Are you following college softball postseason play? If not, why not!?! College softball is one of the most exciting sports to watch and the intensity is really starting to ramp up as we inch closer to the 2024 NCAA Women’s College World Series. Super Regionals kick off tomorrow and there is a lot to look forward to. Here’s a look at the matchups going into this weekend.
The AUSTIN SUPER REGIONAL finds 16th ranked Texas A&M (43-13, 15-9 SEC) headed to top ranked Texas (50-7, 23-4 Big 12).
- Friday, May 24 at 3pm PST (ESPN2)
- Saturday, May 25 at 2pm PST (TBD)
- Sunday, May 26, if necessary (TBD)
The Aggies are coming off an impressive 3-0 run in their home regional and hope to set the tone for the future with Texas joining them in the SEC next year. They have their work cut out for them though with the Longhorns leading the country with a .383 batting average (BA) and 576 total hits (H). They’re also top 5 in slugging (SLG) (.634), on-base percentage (OBP) (.461), and earned run average (ERA) (1.75). The teams are tied for ninth in walks (BB) (219), however the Aggies technically have the edge here with Texas having played one more game. Their defense is superior as well ranking 19th in fielding percentage (FPCT) (.975) compared to the Longhorns at 103rd (.966).
Texas A&M is hoping for a return to the WCWS for the first time since 2017, but the mighty Longhorns have plans of their own. They would love to write a story of triumph as the heartbreak still lingers from the final 2022 series where they handed Oklahoma the title in two games losing 16-1 and 10-5.
In the NORMAN SUPER REGIONAL, 15th ranked Florida State (46-14, 19-5 ACC) will head to No. 2 Oklahoma (52-6, 22-5 Big 12).
- Thursday, May 23 at 4pm PST (ESPN2)
- Friday, May 24 at 5pm PST (TBD)
- Saturday, May 25, if necessary (TBD)
The Sooners are an offensive juggernaut leading all of Division I in on-base percentage (.471), thanks in part to also leading the way in walks (299). They are second in batting average (.365) and slugging percentage (.651), and third in home runs (105). Their work at the plate earned them a 3-0 sweep at regionals outscoring their opponents 18-5.
After losing the ACC tournament championship to Duke, the Seminoles bounced back and had a similar track through regionals as the Sooners as they swept their opponents at home with a combined score of 18-7. Heading back out on the road will prove challenging, but four of the Sooners’ six losses did come on their home field. Florida State is ranked sixth in OBP (.421) and SLG (.581) and eighth in BA (.336) which hints that this could be a closer matchup than the spread in national rankings might indicate.
One major concern is that FSU’s starting pitcher, Senior Allison Royalty, announced via her Instagram account Wednesday that she would miss the remainder of the season due to injury.
Oklahoma would love to continue their run to become the first team in history to win 4x championships in a row ((2023, 2022, 2021, 2017, 2016, 2013, 2000).
Over in the KNOXVILLE SUPER REGIONAL, No. 14 Alabama (36-17, 10-14 SEC) is at No. 3 Tennessee (43-10, 19-5 SEC) for their second SEC matchup of the season.
- Friday, May 24 at 1pm PST (ESPN2)
- Saturday, May 25 at 12pm PST (TBD)
- Sunday, May 26, if necessary (TBD)
The Lady Vols are coming in hot having shut out their three previous opponents by a combined score of 21-0. They’ll hold the edge in this home matchup as well, having already taken the Crimson Tide series earlier this season. The Tide did take one of those games, but it was a 1-0 victory and that was their only run of the series. Tennessee only scored seven of their own throughout the series though, so the other two games weren’t blow outs by any means, but they were on Alabama’s field. It’ll definitely be an uphill climb for Alabama as their .257 BA is ranked 211th in the nation and they’re only slugging .394 (149th). Their pitching will surely be a factor however, as they rely on their 11th ranked 1.98 ERA.
LOCAL TIE-IN: Tennessee’s Kiki Milloy (Woodinville, WA)
The GAINESVILLE SUPER REGIONAL has Baylor (35-21, 14-13 Big 12) traveling to No. 4 Florida (49-12, 17-7 SEC).
- Friday, May 24 at 9am PST (ESPN2)
- Saturday, May 25 at 8am PST (TBD)
- Sunday, May 26, if necessary (TBD)
One of two unseeded teams to reach the super regionals, the Bears are riding high after knocking off the Sun Belt regular season champion Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns on their home field. The series came down to decisive game three with Baylor edging out Louisiana 4-3. The Bears will have their work cut out for them facing a Gator team in the midst of an 11-game winning streak, with many of those wins coming against stiff SEC competition.
Baylor’s .286 BA has them ranked 82nd compared to the Gators who are ranked fifth (.342). Achieving the upset will be a bit of a challenge from the circle as well with Florida posting a 2.76 ERA (49th) compared to Baylor at 132nd with 3.53. On defense, Florida’s .976 FPCT has them at 14th with Baylor 76th with .968.
Next, we head west to the STILLWATER SUPER REGIONAL which finds Arizona (37-16-1, 13-11 Pac-12) at No. 5 Oklahoma State (47-10, 21-6 Big 12).
