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New York Times
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Women's College World Series 2025 live updates: Oregon, Oklahoma tied in elimination game
Follow our coverage of the WCWS from Oklahoma City as the five remaining teams chase the softball national title Imagn Images And to Lindsay's point, there are plenty of home run hitters in the Gators' lineup, and the fact that Korbe Otis and Kendra Falby are also among those power bats makes this team even more dangerous. The perfect mix of speed and power can truly cause some chaos. Imagn Images ESPN talking about how many HR hitters Florida has reminds me of former UCLA coach Sue Enquist's point that softball is special and unique because the No. 8 hitter can change the complexion of a game. The Gators are a perfect example of that. That's one reason this game is so fun and rising in popularity across the country: There's no such thing as a boring part of the lineup. M1, Texas O, Florida 0 It's still incredibly early, but that was an impressive first inning by Keagan Rothrock for Florida. Her riseball to strike out Reese Atwood looked NASTY. My early analysis: I love these yellow flowers in the Florida players' hair Ah, the best time of the year is back! That intro video gave me chills. But to be honest, it's always a shock to hear that it's been a decade since the SEC won a natty. For as dominant as the conference has been in the sport for so long, it's crazy to think that the addition of Oklahoma and Texas to the group could be what puts the conference back on top. Imagn Images The Women's College World Series opener between Florida and Texas is upon us. Let's go! When Sue Enquist played softball at UCLA in the late 1970s, the program followed a simple motto: The game doesn't know who's supposed to win. The Bruins were not yet the powerhouse they'd become. The players wore T-shirts from the men's track team as game uniforms and saw themselves as underdogs. Guided by Sharron Backus, the program's head coach and architect, they wielded their doormat status like a weapon. Enquist stayed with the program for the next three decades, first as an assistant, then a co-head coach with Backus, and finally as the head coach from 1997 to 2006. Part of 11 national championships, she won more than 83 percent of her games. When the Bruins became a national juggernaut, the perspective behind the motto flipped: UCLA could never overlook anyone because the game still did not know. 'The beautiful thing about sport,' Enquist said, 'is you must go out there every single day, remembering you must meet those one-pitch moments, because the game doesn't know who is supposed to win.' GO FURTHER Sue Enquist won 11 national championships. These are her 4 favorite leadership principles Even inside the opulent owner's suite at Covenant Health Park, there is only so much to do before a rain-delayed minor league baseball game on a Tuesday night. The Tennessee softball team already has discussed the ceremonial first pitch — someone suggested a pickoff throw — and rehearsed how record-breaking ace Karlyn Pickens can avoid an awkward hug with the Knoxville Smokies' mascot. They annihilated a food spread featuring sliders, hot dogs and chocolate chip cookies in about eight minutes. They took a group photo with team owner Randy Boyd, who's also the president of the University of Tennessee system. He was not, however, their most entertaining visitor. At one point, a clubhouse attendant arrived with a delivery: A Columbus Clingstones player wrote his phone number on a baseball and sent it up to Lady Vols pitcher Charli Orsini. (She has a boyfriend and the Clingstone is hitting .160. It's a strikeout.) After all this, it's only 7:38 p.m., and the actual first pitch remains a distant hope. Boredom looms. So two Lady Vols decide to record a TikTok. And they invite their head coach to join. GO FURTHER How a lawyer heeded one Pat Summitt tenet to become Tennessee's winningest coach For Texas Tech, a national championship is a million-dollar pursuit. Last summer, the school made a pricey name-image-and-likeness move in hopes of reaching its first Women's College World Series. Last week, that investment paid off. No. 12 Texas Tech swept No. 5 Florida State in the Tallahassee super regionals behind Canady, who threw every pitch for the Red Raiders in the historic back-to-back wins and held Florida State to 5-of-49 hitting (.102) in the series. Canady — a 6-foot junior ace — transferred from Stanford after accepting a $1,050,024 NIL offer from Texas Tech. After leading the Cardinal to the WCWS in 2023 and 2024, she's back again. Canady, who leads the nation with an .89 ERA, also became the first to repeat as the NFCA Pitcher of the Year. GO FURTHER Women's College World Series storylines to watch: Can Oklahoma 5-peat? Will SEC's numbers win out? How Texas advanced to the WCWS: Regional Defeated Eastern Illinois 10-2 Defeated Michigan 16-4 Defeated UCF 9-0 Super Regional Lost to Clemson 7-4 Defeated Clemson 7-5 Defeated Clemson 6-5 Tennessee junior ace Karlyn Pickens set the record for the fastest pitch in college softball history on March 24. She broke her record two months later. Pickens threw a 79.4 mph flamer against Nebraska star Jordy Bahl in the super regionals, something we 'wouldn't see in MLB,' ESPN analyst Jessica Mendoza said. '(That's) upwards of 108 to 110 mph when you're thinking about reaction time. So put yourself in the batter's box, crank up the machine to 108, 109, that's what it's like at 43 feet at 79 mph. It's incredible.' Throughout the three games against Nebraska, Pickens posted 28 strikeouts and allowed 11 hits in just over 17 innings. She shut out the Cornhuskers in Game 3 to secure the trip to Oklahoma City. There, she now faces one of the deepest lineups in the country: Oklahoma. 