| Teams | 32 |
|---|---|
| Finals site | |
| Champions | Arizona (5th title) |
| Runner-up | UCLA (15th WCWS Appearance) |
| Winning coach | Mike Candrea (5th title) |
| MOP | Nancy Evans (Arizona) |
The 1997 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the sixteenth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 1997, thirty-two Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of four teams, each in a double elimination format. The 1997 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from May 22 through May 26 and marked the conclusion of the 1997 NCAA Division I softball season. The event returned to Oklahoma City after a one-year hiatus, and it has remained there ever since. Arizona won their fifth NCAA championship by defeating UCLA 10–2 in the final game. Arizona pitcher Nancy Evans was named Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player. [1] [2]
| First Round | Semi-Finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| Nebraska | 106 | |||||||||||||
| Arizona State | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Nebraska | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Arizona | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Arizona | 116 | |||||||||||||
| Rider | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Arizona | 5 | — | ||||||||||||
| Nebraska | 1 | — | ||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower final | |||||||||||||
| Nebraska | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Arizona State | 126 | Arizona State | 1 | |||||||||||
| Rider | 0 | |||||||||||||
Arizona qualifies for WCWS.
| First Round | Semi-Finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| Kansas | 3 | |||||||||||||
| South Florida | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Kansas | 0 | |||||||||||||
| South Carolina | 1 | |||||||||||||
| South Carolina | 5 | |||||||||||||
| UNC Greensboro | 0 | |||||||||||||
| South Carolina | 1 | — | ||||||||||||
| Kansas | 0 | — | ||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower final | |||||||||||||
| Kansas | 3 | |||||||||||||
| South Florida | 29 | South Florida | 1 | |||||||||||
| UNC Greensboro | 0 | |||||||||||||
South Carolina qualifies for WCWS.
| First Round | Semi-Finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| Utah | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Missouri | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Utah | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Iowa | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Iowa | 2 | |||||||||||||
| DePaul | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Iowa | 6 | — | ||||||||||||
| DePaul | 2 | — | ||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower final | |||||||||||||
| Utah | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Missouri | 0 | DePaul | 2 | |||||||||||
| DePaul | 1 | |||||||||||||
Iowa qualifies for WCWS.
| First Round | Semi-Finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| Long Beach State | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Cal State Northridge | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Long Beach State | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Fresno State | 510 | |||||||||||||
| Fresno State | 7 | |||||||||||||
| California | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Fresno State | 9 | — | ||||||||||||
| California | 3 | — | ||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower final | |||||||||||||
| Long Beach State | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Cal State Northridge | 2 | California | 3 | |||||||||||
| California | 39 | |||||||||||||
Fresno State qualifies for WCWS.
| First Round | Semi-Finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| Southwestern Louisiana | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Northeast Louisiana | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Southwestern Louisiana | 4 | |||||||||||||
| UCLA | 1 | |||||||||||||
| UCLA | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Nicholls State | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Southwestern Louisiana | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| UCLA | 95 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower final | |||||||||||||
| UCLA | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Northeast Louisiana | 1 | Northeast Louisiana | 0 | |||||||||||
| Nicholls State | 0 | |||||||||||||
UCLA qualifies for WCWS
| First Round | Semi-Finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| Central Michigan | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Central Michigan | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Michigan | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Michigan | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Cleveland State | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Michigan | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||||
| Central Michigan | 38 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower final | |||||||||||||
| Central Michigan | 6 | |||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 6 | Michigan State | 4 | |||||||||||
| Cleveland State | 0 | |||||||||||||
Michigan qualifies for WCWS.
| First Round | Semi-Finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| Oklahoma State | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Oklahoma | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Oklahoma State | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Washington | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Washington | 85 | |||||||||||||
| Southwest Missouri State | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Washington | 10 | — | ||||||||||||
| Oklahoma State | 9 | — | ||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower final | |||||||||||||
| Oklahoma State | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Oklahoma | 7 | Oklahoma | 3 | |||||||||||
| Southwest Missouri State | 2 | |||||||||||||
Washington qualifies for WCWS.
