OU Softball: Oklahoma Ready for 'Outstanding' Florida State Test in WCWS Championship Series
OKLAHOMA CITY — There will be no secrets to close out the Women’s College World Series.
The top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners are set for a best-of-three heavyweight fight with the 3-seeded Florida State Seminoles to decide 2023’s national champion.
Both programs have dominated the sport as of late, combining to win five of the last six national titles.
The 2021 WCWS delivered the same matchup, where Patty Gasso’s Sooners battled out of a 1-0 hole to win college softball’s crown in three games.
Two years ago, OU and FSU mirrored each other en route to the Championship Series.
How to Watch Oklahoma vs. Florida State
- Game 1: Wednesday, 7 p.m., ESPN
- Game 2: Thursday, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
- Game 3 (If-necessary): Friday, 7 p.m., ESPN
The Sooners and the Seminoles each lost on the first day of the WCWS, battling back through the loser’s bracket to play for the title.
This year, they’ve again taken similar paths in Oklahoma City, rolling through the field without dropping a game at the WCWS.
“I think you're going to see a really outstanding Championship Series,” Gasso said on Tuesday. “It will be truly a battle, and there's a lot of things that are going to be at stake in the way of who can pitch better, who can get the timely hits, all those things.
“This is not run-rule territory here. It's just going to be fun.”
Wednesday won’t be the first time OU and Florida State have met this year either.
Oklahoma downed the Seminoles 5-4 in Norman on March 14, erasing a fourth inning deficit to win the contest.
But plenty has happened since the early-season tilt.
“It was a good matchup,” Gasso said. “… They're very well coached. They're hard working. They have some returners who have been through this. So they're very similar to us.
“… But we're a different team than we were in March, as are they. So we're familiar with names and their style, but we've got to go back to the drawing board like we haven't seen them before.”
A few things remain constant for Florida State, however.
Kathryn Sandercock, FSU’s right-handed super senior, is the leader of the Seminole pitching staff.
She’s posted an impressive 28-3 record in 2023, sliding in for 10 saves, while entering the Championship Series with a 1.05 ERA and holding opposing teams to a .182 average.
The Sooners know all about Sandercock, as they saw her plenty in the 2021 WCWS as well as for two innings in March’s matchup between the two teams.
“She's such a competitive pitcher,” OU shortstop Grace Lyons said. “I think we've seen a lot of competitive pitchers this year, but she has a really cool just way she pitches. She does a lot of different things and keeps hitters on edge.
“So I think we're just excited to get her best and Florida State's best because it's going to take a complete team on both sides to win a series.”
Sandercock will have plenty of other pitchers to back her up.
Freshman Makenna Reid is second on the team, pitching 78 1/3 innings this year, and Allison Royalty has also logged 68 innings.
Oklahoma has a weapon of its own to throw at Florida State.
Sophomore Jordy Bahl has yet to allow a run at the 2023 WCWS, and the prior meeting against the Seminoles was a turning point in her sophomore season.
Bahl pitched three scoreless innings in relief of Alex Storako on that cold March night, allowing just one hit and striking out six batters.
Whoever the Sooners throw in the circle will have one of the sport’s highest-powered offenses behind them, and the Ou lineup will be happy to facing a pitcher other than Stanford’s hard-throwing freshman, NiJaree Canady.
Oklahoma will put its 51-game winning streak on the line Wednesday night as it looks to take one step closer toward capturing its third-straight national title, but the Sooners have embraced the pressure and college softball’s spotlight all season long.
“These players love this stuff,” Gasso said. “They would rather have a team that looks like them and play against them than anything because we love when people can bring out our best… We appreciate it because it makes us learn, makes us work.
“There were a lot of people like, ‘oh, gosh, I wish you had another loss so you could learn from it.’ What do you want, everyone go up there and just stand there, don't swing the bat? We can learn from close wins. We can learn from anything we do, if we choose to. We don't take winning for granted. We take lessons every time we play, and we make ourselves better.”
First pitch between the Sooners and the Seminoles is slated for 7 p.m. from Hall of Fame Stadium, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
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