Women's College World Series: Scores, schedule, times, TV, storylines in Oklahoma City
The field is set as the softball world turns its attention to Oklahoma City and the Women's College World Series, which begins play Thursday.
After a super regional round that featured 16 teams competing in best-of-three series, eight teams remain with a chance to win a national championship at USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex . The field features some of the most explosive and consistent teams this season, with all eight teams being national seeds. Four of the eight have won at least one championship, while the other four are seeking their first.
Like the regional rounds, the Women's College World Series is a double-elimination tournament broken down into two brackets. Whichever two teams emerge from each bracket will play a best-of-three series in the finals to determine a national champion.
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Here's what to know about the 2023 Women's College World Series.
Which teams are in the 2023 Women's College World Series?
*-former champion
No. 1 Oklahoma* (56-1)
No. 3 Florida State* (55-9)
No. 4 Tennessee (49-8)
No. 5 Alabama* (45-20)
No. 6 Oklahoma State (46-14)
No. 7 Washington* (43-13)
No. 9 Stanford (45-13)
No. 15 Utah (42-14)
NCAA BASEBALL REGIONALS: Bracket, seeds, schedule times for 2023 tournament
When is the 2023 Women's College World Series?
The Women's College World Series begins on Thursday, June 1 and will run through June 9, with the championship scheduled for June 7-9. All games will be aired on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC, and all times listed below are in Eastern.
2023 Women's College World Series schedule
Thursday, June 1
Game 1: Tennessee 10, Alabama 5
Game 2: Oklahoma 2, Stanford 0
Friday, June 2
Game 4: Washington 4, Utah 1
Game 5: Stanford 2, Alabama 0
Game 6: Oklahoma State 8, Utah 0
Saturday, June 3
Game 7: Oklahoma 9, Tennessee 0
Game 8: Florida State 3, Washington 1
Sunday, June 4
Game 9: Stanford 1, Washington 0
Game 10: Tennessee 3, Oklahoma State 1
Monday, June 5
Game 11: Oklahoma 4, Stanford 2 (9 innings)
Game 12: Florida State 5, Tennessee 1
June 7-June 9 (Championship Finals)
Game 1: Oklahoma 5, Florida State 0
Game 2, Thursday: Oklahoma vs. Florida State, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 3, Friday (if necessary): Oklahoma vs. Florida State, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Storylines to watch for 2023 Women's College World Series
Can anyone stop Oklahoma?: It took a dramatic seventh inning, but Oklahoma proved just how powerful and complete the Sooners are after sweeping Clemson in the super regionals to win an NCAA record 48th straight game. At 56-1 and the defending back-to-back champions, Patty Gasso's squad is the clear favorite to win a seventh national championship, with the Sooners leading the NCAA in nearly every statistical category. Oklahoma has played each WCWS team this season − except Alabama and Tennessee − all ending in victories.
How far can Montana Fouts take Alabama?: A hotly debated fifth seed, Alabama proved its mettle by winning twice against No. 12 Northwestern after losing the opener in its super regional. But the story of the round was pitcher Montana Fouts, who injured her stride leg in the SEC Tournament on May 11, before returning in the supers and getting the win in relief in both victories. In 9.2 innings in the super regional, Fouts gave up three earned runs on nine hits while striking out eight. If she's able to pitch longer and keep form in Oklahoma City, the Crimson Tide will have a solid shot at reaching the finals.
Can Utah's magical run continue?: For the first time since 1994, Utah is back in the WCWS. A team that went 27-27 last season, the Utes won the inaugural Pac-12 conference tournament title and won its first super regional in program history against San Diego State. The team got hot at the right time, winning 11 of their last 12 games, all against NCAA tournament teams. While the presumed underdog of the field as the lowest seeded team to make the WCWS, Utah has the fourth best batting average in Division I and can make even more history with the school's first ever softball championship.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WCWS: Softball scores, schedule, times, TV, storylines from Oklahoma