| First Round | Semi-Finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| UMass | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Boston College | 0 | |||||||||||||
| UMass | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Colorado State | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Colorado State | 105 | |||||||||||||
| Brown | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Colorado State | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| UMass | 3 | 38 | ||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower final | |||||||||||||
| UMass | 4 | |||||||||||||
| Boston College | 6 | Boston College | 1 | |||||||||||
| Brown | 2 | |||||||||||||
UMass qualifies for WCWS.
| School | Conference | Record | Head coach | WCWS appearances† (Including 1997 WCWS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Pac-10 | 57–4 | Mike Candrea | 10 |
| Fresno State | Western Athletic | 52–12 | Margie Wright | 10 |
| Iowa | Big Ten | 51–7 | Gayle Blevins | 3 |
| UMass | Atlantic 10 | 37–21–1 | Elaine Sortino | 2 |
| Michigan | Big Ten | 55–14–1 | Carol Hutchins | 3 |
| South Carolina | SEC | 63–3 | Joyce Compton | 3 |
| UCLA | Pac-10 | 45–12 | Sue Enquist | 15 |
| Washington | Pac-10 | 48–17 | Teresa Wilson | 2 |
†: Excludes results of the pre-NCAA Women's College World Series of 1969 through 1981.
| First round | Second round | Semifinals | Finals | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Arizona | 28 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | UMass | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Arizona | 214 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | UCLA | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Fresno State | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | UCLA | 28 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Arizona | 0 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Fresno State | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | UMass | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Fresno State | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Fresno State | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Iowa | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Arizona | 105 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | UCLA | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Iowa | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Michigan | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Iowa | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Washington | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Washington | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | South Carolina | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Washington | 3 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | UCLA | 4 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Michigan | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | South Carolina | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Michigan | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | UCLA | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date | Game | Winner | Score | Loser | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22 | Game 1 | Arizona | 2 – 1 8 | UMass | |
| Game 2 | UCLA | 2 – 0 8 | Fresno State | ||
| Game 3 | Iowa | 3 – 2 | Michigan | ||
| Game 4 | Washington | 6 – 0 | South Carolina | ||
| May 23 | Game 5 | Arizona | 2 – 0 14 | UCLA | |
| Game 6 | Washington | 5 – 1 | Iowa | ||
| May 24 | Game 7 | Fresno State | 2 – 1 | UMass | UMass eliminated |
| Game 8 | Michigan | 1 – 0 | South Carolina | South Carolina eliminated | |
| Game 9 | Fresno State | 7 – 6 | Iowa | Iowa eliminated | |
| Game 10 | UCLA | 7 – 3 | Michigan | Michigan eliminated | |
| May 25 | Game 11 | Fresno State | 3 – 0 | Arizona | Fresno State forces the If Necessary Game (Game 13) |
| Game 12 | UCLA | 4 – 3 | Washington | UCLA forces the If Necessary Game (Game 14) | |
| Game 13 | Arizona | 6 – 3 | Fresno State | Fresno State eliminated | |
| Game 14 | UCLA | 1 – 0 | Washington | Washington eliminated | |
| May 26 | Championship Game | Arizona | 10 – 2 5 | UCLA | Arizona Wins 1997 WCWS |
| School | Top Batter | Stats. |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Wildcats | Nancy Evans (P) | 1-3 3RBIs 2B BB |
| UCLA Bruins | Julie Marshall (3B) | 1-2 RBI HR |
| School | Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | AB | BF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Wildcats | Nancy Evans (W) | 5.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 20 | 21 |
| UCLA Bruins | Christa Williams (L) | 5.0 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 25 | 33 |
The following players were members of the All-Tournament Team. [4]
| Position | Player | Class | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| P | Jamie Graves | Freshman | Washington |
| Danielle Henderson | Sophomore | Massachusetts | |
| Christa Williams | Freshman | UCLA | |
| C | Stacey Nuveman | Freshman | UCLA |
| 1B | Leah O'Brien | Senior | Arizona |
| Alleah Poulson | Senior | UCLA | |
| 2B | Nina Lindenberg | Junior | Fresno State |
| Sara Pickering | Senior | Washington | |
| SS | Christy Hebert | Senior | Iowa |
| 3B | Melissa Gentile | Freshman | Michigan |
| OF | Alison Johnsen | Junior | Arizona |
| MOP | Nancy Evans | Junior | Arizona |
Debra "Debbie" Ann Doom is an American, former collegiate All-American, retired professional right-handed softball pitcher originally from Tempe, Arizona. She played for the UCLA Bruins from 1982-1985 and the United States' national softball team just prior to the major boom in the sport's popularity both in America and worldwide. She was the singularly most dominant pitcher in softball during her career and was remarkable for her exceptional fastball and her height. She ranks currently in numerous softball records for the Bruins and in the NCAA Division I. Doom was named the Women's Professional Softball League's inaugural World Series MVP in 1997.
