ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SOFTBALLAMERICA.COM (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
The time has come again for the Women’s College World Series championship series, and the stage is set in Oklahoma City for yet another exciting few days of the best softball Division 1 has to offer.
After both surviving the 2023 WCWS undefeated to date, Oklahoma and Florida State will face off for a rematch of the 2021 WCWS championship series, where the Sooners turned out triumphant.
Oklahoma is in the midst of a season for the ages, riding a 51-game winning streak. Back in the finals for the fourth consecutive season, they are looking to three-peat and become the first program in three decades to go back-to-back-to-back since the UCLA Bruins did in 1990.
As for the Seminoles, they are back in the finals for the second time in three years, and they are looking to take home their second national championship ever.
The foes met earlier this season back in March. Oklahoma came out victorious by just one run in the 5-4 game. The No. 1 Sooners and the No. 3 Seminoles will have at least two more battles against each other, as WCWS championship series action begins on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
How They Got To The Championship Series
Oklahoma
Norman Regional: (11-0 Hofstra, 11-0 Missouri, 16-3 California)
Norman Super Regional: (9-2 Clemson, 8-7 Clemson)
WCWS: (2-0 Stanford, 9-0 Tennessee, 4-2 Stanford)
Florida State
Tallahassee Regional: (9-0 Marist, 5-1 UCF, 0-4 South Carolina, 1-0 South Carolina)
Tallahassee Super Regional: (8-1 Georgia, 4-2 Georgia)
WCWS: (8-0 Oklahoma State, 3-1 Washington, 5-1 Tennessee)
The Matchup
Oklahoma and Florida State will meet for just the second time this season. They met up earlier in March when FSU traveled to Oklahoma for a battle, but the Sooners came out victorious, 5-4. Florida State is now looking for redemption after losing to Oklahoma in the 2021 championship series. The Seminoles took the first game, but Oklahoma battled back to take the next two games, granting the Sooners the national title. Both teams have mirrored each other pretty well this time, going undefeated in the 2023 WCWS thus far.
Impact Players
Oklahoma: Jordy Bahl, Tiare Jennings, Jayda Coleman, Kinzie Hansen
Florida State: Kathryn Sandercock, Michaela Edenfield, Jahni Kerr, Kalei Harding
Lingering Questions
Oklahoma: Will Oklahoma be able to make even more history within the next few days? The Sooners' 51-game winning streak has already topped the Division 1 softball record, but they are two wins away from becoming the second program to win three straight national titles. The No. 1 team in the country also leads the nation in hitting, pitching and fielding, which no other team has done in all three of those categories in the same season.
Florida State: Can the Seminoles' pitching staff and defense continue to stay sharp enough to stop the Sooners’ mighty bats? Only one team this season has had the opportunity to touch Oklahoma, and the Seminoles must stay nearly perfect if they want to take home a national championship.
Schedule
Wednesday, June 7 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN
Thursday, June 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Friday, June 9 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN (if necessary)
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