'I think it'll be exciting to watch Pickens pitch to Oklahoma, because I think she is absolutely an elite pitcher and they are absolutely an elite offensive team, so that will be super fun to watch,' Heard said. Pickens also has the nation's second-best ERA behind Texas Tech's NiJaree Canady. GO FURTHER Women's College World Series storylines to watch: Can Oklahoma 5-peat? Will SEC's numbers win out? Oklahoma has won the past four softball national titles, something no other program has accomplished. UCLA won three straight from 1988-90 and won a fourth in five years in 1992. Arizona won four out of five years from 1993-97. But no program has matched the Sooners' dominance. They went 235-15 in the previous four seasons, and they are 50-7 this season. If Oklahoma wins the title this year, it will move into solo second with nine national titles (it's currently tied with Arizona). UCLA has the most titles with 13. Imagn Images How Florida advanced to the WCWS: Regional Defeated Mercer 8-0 Defeated Florida Atlantic 14-6 Defeated Mercer 8-0 Super Regional Defeated Georgia 6-1 Lost to Georgia 2-1 Defeated Georgia 5-2 *In a row. Despite welcoming 14 newcomers, Oklahoma has shown no signs of a reset or rebuild, thanks in large part to Sam Landry, a Louisiana transfer ace and SEC Newcomer of the Year. The Sooners have cruised up to this point in the playoffs, advancing out of the regional round in three games and out of the super regionals — against No. 15 Alabama — in two. With Landry, they're led by Gabbie Garcia, Kasidi Pickering, Ella Parker, Ailana Agbayani and Nelly McEnroe-Marinas on offense. The Sooners walk into their ninth straight WCWS having outscored opponents 47-5. Their plus-42 run differential is an NCAA tournament all-time seventh-best, with five of the previous six teams reaching that mark going on to win the title, according to ESPN. 'It doesn't matter how much you prepare for them. You need to play your best version of softball against them because they know how to win,' Waters said. GO FURTHER Women's College World Series storylines to watch: Can Oklahoma 5-peat? Will SEC's numbers win out? When she goes to baseball games, Virginia Tech's Cori McMillan sometimes has no idea what's going on. That's not because McMillan, an outfielder for the Hokies and this season's home run leader (31) in Division I softball, doesn't know the rules of baseball. It's because the white ball is much harder to see when hit into the clouds. When a bat makes contact and launches the ball skyward, she frequently loses sight of it. She laughed, recalling this, the absurdity of one of the best softball players in the country getting momentarily confused while watching her brother's sport. But can you blame her? The ball that McMillan plays with is hard to miss — a highlighter colored ball, offset with raised red seams that is so bright, it's easy for batters to see and make contact. The yellow ball has made softball a hitters' sport, with players throughout the lineup regularly smashing home runs. GO FURTHER How did college softball become a hitter's game? Texas was the No. 6 seed for the NCAA Tournament: Coach: Mike White Record: 51-11, 16-8 in the SEC Players to watch: Mia Scott, .438 average, 8 HR, 35 RBIs Ashton Maloney, .436, 23 RBIs Reese Atwood, .416, 21 HR, 85 RBIs Kayden Henry, .410, 30 SB Joley Mitchell, .385, 14 HR, 60 RBIs Katie Stewart, 370, 15 HR, 76 RBIs Teagan Kavan, 24-5, 2.56 ERA, 212 K Citlaly Gutierrez, 10-1, 2.75 ERA We're almost there. Eight teams for one trophy. Florida was the No. 3 seed for the NCAA Tournament: Coach: Tim Walton Record: 48-15, 14-10 in the SEC Players to watch: Kendra Falby, .433 average, 34 RBIs, 36 SB Taylor Shumaker, .389, 22 HR, 86 RBIs Reagan Walsh, .348, 14 HR, 60 RBIs Mia Williams, .343, 19 HR, 44 RBIs Oxley, Katelynn, 8-5, 2.59 ERA Ava Brown, 11-3, 2.59 Keagan Rothrock, 16-6 Kara Hammock, 9-1
USA Today
13 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Florida baseball vs ECU Pirates in Conway Regional elimination game
Florida baseball vs ECU Pirates in Conway Regional elimination game Florida survived the first elimination game of the Conway Regional on Saturday, and now the Gators must exact revenge on ECU in a rematch of the opening round matchup UF lost. Pierce Coppola gets the ball for the most important game of Florida's season with a reasonably stocked bullpen behind him, including multi-inning closer Jake Clemente. In an ideal world, Florida only uses those two arms and receives plenty of run support to coast into the next round against Coastal Carolina. The Gators would have to beat the Chanticleers twice in a row to advance to Super Regionals, but that's putting the cart before the horse. Follow along with Gators Wire's live blog coverage below. Updates will come each half inning, or sooner if necessary. What channel is Florida vs East Carolina on today? Florida vs East Carolina will be broadcast nationally on ESPN+. Streaming options for the game include ESPN+. Florida vs East Carolina time today Date: Sunday, June 1 Sunday, June 1 Start time: Noon ET The Florida vs East Carolina game starts at noon ET from Spring Brooks Stadium in Conway, South Carolina. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
