist Lexi Kilfoyl leads one of the best pitching staffs in the country with a 1.05 ERA in 167 innings. Oklahoma State ranks 12th nationally in team ERA (1.99) while holding opposing hitters to a .209 batting average with 306 strikeouts.

6 UCLA — The Bruins are ninth in on-base percentage (.409) and 14th in batting average (.323). UCLA is making its record 36th appearance in the WCWS and seeking to add to a record 13 national titles.

8 Stanford — Going the other direction, Stanford ranks 112th nationally with a .277 batting average. The Cardinal has only hit 54 home runs in 63 games, a per-game average that ranks 65th nationally. They don’t hit a ton of doubles (just 80) and they rarely look to steal bases (46). Their on-base percentage of .369 ranks 75th nationally.

10 Duke — The Dukies rank third nationally in team ERA (1.55). Senior Jala Wright (1.28 ERA) and sophomore Cassidy Curd (1.35) are both top-10 nationally. Curd’s 3.5 hits allowed per 7 innings is the fourth-best mark in the country. Duke’s 20 shutouts are the fourth-most in the country this season.

14 Alabama — Alabama has 15 shutouts this season (10th-most) and a team ERA of 1.89 (seventh). While the offensive efficiency is rather pedestrian, getting anything going against the Crimson Tide’s defense is like pulling teeth. Alabama ranked second in the SEC behind only Tennessee (who it beat in the Supers) in ERA, opposing batting average, and runs allowed. Alabama gave up the fewest doubles of any team in the SEC, only 1 triple all year, and the second-fewest home runs (22). They were also tied for second in the league in batters struck out looking (95).

One player to know

1 Texas — Reese Atwood, catcher

One of 3 finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year honor, Atwood has shattered program hitting records for Texas this season. Through 60 games, she has 23 home runs, 93 RBI, and 160 total bases — all single-season Texas records. She leads the nation in RBI and ranks fifth in home runs hit. She has a .435 batting average with a .505 on-base percentage and a .904 slugging percentage.

2 Oklahoma — Tiare Jennings, shortstop

Jennings is a 3-time national champion looking to make it 4 in 4 years. She is already the WCWS career record holder for RBI (29) and holds another WCWS record with 5 home runs hit during the 2022 WCWS. And with 308 career RBI to her name, she’s within striking distance of Jenny Dalton-Hill’s all-time NCAA record (328) set in 1996.

4 Florida — Jocelyn Erickson, catcher

The SEC’s Player of the Year after transfering from Oklahoma, Erickson hit .390 this season with 13 home runs, 80 RBI, and a .695 slugging percentage. She trailed only Atwood nationally in RBI.

5 Oklahoma State — Lexi Kilfoyl, pitcher

Kilfoyl was the Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year, a first-team All-Big 12 pitcher, and the only Cowgirl in program history to be named a finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. Her 1.06 ERA ranks second in the nation, and her 26 victories rank sixth. She led the Big 12 in shutouts (7) as well. She has 27 strikeouts in 28 innings pitched so far this postseason for OSU.

6 UCLA — Maya Brady, shortstop

Brady comes from what is essentially sporting royalty. Her mother was an All-American pitcher at Fresno State. Her uncles are seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady and two-time World Series champion Kevin Youkilis. And yet no amount of pressure to live up has affected her. She was the Softball America Freshman Player of the Year in 2020. She was a Softball America All-American in 2021. She was named to the Women’s College World Series All-Tournament Team after leading the Bruins with a .438 batting average, 7 RBI and 2 home runs in the 2022 WCWS. Last season, she was a finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award in addition to being a NFCA First Team All-American and the Pac-12 Player of the Year. This year, Brady repeated as Pac-12 Player of the Year. Her .431 batting average ranks 15th nationally and her .515 on-base percentage is top-25 nationally. She’s sixth in RBI with 68 and her .844 slugging percentage ranks 12th.

8 Stanford — Nijaree Canady, pitcher

She was a 2-time Kansas Softball Gatorade Player of the Year before coming to Stanford and in 2 short seasons has already become one of the best collegiate players in the country. Stanford is making consecutive trips to the WCWS for the first time in program history, and it’s no coincidence that run has coincided with her arrival on The Farm. She’s a finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year and leads the NCAA in ERA (0.65). She has 310 strikeouts to 37 walks and has allowed just 99 hits in 204.2 innings. Let’s also not zoom past the ERA. She has been charged with 19 earned runs in 204.2 innings of work. She averages 10.6 strikeouts per 7 innings — the second-best clip in the country.

10 Duke — Cassidy Curd, pitcher

Curd tossed 8 scoreless innings to start Duke’s WCWS ticket-punching win over Missouri last Sunday, allowing only 3 hits and striking out 7 batters. She picked up her 13th win on the season in the process. Curd isn’t the only outstanding pitcher for Duke, she joins senior Jala Wright to form one of the best 1-2 combinations in the country. But she’s been on a tear in the postseason. Since the start of the ACC Tournament, Curd has appeared 6 times with 32 innings of work. During that stretch, she has struck out 29 batters while giving up just 14 total hits and only 5 earned runs.

14 Alabama — Kayla Beaver, pitcher

A Central Arkansas transfer this season, Beaver made her Alabama debut in style, striking out 14 in a 7-inning no-hitter on Feb. 8. Her 1.58 ERA this season ranks 22nd nationally. She has recorded 7 shutouts on the year.