Oklahoma, the reigning champion of the Women’s College World Series for the past three years, has been surpassed by its Red River rival Texas. In a historic moment for the program, Texas has secured the top seed in the 2024 NCAA softball tournament.
The Sooners triumphed over the Longhorns with a 5-1 victory on Saturday night, clinching their ninth Big 12 tournament championship. However, it was Texas who claimed the Big 12 regular-season title in their last year as a member of the conference. Their impressive performance included a series win over Oklahoma in early April.
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The Oklahoma team has been seeded second in the tournament. The No. 3 overall seed has been given to Tennessee, who secured the SEC regular-season championship. Following closely behind is No. 4 seed Florida, who emerged victorious in the SEC tournament and clinched the title.
The top eight teams in the NCAA baseball rankings are No. 5 Oklahoma State, No. 6 UCLA, No. 7 Missouri, and No. 8 Stanford. If these teams make it past the opening round next weekend, they will have the opportunity to host super regionals.
Texas finished the regular season on a high note, winning 16 consecutive games. This impressive streak started with back-to-back victories against Oklahoma. However, the Sooners were determined to secure the top seed for the fifth consecutive year. In the Big 12 tournament title game, Oklahoma’s left-handed pitcher, Kelly Maxwell, delivered an exceptional performance. She dominated Texas’ formidable lineup, striking out seven batters and allowing only two hits in 5⅓ innings. Maxwell’s stellar display helped secure the victory for the Sooners.
After careful consideration, the committee ultimately placed a higher value on the Longhorns’ overall body of work.
During Sunday’s selection show, selection committee chair Kurt McGuffin explained that Texas was consistently ranked as the No. 1 seed. McGuffin further emphasized that the Longhorns’ impressive record of 16 wins against top-25 opponents played a significant role in influencing the committee’s decision.
Reese Atwood, the current leader of Texas, has been exceptional this season with an impressive 86 RBIs. Not only is she hitting a remarkable .427, but she has also smashed 22 home runs, making her a force to be reckoned with.
In terms of batting average, the Longhorns (.383) and the Sooners (.367) hold the top two spots in the country. McGuffin pointed out that Texas and Oklahoma were undeniably the top two seeds.
Texas is set to host Siena, Northwestern, and Saint Francis (Pa.) in its regional.
Oklahoma’s regional will feature teams from Cleveland State, Oregon, and Boston.
Tennessee will be going up against Dayton, Virginia, and Miami (Ohio), a team that currently holds the record for the most home runs in the nation with 157.
The top 16 seeds for the tournament were determined as follows: No. 1 seed went to Gonzaga, No. 2 seed to Baylor, No. 3 seed to Illinois, No. 4 seed to Michigan, No. 5 seed to Alabama, No. 6 seed to Houston, No. 7 seed to Ohio State, and No. 8 seed to Iowa. The remaining top 16 seeds were awarded to No. 9 LSU, No. 10 Duke, No. 11 Georgia, No. 12 Arkansas, No. 13 Louisiana, No. 14 Alabama, No. 15 Florida State, and No. 16 Texas A&M, which finished third in the SEC standings.
Last year, the WCWS saw six out of the top 16 seeds, namely Oklahoma, Tennessee, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Alabama, and defending national runner-up Florida State, make it to the tournament.
The SEC led the pack with half of the top 16 seeds, excluding Texas and Oklahoma, who will be joining the conference in the upcoming season.
According to ESPN’s selection show, the tournament initially excluded BYU, Louisville, Texas Tech, and Wichita State as the first four teams.
Regionals kick off on Friday, followed by super regionals from May 23-26. The highly anticipated Women’s College World Series starts on May 30 in Oklahoma City, with the finals taking place from June 5-7.
