PREVIEW: Texas Softball Faces Oklahoma for WCWS National Championship
![Jun 3, 2024; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Texas Longhorns outfielder Isabella Dayton (6) and outfielder Ashton Maloney (7) celebrate with outfielder Kayden Henry (21) after Henry made a diving catch for an out against the Stanford Cardinals during a Women's College World Series softball semifinal game at Devon Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports Jun 3, 2024; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Texas Longhorns outfielder Isabella Dayton (6) and outfielder Ashton Maloney (7) celebrate with outfielder Kayden Henry (21) after Henry made a diving catch for an out against the Stanford Cardinals during a Women's College World Series softball semifinal game at Devon Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3896,h_2191,x_0,y_128/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/longhorns_country/01hzm46brwcbznvxyzt2.jpg)
It is as it was meant to be. Two years after losing to Oklahoma in the 2022 WCWS finals and in the same season as its first series win against the Sooners in the regular season, Texas will fight its north-of-the-river neighbors for the title.
The Women's College World Series Finals work on a best-of-three format, unlike the rest of the tournament. To get to this point, Texas remained undefeated beating Stanford twice and shutting out Florida 10-0.
Oklahoma can almost say the same. The Sooners were undefeated up until the first semi-final game against the Gators, where they fell 9-3, but with the tournament's double-elimination format, the reigning national champions were thrown a lifeline. They needed to win game two, and they got past Florida 6-5.
If Oklahoma has the advantage for being fresh out of a game, or Texas for having a day off to rest and prepare, only time will tell.
The Sooners have won the three last national championships, but this has been a season of losing streaks. In April, Texas snapped Oklahoma's 40-game conference winning streak, and on the first semifinal game, Florida gave the Sooners their first loss in 20 games in the Women's College World Series.
The number one and number two seeds will meet on June 5 and 6 at 7 p.m., in case of a draw after the two matches, the tie-breaker will be played on June 7 at the same time. Every match will be broadcast nationwide on ESPN.
Oklahoma will try to grab its fourth consecutive title and second final win against Texas in two years, while this Longhorn team will try to make history and earn the program's first-ever national championship.