Familiar Foes Oklahoma and UCLA Meet Again in the WCWS Semifinals on Monday

The Sooners just need to beat UCLA once on Monday to return to the WCWS championship series.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Monday, Oklahoma will meet UCLA at the Women’s College World Series for the third straight season.

In 2019, the Bruins topped the Sooners in the championship series.

Last year the Sooners exacted revenge, ousting UCLA en route to a National Championship of their own.

This time, UCLA will have to beat Oklahoma in back-to-back games to oust the tournament’s top seed and make it back to the championship series.

The history between the two teams isn’t just limited to battles in Oklahoma City, however.

Earlier this season, Oklahoma (56-2) beat the Bruins (50-9) at the Mark Campbell Classic in Irvine, CA.

True freshman Jordy Bahl got the start in the circle for the Sooners, and the OU ace dazzled.

Striking out 14 Bruin hitters, Bahl pitched a complete game to help her team win the early-season tilt 4-1.

A lot can change over the course of a season, as the Sooners are now virtually relying just on Hope Trautwein in the circle at the WCWS, but Oklahoma’s top three hitters have remained a constant threat.

UCLA pitchers Megan Faraimo and Holly Azevedo will have to bring their best stuff to try and quiet the bats of Jayda Coleman, Jocelyn Alo and Tiare Jennings.

The trio of OU All-Americans have been electric thus far in the WCWS, as they’ve combined to hit 11-of-18, driving in 10 RBIs and drawing five walks in two games.

Alo’s performance comes as no shock as she’s a seasoned veteran on softball’s biggest stage. But Coleman and Jennings have also looked right at home in their second trip to the WCWS.

“Seeing (Coleman and Jennings) just thrive in this environment is fun to watch,” Alo said after the Sooners beat Texas on Saturday. “… I don't think you'll come across another — any kind of player like these two. I'm just excited for how young they are and excited to see where they're going to go. Definitely blessed that I got another year with them just due to COVID.

“I just remember talking about it with Tiare, like, I can't wait to play with you that one year. Thankful that I got two.”

The Bruins are well aware of the threat Oklahoma poses. But as UCLA tries to dig themselves out of the losers’ bracket, center fielder Maya Brady said her team is just trying to focus on themselves.

“Obviously they're an incredible team all around,” Brady said after UCLA beat Florida on Sunday. “but I think for us something that I think that this team has really gone through this year would be adversity, and I think that it's only made us stronger, and it's really made us look within.

“So our coach talks about it a lot. Don't even worry about the opponent. You want to make the opponent study you, and I think that's something that this team is really good at is focusing on each other. We've had to look to each other all year, so obviously we know it's going to be a tough game, but we're going to take it one pitch at a time.”

Something not found in the scouting reports will be the rest advantage the Sooners have over UCLA.

Oklahoma has only had to take the field twice in Oklahoma City, while the Bruins have had to fight for their lives after dropping their opener to Texas.

Jennings said the extra days of rest have helped the entire team stay locked in, and it’s helped OU stay firing on all cylinders at the WCWS.

“(The) day off definitely helps,” Jennings said on Saturday. “It just gives us a chance to recover, take a breath, stay out of the sun, get our pitchers recovered. It's a time to prepare.

“I think the day off definitely has helped us for sure. I really like the adjustment to this tournament.”

The two historic programs will once again take the field in Oklahoma City on Monday at 11 a.m. in a contest broadcast on ESPN.

If the Sooners win, they’ll return to the best-of-three championship series, where they’ll either meet Oklahoma State or Texas.

A Bruin win will force the “if” game, which will immediately follow the conclusion of Game 1 between OU and UCLA at 1:30 p.m. on Monday. 

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