a day ago
- Sport
Blake Cyr drives in 4 runs, Aidan King sharp on the mound and Florida routs Fairfield 17-2
CONWAY, S.C. -- Blake Cyr drove in four runs, Aidan King allowed one run in eight innings, and Florida stayed alive in the Conway Regional with a 17-2 rout of Fairfield on Saturday. The Gators got a solo home run from Cyr, a two-run shot from Bobby Boser and a two-run homer from Brody Donay on the way to a 7-1 lead through seven innings. Cyr had an RBI single in the fifth and a two-run single in the eighth. Florida blew it open with an eight-run eighth inning in which the Gators had only three hits. Fairfield pitchers issued five bases on balls, two of them with the bases loaded, and hit a batter. There was one error in the inning. King (7-2) allowed four hits and struck out seven in his eight innings. He walked two batters. Felix Ong pitched the ninth for Florida and gave up the final run on a sacrifice fly. Fairfield's Matt Bucciero hit a home run in the fourth inning. Bowen Baker (8-2) took the loss. Florida (39-21) advances to Sunday's elimination game against the loser of Saturday's semifinal between Coastal Carolina and East Carolina. Fairfield (39-19) was making its third NCAA Tournament appearance and fell to 2-6 in those games.
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Where Florida basketball's guard trio land on ESPN big board
Where Florida basketball's guard trio land on ESPN big board Florida's backcourt was arguably the best in college basketball during the 2024-25 season, so it's no surprise to see Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard land inside the top 80 on ESPN's 2025 NBA draft big board. Draft experts often use big boards to rank the top 100 (or more) overall prospects, regardless of the team making the pick or the player's fit. It puts the politics of the draft to the side for a moment and allows fans to see who the most talented players are. While none of the three landed inside the top 25 — there are 30 picks in each round — Clayon is still a projected first-rounder, landing at No. 27 overall. The college basketball world fell in love with Clayton's clutch factor and sweet stroke from beyond the arc during March Madness, and the same likely goes for a couple of decision-makers inside NBA front offices. Even if Clayton doesn't get selected in the first round, it's hard to see him falling lower than either of the other two Gators on this list. Next on the list is Martin at No. 61, two spots ahead of Alabama guard Mark Sears. It's a big drop from the 20s where Clayton is, and if the draft were to select these players in order, Martin would be left out. Still, he has a chance to sneak into the second round thanks to his tenacious defense and leadership qualities. Finally, Richard sits at No. 77 on the big board. He could very well sneak into the second round, but more likely will sign as an undrafted free agent, similar to Zyon Pullin last year. Richard improved his driving ability, defense and found his shooting touch from deep late in the year. He's an intriguing prospect with a lot of upside. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Florida basketball earns top grades from ESPN on 2024-25 report card
Florida basketball earns top grades from ESPN on 2024-25 report card College athletes are still technically students, so what better way to assess a team's season than by giving them a grade? That's the approach ESPN took on Wednesday when college basketball writer Myron Metcalf took one last look at the 2024-25 college basketball season. Metcalf rounded out his series of conference breakdowns by assigning all 16 SEC teams a grade between A and F. What did the conference and national champions get? An A, naturally. No, plus and minus grades are not a part of this system. We checked. "Last summer, Walter Clayton Jr. withdrew from the NBA draft to return to Florida after a season worthy of an All-SEC first-team selection," Metcalf wrote. "He wanted to prepare for the pros while helping the Gators win at the highest level in college basketball. Todd Golden had the solution: He moved Clayton to point guard and added talent like Florida Atlantic transfer Alijah Martin, which helped the Gators capture their third national championship (and their first since 2007)." Florida isn't the only SEC team to earn that coveted top grade, though. The SEC earned seven A grades from Metcalf, which is easily the most of any conference Metcalf has covered. He released the same list for the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, and Big 12 earlier in the month. Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee and Vanderbilt are the other programs from the conference with an A. In the B tier are Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. That's 13 out of 16 teams with a strong grade. LSU, South Carolina and Texas underperformed this year, earning Ds all around, but it's no surprise to see the SEC finish without a single F in the conference. It's a shame that Metcalf didn't break the no plus or minus rule for this breakdown, though. Florida wasn't taken seriously as a title contender until the final days of the regular season. Even then, a No. 1 seed was not guaranteed. Golden built the perfect beast, and that kind of planning and execution deserves a bit more praise than the rest. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
