Can anyone stop OU softball early in NCAA Tournament? Meet Norman Regional opponents

NORMAN — Adrienne Clark has been a part of big-time upsets before in the NCAA softball tournament.

Back in 2012, with Clark as an assistant, Hofstra knocked off powerhouse UCLA as the No. 4 seed in the Los Angeles Regional.

The Pride ultimately rolled through that regional and even won the first game of the super regional before falling to South Florida in three games.

Now back at Hofstra as the head coach, Clark isn’t about to count out another unexpected run for the Pride.

“We just need to worry about ourselves at this point,” Clark told Newsday after Hofstra was sent to the Norman Regional, where they’ll face No. 1 overall seed OU at 4 p.m. Friday at Marita Hynes Field.

“We know that they are really competitive. We know that they have a lot of strengths in their toolbox. But I also know that we we also have some strengths, and when we play our best and we focus in on the thing we can do, we have a greater chance of success.”

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Of course, doing that against the back-to-back Women’s College World Series champions will be a tall order.

The Sooners haven’t lost a regional game since 2019 and haven’t fallen in the first round since 2017.

OU hasn’t failed to make it out of regionals since 2009.

Since the current tournament format began in 2005, No. 1 overall seeds are 51-4 in the regional round, including 17-0 in their opening game.

No first-round opponent has even scored a run on the top overall seed since 2014.

Hofstra’s task is monumental even before the Sooners’ 43-game winning streak and chance at the best record in college softball history is taken into account.

But Clark, in her second season as Hofstra’s head coach, is embracing the challenge.

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“It was excitement, shock, enthusiasm,” Clark told Newsday.

Three Pride players were on the roster back in 2019 when the Sooners beat Hofstra 17-3 at the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational in Florida.

That group includes Meghan Giordano, the Pride’s leading hitter this season, who hit her first of her 42 career home runs against the Sooners.

It also includes Angelina Ioppolo, whose two-run single with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh gave the Pride a 5-4 win over Towson in the Colonial Athletic Association title game and sent Hofstra to the NCAA Tournament.

“We do have a lot of leadership and experience on the team, and I do think they handle things very well,” Clark told the newspaper.

Two current Sooners played in that game — Grace Lyons hit her first career grand slam in that win and Grace Green also hit a home run.

Here’s a look at the Pride and the two other teams in the Norman regional — California and Missouri.

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No. 2 California Golden Bears

Record: 33-19-1 (9-14-1 Pac-12)

NCAA Tournament history: 34th appearance, 103-68 record.

Leading hitter: Senior catcher Makena Smith is hitting .352 and leads the team in home runs (14), RBIs (44), runs (39), slugging percentage (.691) and OPS (1.147). Over her last 16 games, Smith is hitting .438 with 13 RBIs. In the fall of 2021, Smith was called into action for Cal’s women’s soccer team, making seven saves against Santa Clara and earning Pac-12 Goalie of the Week honors.

Leading pitcher: Junior Haylei Archer is 9-9 with a 3.35 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 37 appearances (23 starts). The right-hander has a team-best six complete games and also has three saves.

OU’s all-time record vs. Golden Bears: 7-11 (2-3 in postseason play, all in the Women’s College World Series)

Last meeting: 8-0 Sooners win March 11, 2022

Short hops: The Bears are 9-14 against teams in the NCAA field, including 4-9 against national seeds. … Cal is in the tournament for the first time since 2018. … The Bears led the Pac-12 in home runs (67), doubles (78) and extra-base hits (78). … Cal averaged 1.26 home runs per game, in the top 20 nationally and behind only OU in the Norman Regional field. … The Bears are hitting .295 as a team.

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No. 3 Missouri Tigers

Record: 34-24 (7-17 SEC)

NCAA Tournament history: 26th appearance, 55-51 record.

Leading hitter: Junior outfielder Alex Honnold is hitting .414 with 13 home runs, 46 RBIs, 51 runs, a 1.354 OPS, .800 slugging percentage, and a .554 on-base percentage — leading the Tigers in all categories.

Leading pitcher: Junior right-handed pitcher Laurin Krings is 12-11 with a 2.63 ERA and 140 strikeouts in 152 innings. No other Tigers pitcher has thrown more than 98 innings.

OU’s all-time record vs. Tigers: 54-41 (18-20 in Norman)

Last meeting: 11-0 Sooners win March 7, 2021

Short hops: Missouri is in the NCAA field for the 16th consecutive season and has made seven Women’s College World Series appearances. … The Tigers were also in the Norman Regional in 2018, when OU beat Missouri 7-0 in the regional final. … Tigers hitting coach Jeff Cottrill spent the last seven seasons at Oklahoma State, the last five as an assistant coach. He coached the Cowgirls’ pitchers in 2018 and 2019 before moving over to coach the hitters in 2020. … Missouri’s .977 fielding percentage is tops in the SEC and in the top 15 nationally. … The Tigers are 11-22 against teams in the NCAA Tournament, including 5-8 against teams that earned top-16 national seeds. … Jenna Laird has 30 stolen bases.

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No. 4 Hofstra Pride

Record: 29-25 (16-7 CAA)

NCAA Tournament history: 18th appearance, 27-34 record.

Leading hitter: Graduate infielder Meghan Giordano is hitting .352 with 15 home runs, 48 RBIs, 41 runs, a 1.176 OPS, a .717 slugging percentage and a .459 on-base percentage — all team-high marks.

Leading pitcher: Senior Nikki Mullin is 7-9 with a 3.20 ERA and four saves in 98 1/3 innings.

OU’s all-time record vs. Pride: 1-1

Last meeting: 17-3 Sooners win Feb. 16, 2019

Short hops: Hofstra is in the tournament for the first time since 2018. … Hofstra’s lone Super Regional appearance came in 2012. … Chelsea Manto has 27 of the Pride’s 50 stolen bases. … Meghan Giordano has 15 of the team’s 15 home runs. … Hofstra was 1-4 against teams in the NCAA field. Its only win came 5-2 in 10 innings over UMBC on March 23.

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Norman Regional

Friday's games at Marita Hynes Field in Norman:

● No. 1 OU (51-1) vs. Hofstra (29-25), 4 p.m. (ESPNU)

● California (33-19-1) vs. Missouri (34-24), 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+)

Saturday, May 20

Game 3: G1 winner vs. G2 winner, 2 p.m.

Game 4: G1 loser vs. G2 loser, 4:30 p.m.

Game 5: G3 loser vs. G4 winner, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, May 21

Game 6: G3 winner vs. G5 winner, 1 p.m.

Game 7: G6 winner vs. G6 loser (if necessary), 3:30 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Norman Regional schedule in NCAA softball tournament: bracket, TV info