NORMAN– The No. 2-ranked Oklahoma softball team hosts the NCAA Norman Super Regional this weekend, welcoming No. 14/12 Florida State to Love's Field in a rematch of the 2023 and 2021 WCWS Championship Series.
The super regional begins Thursday, May 23 at 6 p.m. CT with Friday's game two set for a 7 p.m. start. Game three is scheduled for Saturday with a to-be-determined start time.
Thursday's opener will be broadcast on ESPN2 with the rest of the super regional's television assignments yet to be determined. 1560 AM/103.3 FM The Franchise 2 and 107.7 FM The Franchise will carry radio coverage throughout the weekend.
Oklahoma swept Florida State 5-0 and 3-1 in the 2023 WCWS Championship Series just two seasons after taking two-of-three games to win the 2021 NCAA Championship. Oklahoma head coach Patty Gasso is 5-1 in the NCAA postseason against Florida State while the program is 6-1 overall including a win at the 1994 Stillwater Regional. The Sooners and Seminoles have never met in the super regionals.
This weekend marks the second time Sooner alumna and FSU skipper Lonni Alameda returns to Norman as a head coach. Alameda was a two-time All-Big Eight pick as a corner infielder at OU before graduating in 1993.
SCOUTING THE SEMINOLES
No. 15 seed Florida State enters the Norman Super Regional 46-14 on the season following a 3-0 effort at the Tallahassee Regional. The Seminoles defeated Chattanooga (3-2), UCF (5-1) and Auburn (10-4) to advance to Norman. FSU finished runner-up in the ACC Tournament, dropping the championship game 6-3 to Duke.
NFCA Freshman of the Year candidate Jaysoni Beachum leads Florida State at the plate, batting .425 with 15 home runs and 65 RBIs. The Seminoles pack plenty of punch at the plate as Beachum is protected by Michaela Edenfield (.389, 15 HR, 46 RBIs), Kalei Harding (.337, 14 HR, 64 RBIs) and Isa Torres (.360, 9 HR, 57 RBIs). Jahni Kerr adds nine homers while Amaya Ross has left the yard eight times. FSU will run, stealing 85 bases in 100 attempts including a 28-for-31 campaign from Ross and a 16-for-18 showing from Devyn Flaherty.
Left-handers Ashtyn Danley (18-5, 3.12 ERA) and Makenna Reid (12-1, 3.37 ERA) have combined for 30 of FSU's 46 wins in the circle. Danley holds opponents to a .237 average while striking out 101 and walking 62 over a staff-leading 137.0 innings of work. Reid has fanned 75 in 87.1 frames but hasn't made an appearance since April 21.
LAST TIME OUT
A phenomenal start by senior right-handed pitcher Nicole May and lights-out relief courtesy of Kelly Maxwell led No. 2/2 Oklahoma to a 3-2 win over No. 22/RV Oregon in Sunday's regional final.
Oklahoma extended its NCAA Tournament win streak to 16 games with the victory over Oregon, clinching the program's 17th Super Regional appearance.
May earned her second start of the regional, rewarding the Sooners with 5.0 innings of excellent work. The right-hander struck out six while allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits and zero walks. She threw 51 of her 73 pitches for strikes, working to a 69.9% strike rate.
In addition to recording her 14th win of the season, May improved to 2-0 in NCAA Tournament play this postseason. The senior struck out 15 and walked none across her 10.0 innings of work in the Norman Regional, scattering eight hits and allowing just one earned run (0.70 ERA).
Oklahoma's pitching staff registered a 1.40 ERA across 20.0 innings in the regional, striking out 26 and walking none over its three games.
POSTSEASON ACES
Sooner pitchers Nicole May and Kelly Maxwell enjoyed terrific performances in the circle at the Norman Regional, combining to go 3-0 with just two earned runs allowed in 19.0 innings of work.
May won both her starts, striking out 15 and walking none across 10.0 frames. The right-hander allowed two runs, one earned, while scattering eight hits. Maxwell recorded the win in her start on Saturday and added a save on Sunday, allowing just one run on two hits and zero walks over 9.0 innings. She struck out 10 while limiting opponents to a .071 batting average.
Maxwell is now 9-5 across 16 NCAA Tournament appearances (15 starts) and has pitched to a stellar 1.56 ERA over 85.0 postseason innings. She has punched out 134 while walking just 20, striking out 41.2% of batters faced with a .160 batting average against.
May improved to 10-2 in NCAA postseason play and lowered her career tournament ERA to 2.71 in 72.1 innings, logging a 74:14 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
A SUPER WEEKEND IN NORMAN
The 2024 NCAA Norman Super Regional marks the sixth consecutive season in which Oklahoma has hosted a super regional. The Sooners are 10-0 in that span and haven't lost a home super regional game since May 24, 2014 to Tennessee. OU has won 14 consecutive super regional games since its last loss (5/23/15 at Alabama).
OU has advanced in 11 of 16 super regionals. The Sooners are 24-11 all-time in NCAA Super Regional play and have won at least one game in each of its last 14 supers.
THE TITLE DEFENSE CONTINUES
Oklahoma continues its quest for a fourth consecutive NCAA title this weekend at the Norman Super Regional. The Sooners have appeared in seven straight Women's College World Series and would clinch their 17th appearance at the WCWS by advancing this weekend.
No softball program has ever won four consecutive national titles. The Sooners went 10-0 in the NCAA tournament last season, sweeping their way through the regional and supers before winning all five games at the WCWS to claim their third-straight NCAA championship.
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