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USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
How does WCWS work? Explaining double-elimination format for NCAA softball tournament
How does WCWS work? Explaining double-elimination format for NCAA softball tournament Show Caption Hide Caption OU softball coach Patty Gasso, pitcher Kierston Deal talk about Sooners reaching WCWS OU softball coach Patty Gasso, pitcher Kierston Deal talk about the Sooners' 13-2 win against Alabama in Game 2 of the NCAA super regionals to reach the WCWS. The college softball world has shifted its entire focus to Oklahoma City for the 2025 Women's College World Series. Back for the ninth consecutive year is the sport's biggest titan, No. 2 Oklahoma. Patty Gasso's Sooners, who are led by Sam Landry and Kasidi Pickering, are looking to continue their dominance at Devon Park by winning their fifth consecutive (and ninth overall) national championship. The SEC also has a strong showing in Oklahoma City, as the conference owns five of the eight spots, largely due to the additions of Oklahoma and Texas from the Big 12 over the offseason. The Big 12 still is represented in Oklahoma City, though, as NiJaree Canady pitched Texas Tech to the WCWS for the first time in program history. WCWS BRACKET 2025: Full schedule, matchups for NCAA softball tournament Speaking of first-time appearances, Ole Miss is making its first trip to the WCWS as well. The Rebels upset back-to-back national seeds No. 13 Arizona and No. 4 Arkansas in the Tucson Regional and Fayetteville Super Regional, respectively. WCWS play opens up on Thursday, May 29 at noon ET with an SEC-on-SEC battle between Florida and Texas. But as the WCWS takes place over the next week, fans who watch the action unfold for the first time may wonder how the championship tournament format actually works. Here's what you need to know on the format of the Women's College World Series: How many teams make the WCWS? The Women's College World Series is comprised of the final eight remaining teams in the 64-team NCAA softball tournament bracket. The eight teams that compete in the WCWS have advanced to Oklahoma City by winning their respective regional and super regional series. Of the eight teams that have made the 2025 Women's College World Series, five of them hail from the SEC. REQUIRED READING: Does college softball have a pitch clock? Action clock length, rules explained How does the Women's College World Series work? Explaining WCWS format Similarly to the College World Series, the Women's College World Series begins with a double-elimination style format comprised of two four-team brackets. It's similar to how the regional round of the NCAA Tournament operates, where four teams compete against each other until a winner is crowned from that respective bracket. Each team begins WCWS play with a 0-0 record and is guaranteed to play at least two games in Oklahoma City. Those who lose their opening WCWS game will fall to 0-1 and drop into the "elimination bracket," where they will play to keep their stay alive by winning an elimination game. Those who win their opening WCWS games will move to 1-0 and continue further in the "winner's bracket." REQUIRED READING: How big is a softball? Size, weight for 2025 NCAA softball tournament, WCWS The team that drops their first "elimination bracket" game will drop to 0-2 and be eliminated from the chase for a national championship. But where the format of the WCWS differs from the CWS and gets a bit complicated is what happens to the loser of the second "winner's bracket" game. The loser of this game not only drops to 1-1 in WCWS play and is put into a survive-and-advance elimination game, but they have to play that elimination game on the opposite side of the bracket. From there, that team will play the winner of that bracket's "elimination bracket" game. The team that loses that game is eliminated from the WCWS, while the winner advances back into the "winner's bracket" to play in the semifinals with a 2-1 record. To make the WCWS championship, that team will need two wins against the representative of the "winner's bracket." REQUIRED READING: Why does Florida softball wear sunflowers in their hair? Gators honor Heather Braswell How does the Women's College World Series championship work? The Women's College World Series championship series is a best-of-three series, meaning a team needs to win two games to be crowned the national champion. A team that drops Game 1 of the WCWS championship series can still win the national championship by winning Game 2 and forcing the "if necessary" Game 3. WCWS bracket 2025 Bracket 1 for the 2025 Women's College World Series is loaded and consists of four national seeds in No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Florida, No. 6 Texas and No. 7 Tennessee. Bracket 2 for the WCWS consists of No. 9 UCLA, No. 12 Texas Tech, No. 16 Oregon and non-seeded Ole Miss. Here's a full breakdown of the two WCWS brackets: Parentheses represent team's seeding Bracket 1: (2) Oklahoma vs. (7) Tennessee (3) Florida vs. (6) Texas Bracket 2: (9) UCLA vs. (16) Oregon (12) Texas Tech vs. Ole Miss REQUIRED READING: Patty Gasso salary, contract details: How much does Oklahoma softball coach make? WCWS schedule 2025 Here's a full breakdown of the 2025 Women's College World Series, including available start times and TV channel information at the time of this writing: All times Eastern Thursday, May 29 Game 1: No. 3 Florida vs. No. 6 Texas | noon | ESPN (Fubo) No. 3 Florida vs. No. 6 Texas | noon | ESPN (Fubo) Game 2: No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 7 Tennessee | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo) No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 7 Tennessee | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo) Game 3: Ole Miss vs. No. 12 Texas Tech | 7 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo) Ole