OU softball earns No. 2 seed in NCAA Tournament, will host Cleveland State in regional
NORMAN — For the first time since 2018, OU softball is not the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Sooners are the No. 2 seed, it was announced Sunday, as Texas beat out the Sooners for the top overall seed despite Saturday’s 5-1 OU win over the Longhorns to win the Big 12 Tournament title.
The Sooners (49-6) will take on Cleveland State at Love’s Field, at 7 p.m. Friday to open the tournament.
Boston and Oregon are also in the Norman Regional.
Since losing a second consecutive game against Oklahoma State on May 4, OU has won four consecutive games by a combined score of 36-6.
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That included an 8-2 win over the Cowgirls in the regular-season finale and then a sweep through the Big 12 Tournament, including Saturday’s 5-1 win over the Longhorns, which snapped Texas’ 18-game winning streak.
“I know people have been kind of doubting us or, ‘What’s wrong with them,’ I’m like, ‘Well, we’ve only lost six games,’” Sooners coach Patty Gasso said. “I guess that’s too many for some people. But there are women that are sitting up on this podium up here right now, and our team came together and worked out some things behind closed doors that a lot of teams don’t do. And that’s why we’re here.”
It wasn’t quite enough to get the top overall seed, though, as the Longhorns held onto the spot.
Gasso didn’t seem concerned about whether or not her team would be the top overall seed.
“I think it’s already written right now,” Gasso said Saturday night. “I don’t know. We played really well and so hopefully people saw it and if it gets us No. 1, great. It really doesn’t matter right now. I mean, if we’re in the top three or four, I think we’re happy with that.”
The Sooners started the season with an NCAA-record winning streak, and stretched it to 71 games with an 18-0 start before falling to Louisiana on March 3 at Love’s Field.
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OU then dropped two of three at Texas in early April for their first Big 12 series loss since 2011.
The Sooners lost 9-4 to BYU on April 12, their first Big 12 home loss since 2017.
They then dropped their first two games to OSU before closing the regular season with the win to begin their most recent turnaround.
OU hasn’t lost a regional game since 2019 and has made seven consecutive Women’s College World Series appearances and won the last three titles. The Sooners have won 13 consecutive regionals.
Florida State is the No. 15 overall seed, potentially setting up a Super Regional matchup in Norman between the programs that have met in the WCWS Championship Series twice in the last three seasons.
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Norman Regional schedule
Double elimination from Friday-Sunday (May 17-19) at Love's Field in Norman:
Friday's games
Game 1: Oregon vs. Boston University, 4:30 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Game 2: No. 2 Oklahoma vs. Cleveland State, 7 p.m. CT (ESPNU)
Saturday's games
Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 2 p.m. CT
Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 4:30 p.m. CT
Game 5: Loser of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 7 p.m. CT
Sunday's games
Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5, TBD
*-Game 7: Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 6, TBD
*-if necessary
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU softball earns No. 2 seed in NCAA Tournament, will host regional