The 2008 NCAA Division I softball tournament was held from May 15 through June 4, 2008. 64 NCAA Division I college softball teams met after having played their way through a regular season, and for some, a conference tournament, to play in the NCAA Tournament. The tournament culminated with eight teams playing in the 2008 Women's College World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The 2009 NCAA Division I softball tournament was held from May 15 through June 3, 2009 as part of the 2009 NCAA Division I softball season. The 64 NCAA Division I college softball teams were selected out of an eligible 284 teams on May 10, 2009. 30 teams were awarded an automatic bid as champions of their conference, and 34 teams were selected at-large by the NCAA Division I Softball Selection Committee. The tournament culminated with eight teams playing in the 2009 Women's College World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The 1987 NCAA Division I softball tournament was held in May as the conclusion of the 1987 NCAA Division I softball season. Sixteen Division I college softball teams competed in the NCAA tournament's first round, which consisted of eight regionals with two teams each. The winner of each region, a total of eight teams, advanced to the 1987 Women's College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. The event, held from May 20 to 24, was the sixth NCAA-sponsored championship in the sport of college softball at the Division I level. Texas A&M won the championship by defeating UCLA 4–1 in the final game.
The 1988 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the seventh annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 1988, twenty Division I college softball teams contested the championship, an expansion of four teams from the previous year. The tournament featured eight regionals of either two or three teams. The regions of two teams consisted of a simple best-of-three series whereas the regions of three teams consisted of a double elimination tournament of four or five games. The 1988 Women's College World Series was held in Sunnyvale, California from May 25 through May 29 and marked the conclusion of the 1988 NCAA Division I softball season. UCLA won the championship by defeating Fresno State 3–0 in the final game.
The 1989 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the eighth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 1989, twenty Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of either two or three teams, each in a double elimination format. The 1989 Women's College World Series was held in Sunnyvale, California from May 24 through May 28 and marked the conclusion of the 1989 NCAA Division I softball season. For the second consecutive year, UCLA won the championship by defeating Fresno State 1–0 in the final game.
The 1990 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the ninth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 1990, twenty Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of either two or three teams, each in a double elimination format. The 1990 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from May 23 through May 28 and marked the conclusion of the 1990 NCAA Division I softball season. For the third consecutive year, UCLA won the championship by defeating Fresno State 2–0 in the final game.
The 1991 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the tenth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 1991, twenty Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of either two or three teams, each in a double elimination format. The 1991 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from May 23 through May 26 and marked the conclusion of the 1991 NCAA Division I softball season. Arizona won their first championship by defeating three-time defending champions UCLA 5–1 in the final game.
The 1992 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the eleventh annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 1992, twenty Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of either two or three teams, each in a double elimination format. The 1992 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from May 23 through May 26 and marked the conclusion of the 1992 NCAA Division I softball season. UCLA won their seventh championship by defeating defending champions Arizona 2–0 in the final game.