- Friday, May 24 at 5pm PST (ESPN2)
- Saturday, May 25 at 4pm PST (TBD)
- Sunday, May 26, if necessary
Arizona swept their regional foes to reach the super regionals stage for the second year in a row. The Cowgirls should prove to be a force though, having lost only one game on their home field this season. The Wildcats will be motivated for obvious reasons, but add to that the fact that they will be looking to looking to make an impression among the Big 12 competition they will soon be facing on a regular basis.
The Wildcats’ are strong defensively ranking third in FPCT at .980, but the Cowgirls are still solid with a 20th ranked .975. The Wildcats also have an edge on offence boasting a 13th ranked .331 BA to the Cowgirls 32nd ranked .310. The X factor here is OSU Pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl, one of three finalists for USA Softball Player of the Year. She is allowing just 1.08 earned runs per game on just over four hits. Plus, the Cowgirls’ staff ERA is a solid 1.99 as well. For Arizona to compete, they will need to improve on their 3.70 ERA which currently ranks 150th in the country and eighth among the Pac-12’s nine teams.
Further west at the LOS ANGELES SUPER REGIONAL, No. 11 Georgia (43-17, 12-12 SEC) will visit No. 6 UCLA (40-10, 17-4 Pac-12).
- Thursday, May 23 at 6:30pm PST (ESPN2)
- Friday, May 24 at 7pm PST (ESPN2)
- Saturday, May 25, if necessary
UCLA is riding an 11-game winning streak, including regionals where they outscored opponents 25-7 (though that includes a close 7-6 victory over Virginia Tech). Georgia faced a bit more diversity to get here dropping last weekend’s second game to Liberty, but climbed back and beat them twice to move on.
The Bruins’s .321 BA ranks 16th with an OBP of .408 12th. Compare that to the Bulldogs’ .298 BA (58th) and .388 OBP (36th). Georgia does have some pop with the bat though, ranking 6th with 86 home runs (HR) compared to UCLA’s 56. In the circle, UCLA’s young pitchers are posting a 2.84 ERA compared to Georgia’s 2.67.
This should be a good series, however UCLA’s gritty offense has proven clutch in the face of adversity and should prove too much for a Georgia team traveling across the country.
The COLUMBIA SUPER REGIONAL pits No. 10 Duke (50-6, 20-4 ACC) at No. 7 Missouri (47-16, 13-11 SEC).
- Friday, May 24 at 11am PST (ESPN2)
- Saturday, May 25 at 10am PST (TBD)
- Sunday, May 26, if necessary
Missouri also took the long way to get here dropping game one to Omaha last weekend. They battled however, beating Indiana and Washington for a second shot at Omaha. They ultimately won both, including a 1-0 victory in the final game in nine innings. Duke is also riding an 11-game winning streak after skating through regionals outscoring their opponents 24-2. They’ve been playing with a chip on their shoulder after being third in RPI on Selection Sunday, but missing out on a top eight seed and super regional at home.
Duke is solid offensively ranking in the top 10 in runs (385, 6.88 per game) and OBP (.412). The circle is where they really shine though, ranking 3rd in D1 with a 1.50 ERA. That should be more than enough to keep the Tigers at bay who are ranked 87th with 303 runs (4.81 PG).
BASE by Pros Softball Director Kylee Studioso has this on her must-watch list and is most excited about watching Missouri pitcher Laurin Krings. “She has the most deceptive movement and speed change,” says Studioso. “Duke is also a scrappy hitting team, so it will be a great matchup.”
This should be the matchup to watch this weekend, with all signs pointing toward an upset and Duke moving on to their first WCWS.
Finally, the STANFORD SUPER REGIONAL is another tight matchup with No. 9 LSU (43-15, 12-12 SEC) heading west to No. 8 Stanford (46-14, 17-7 Pac-12).
- Friday, May 24 at 7pm PST (ESPN2)
- Saturday, May 25 at 6pm PST (TBD)
- Sunday, May 26, if necessary
Here’s another game not to miss according to Studioso.
The Cardinal may be the higher ranked team, but they’ve been scraping by to get to this point, including advancing through regionals after being outscored 15-17. The Tigers, meanwhile, swept their regional opponents 18-1 in three games. Prior to that, they won two in the SEC Tournament before falling 1-2 to Missouri in eight innings – a heartbreaker, but also just enough to light a fire under a team. Studioso referred to them as an “aggressive and powerful” team.
The X-factor however, could be found in the circle with Stanford’s NiJaree Canady. “She’s a stud pitcher who lead the regionals in strikeouts,” says Studioso. LSU’s staff posts a respectable 2.19 ERA (19th), but Stanford does have the edge at 1.82 (8th).
Defense is something else to keep an eye on. LSU’s is ranked 16th with a .976 FPCT while the Cardinal sit down at 64th (.969) and this one could come down to a play or two.
LOCAL TIE-IN: Stanford’s River Mahler (Monroe, WA)
It’s sure to be a fun weekend of college softball, so be sure to carve out some time to catch a super regional game or two. The action never disappoints!
