The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States. The eight teams of the WCWS play a double-elimination tournament until just two teams remain. These two teams compete in a best-of-three series to determine the Division I WCWS National Champion. Previous WCWS losses do not factor into the best-of-three championship series, and the first team to win two of three games is declared the National Champion.
The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Run of 1889, which initially opened the Unassigned Lands in the future state of Oklahoma to non-native settlement. The university's athletic teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division I in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The university's current athletic director is Joe Castiglione.
The NCAA Division I softball tournament is held annually in May/June and features 64 college softball teams in the United States, culminating in the Women's College World Series (WCWS), which is played in Oklahoma City.
The Arizona State Sun Devils softball team represents Arizona State University in NCAA Division I College softball. The team competes in the Pac-12 Conference, and plays its home games at Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Clint Myers, former head coach of the Sun Devils, guided the team to the Women's College World Series in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013. The Sun Devils team won the National Championship in 2008 & 2011.
The UCLA Bruins softball team represents the University of California, Los Angeles in NCAA Division I softball. The Bruins are among the most decorated programs in NCAA softball, leading all schools in NCAA championships with 12, 13 overall Women's College World Series championships, championship game appearances with 22, WCWS appearances with 36, and NCAA Tournament wins with 187.
Patricia Marie Gasso is an American softball coach for the Oklahoma Sooners. She has been the head softball coach at the University of Oklahoma since 1995. She has led the Sooners team to eight national championships and has compiled a career record of 1,515–352–2 and a winning percentage of .811.
The finals of the 1982 NCAA Division I softball tournament were held from May 27 through May 30. 16 Division I college softball teams met in the NCAA tournament's first round at campus sites. After having played their way through the regular season and first round, the eight advancing teams played in the NCAA Women's College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. UCLA won the title. 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."
The 2015 NCAA Division I softball tournament was held from May 14 through June 3, 2015 as the final part of the 2015 NCAA Division I softball season. The 64 NCAA Division I college softball teams were selected out of an eligible 293 teams on May 10, 2015. Thirty-two teams were awarded an automatic bid as champions of their conference, and thirty-two teams were selected at-large by the NCAA Division I softball selection committee. The tournament culminated with eight teams playing in the 2015 Women's College World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.
The James Madison Dukes softball team represents James Madison University in NCAA Division I college softball. The team participates in the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) and plays home games in Veterans Memorial Park. JMU has won six CAA championships, including back-to-back Championships in 2016 and 2017. The Dukes have been to the NCAA Division I softball tournament nine times, hosting Regionals and Super Regionals in 2016. The team's head coach is Loren LaPorte, leading the Dukes to a 197–74 record in six seasons.
The 2017 NCAA Division I softball tournament was held from May 18 through June 7, 2017, as the final part of the 2017 NCAA Division I softball season. The 64 participating NCAA Division I college softball teams were selected out of an eligible 293 teams on May 14, 2017. Thirty-two teams were awarded automatic bids as champions of their conferences, and the remaining 32 were selected at-large by the NCAA Division I softball selection committee. The tournament culminated with eight teams playing in the 2017 Women's College World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma would repeat as National Champions, defeating Florida in 2 games and 17 innings in the first game. Oklahoma became the lowest seeded team to ever win the National Championship, winning as the 10 seed.
The 2019 NCAA Division I softball tournament was held from May 31 to June 4, 2019, as the final part of the 2019 NCAA Division I softball season. Thirty-two teams were awarded automatic bids as champions of their conferences, and the remaining 32 were selected at-large by the NCAA Division I softball selection committee. The 64-team, double-elimination tournament concluded with the 2019 Women's College World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. The UCLA Bruins won their 13th championship, defeating the Oklahoma Sooners in two games.
The 2000 Oklahoma Sooners softball team was an American college softball team that represented the University of Oklahoma during the 2000 NCAA Division I softball season. The Sooners were led by Patty Gasso in her sixth season, and played their home games at OU Softball Complex. They competed in the Big 12 Conference, where they finished the season with a 66–8 record, including 17–1 in conference play.
The 2013 Oklahoma Sooners softball team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 2013 NCAA Division I softball season. The Sooners were coached by Patty Gasso, who led her nineteenth season. The Sooners finished with a record of 57–4. They played their home games at OU Softball Complex and competed in the Big 12 Conference, where they finished first with a 15–2 record.
The 2016 Oklahoma Sooners softball team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 2016 NCAA Division I softball season. The Sooners were coached by Patty Gasso, who led her twenty-second season. The Sooners finished with a record of 57–8. They played their home games at OU Softball Complex and competed in the Big 12 Conference, where they finished first with a 17–1 record.
The 2021 Oklahoma Sooners softball team was an American college softball team that represented the University of Oklahoma during the 2021 NCAA Division I softball season. The Sooners were led by Patty Gasso in her twenty-seventh season, and played their home games at OU Softball Complex. They competed in the Big 12 Conference, where they finished the season with a 56–4 record, including 16–1 in conference play.
Jayda Coleman is an American professional softball player for the Oklahoma City Spark of the Association of Fastpitch Professionals (AFP). She played college softball at Oklahoma where she won the Women's College World Series championship four consecutive years. She also represented the United States at the 2019 U-19 Women's Softball World Cup and USA Softball International Cup.
The 2022 Oklahoma Sooners softball team was an American college softball team that represented the University of Oklahoma during the 2022 NCAA Division I softball season. The Sooners were led by Patty Gasso in her twenty-eighth season, and played their home games at OU Softball Complex. They competed in the Big 12 Conference, where they finished the season with a 59–3 record, including 17–1 in conference play.
Kinzie Hansen is an American professional softball player for the Oklahoma City Spark of the Association of Fastpitch Professionals (AFP) and is a member of the United States women's national softball team. She played college softball at Oklahoma where she won the Women's College World Series championship four consecutive years.
The 2023 Oklahoma Sooners softball team was an American college softball team that represented the University of Oklahoma during the 2023 NCAA Division I softball season. The Sooners were led by Patty Gasso in her twenty-ninth season, and played their home games at OU Softball Complex. They competed in the Big 12 Conference, where they finished with a 61–1 record, including 18–0 in conference play. The Sooners only loss on the season was during an early season tournament in Waco, Texas to the Baylor Bears, 3–4.
The 2024 Oklahoma Sooners softball team was an American college softball team that represents the University of Oklahoma during the 2024 NCAA Division I softball season. The Sooners were led by Patty Gasso in her thirtieth season, and played their home games at Love's Field as a member of the Big 12 Conference. This was the Sooners' first season at Love's Field. The Sooners won the 2024 Women's College World Series, becoming the first team in college softball history to four-peat.
2025 Oklahoma Sooners softball team 