The 1993 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the twelfth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 1993, twenty Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of either two or three teams, each in a double elimination format. The 1993 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from May 27 through May 31 and marked the conclusion of the 1993 NCAA Division I softball season. Arizona won their second championship by defeating defending champions UCLA 1–0 in the final game.
The 1994 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the thirteenth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 1994, thirty-two Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of four teams, each in a double elimination format. The 1994 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from May 26 through May 30 and marked the conclusion of the 1994 NCAA Division I softball season. Arizona won their third championship, and second consecutive, by defeating Cal State Northridge 4–0 in the final game. It was the first final game since 1986 to not feature UCLA.
The 1995 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the fourteenth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 1995, thirty-two Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of four teams, each in a double elimination format. The 1995 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from May 25 through May 29 and marked the conclusion of the 1995 NCAA Division I softball season. UCLA won their eighth NCAA championship, and ninth overall, by defeating Arizona 4–2 in the final game. UCLA pitcher Tanya Harding was named Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player, the first time the honor was awarded by the NCAA. The Bruins' participation and championship were later vacated by the NCAA.
The 1996 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the fifteenth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 1996, thirty-two Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of four teams, each in a double elimination format. The 1996 Women's College World Series was held in Columbus, Georgia from May 23 through May 27 and marked the conclusion of the 1996 NCAA Division I softball season. This marked the last time that the Women's College World Series was held in a city other than Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and previewed Golden Park's hosting of softball events for the 1996 Summer Olympics. Arizona won their fourth NCAA championship by defeating Washington 6–4 in the final game. Arizona second baseman Jenny Dalton was named Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player.
The 1998 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the seventeenth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 1998, thirty-two Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of four teams, each in a double elimination format. The 1998 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from May 21 through May 25 and marked the conclusion of the 1998 NCAA Division I softball season. Fresno State won their first NCAA championship by defeating Arizona 1–0 in the final game. Fresno State pitcher Amanda Scott was named Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player.
The 1999 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the eighteenth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 1999, forty-eight Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of six teams, each in a double elimination format. The 1999 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from May 25 through May 31 and marked the conclusion of the 1999 NCAA Division I softball season. UCLA won their ninth NCAA championship and tenth overall by defeating Washington 3–2 in the final game. It was the first final game since 1990 to not feature Arizona. UCLA infielder Julie Adams was named Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player.
The 2000 NCAA Division I softball tournament was held 18 through May 29, 2000, as the final part of the 2000 NCAA Division I softball season. The tournament culminated with the 2000 Women's College World Series at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.
The 2003 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the twenty-second annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 2003, sixty-four Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of eight teams, each in a double elimination format. The 2003 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from May 22 through May 25 and marked the conclusion of the 2003 NCAA Division I softball season. UCLA won their tenth NCAA championship and eleventh overall by defeating California 1–0 in the final game. UCLA pitcher Keira Goerl was named Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player.
The 2004 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the twenty-third annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 2004, sixty-four Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of eight teams, each in a double elimination format. The 2004 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from May 27 through May 31 and marked the conclusion of the 2004 NCAA Division I softball season. UCLA won their eleventh NCAA championship and twelfth overall by defeating California 3–1 in the final game. LSU pitcher Kristin Schmidt was named Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player.
The 2005 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the twenty-fourth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May and June 2005, sixty-four Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of eight teams, each in a double elimination format. The 2005 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from June 2 through June 8 and marked the conclusion of the 2005 NCAA Division I softball season. Michigan won their first championship by defeating UCLA two games to one in the championship series. Michigan first baseman Samantha Findlay was named Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player.
The 2006 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the twenty-fifth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May and June 2006, sixty-four Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of eight teams, each in a double elimination format. The 2006 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from June 1 through June 6 and marked the conclusion of the 2006 NCAA Division I softball season. Arizona won their seventh championship by defeating Northwestern two games to none in the championship series. Arizona pitcher Alicia Hollowell was named Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player.