1982 AIAW Women's College World Series

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The 1982 AIAW Women's College World Series was held from May 20 through May 25 in Norman, Oklahoma. The final two games were postponed by rain for two days. Twelve Division I college softball teams met in what was to become the last AIAW softball tournament of that organization's history. After playing their way through the regular season and regional tournaments (and for Oklahoma State, a conference tournament), the 12 advancing teams met for the AIAW Division I college softball championship. Days later, Oklahoma State went on to participate also in the NCAA WCWS tournament in Omaha. In 1982, the Division I softball tournaments of both the AIAW and the NCAA were called "Women's College World Series." That moniker has been used for the annual topmost-level collegiate women's softball tournaments since the first one in 1969. [1] [2] Historian Bill Plummer III wrote, "With their 77-8 season record, Texas A&M could have been a contender in Omaha − maybe even the top seed − against perennial softball powers like UCLA and Fresno State. The Aggies had been invited to the NCAA's first national tournament, but chose not to go. A&M coach Bob Brock had high respect for the eleven-year-old AIAW, even as the NCAA began to overshadow it. Out of a sense of loyalty to the AIAW, Brock said, his school chose the 1982 Norman championship over the NCAA's first in Omaha." [3] :63

Contents

Teams

The double-elimination tournament included these teams:

Texas A&M, Utah, Michigan and California were the top four seeds. Top-seeded Texas A&M lost its opener in an 8-inning perfect game by USIU pitcher Jenny Stallard. [3] :64 But the Aggies battled back through the losers' bracket to claim the title by defeating Oklahoma State, who was unbeaten in the tournament to that point, twice in the championship final. In the deciding "if-necessary" game, the Aggies went to bat in the last regulation inning trailing the Cowgirls by one run. A double and an outfield error scored the tying run for A&M, who went on to score twice in the extra inning for the 5-3 victory. [3] Texas A&M compiled a record of 7-1 in the tournament to become the first Texas A&M women's varsity team to win a national championship.

Bracket

Upper round 1Upper round 2Upper round 3Upper finalFinal
Texas A&M 0
Ohio State 0US International1*8
US International1
US International 1
Michigan2
Michigan 4
Oklahoma 0Rhode Island1
Michigan1
Rhode Island 2
Oklahoma State2
California 5
Southwest Missouri State 0Central Michigan0
California0
Central Michigan 7
Oklahoma State3
Utah 0
Western Illinois 0Oklahoma State2
Oklahoma State 7Oklahoma State13
Texas A&M458
Lower round 1Lower round 2Lower round 3Lower round 4Lower final
Southwest Missouri State0
Texas A&M5
Texas A&M2
Texas A&M1California0
Western Illinois0Texas A&M5
Western Illinois2
Texas A&M2Michigan0
Rhode Island1
Central Michigan0
Ohio State0
Central Michigan110
Central Michigan115
Central Michigan38US International0
Oklahoma1
Oklahoma4
Utah2
* perfect game [3]

[4]

Ranking

PlaceSchoolWCWS Record
1stTexas A&M7-1
2ndOklahoma State4-2
3rdMichigan2-2
4thCentral Michigan4-2
5thUnited States International Univ.2-2
California1-2
7thOklahoma1-2
Univ. of Rhode Island1-2
Western Illinois1-2
10thOhio State0-2
Southwest Missouri State0-2
Utah0-2

See also

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References

  1. Mary L. Littlewood (1998). Women's Fastpitch Softball - The Path to the Gold, An Historical Look at Women's Fastpitch in the United States (first ed.). National Fastpitch Coaches Association, Columbia, Missouri. pp. 145, 208. ISBN   0-9664310-0-6.
  2. Grundy, Pamela; Shackelford, Susan (2005). Shattering the Glass . The New Press. ISBN   1-56584-822-5.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Plummer III, William; Floyd, Larry C. (2013). A Series Of Their Own: History Of The Women's College World Series. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States: Turnkey Communications Inc. ISBN   978-0-9893007-0-4.
  4. "1982 MAC Champions Honored". April 17, 2013. Archived from the original on May 26, 2013. Retrieved June 1, 2014.