Miss vs. No. 12 Texas Tech | 7 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo) Game 4: No. 16 Oregon vs. No. 9 UCLA | 9:30 p.m. ESPN2 (Fubo) Friday, May 30 Game 5: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser | 7 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo) Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser | 7 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo) Game 6: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo) Saturday, May 31 Game 7: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner 3 p.m. | ABC (Fubo) Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner 3 p.m. | ABC (Fubo) Game 8: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner 7 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo) Sunday, June 1 Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 8 loser 3 p.m. | ABC (Fubo) Game 10: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 loser 7 p.m. | ESPNU (Fubo) Monday, June 2 Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. Game 9 winner | noon | ESPN (Fubo) Game 7 winner vs. Game 9 winner | noon | ESPN (Fubo) Game 12 (If Necessary): Game 7 winner vs. Game 9 winner | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo) Game 7 winner vs. Game 9 winner | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo) Game 13: Game 8 winner vs. Game 10 winner | 7 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo) Game 8 winner vs. Game 10 winner | 7 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo) Game 14 (If Cecessary): Game 8 winner vs. Game 10 winner | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo) WCWS championship series schedule 2025 Wednesday, June 4 WCWS championship Game 1: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner | 8 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo) Thursday, June 5 WCWS championship Game 2: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner | 8 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo) Friday, June 6
Dominion Post
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Dominion Post
WVU eyes opportunity to host NCAA regional, but knows its case was hurt by late-season setbacks
ARLINGTON, Texas – First impressions are important, but last impressions matter, too, especially when it comes to promoting yourself before a committee. That doesn't bode well for No. 23 WVU's chances of hosting an NCAA baseball regional next weekend. The top-seeded Mountaineers (41-14) lost to fourth-seeded Arizona, 12-1, in the Big 12 Conference semifinals on Friday night at Globe Life Field. WVU has now lost six of their last eight games, and they are 1-6 against the teams seeded two through five in the Big 12 tournament (the Mountaineers did not play No. 3 TCU or No. 5 Arizona State this season). 'You can't make excuses for yourself – you've just got to get ready to smash some baseballs,' said WVU junior Sam White, who will likely be heading to his third consecutive NCAA tournament in as many years with the Mountaineers. A regular season conference championship and the most wins in program history are part of the Mountaineers' case to host an NCAA regional in Morgantown next weekend. 'We'd like to play at home,' WVU first-year head coach Steve Sabins said. 'We have the best fan base in the country. We'd love to celebrate with the people of Morgantown and West Virginia.' With the loss to Arizona, the Mountaineers no longer control that destiny. A Big 12 tournament championship, on the heels of the regular season title, would have made a strong case to become one of 16 teams to host a regional. The regional hosts will be announced Sunday night, while the entire bracket will be released at noon on Monday. WVU's RPI – one of the contributing factors utilized by the committee – is 27th, which means even a tournament championship may not have guaranteed a regional in Morgantown. While playing at the Kendrick Family Ballpark would be welcomed by the players, coaches and fans, the Mountaineers have proven that it's not the only way to reach a super regional. Last season, WVU reached the first super regional in program history by winning the Tucson Regional – something they managed to do without facing the host team, Arizona.
Winnipeg Free Press
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Binford's 2 HRs help Ole Miss beat Arizona 7-3, win Tucson Regional
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Aliyah Binford hit two home runs, Mackenzie Pickens added a two-run shot in the first inning and Mississippi beat Arizona 7-3 on Sunday night to win the Tucson Regional. Ole Miss (40-17) will play fourth-seeded Arkansas in the Fayetteville Super Regional next weekend. Brianna Lopez (13-4) gave up three runs on nine hits with four walks and a hit-by-pitch over 5 2/3 innings. Binford opened the scoring with a two-run homer. Persy Llamas hit a lead-off homer before Lexie Brady scored on a sacrifice fly by Ashton Lansdell in the third inning and Binford's solo shot in the fourth made it 7-3. Dakota Kennedy scored on a base-loaded single by Kaiah Altmeyer and Devin Netz scored on a walk by Miranda Stoddard in the first for No. 13 seed Arizona (47-13). Sydney Stewart added a solo shot in the third. Kennedy drew a two-out walk in the sixth, Regan Shockey followed with a single and Netz walked before Stewart popped out to end the threat. Brady finished with three hits, including a double, and scored two runs. Stewart hit a three-run home run in the first inning and Altmeyer added a two-run home run in the fourth to help Arizona beat Ole Miss 10-1 in five innings to avoid elimination earlier Sunday. Miranda Stoddard (15-0) scattered five hits for the win. ___ AP college sports:
Associated Press
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Binford's 2 HRs help Ole Miss beat Arizona 7-3, win Tucson Regional
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Aliyah Binford hit two home runs, Mackenzie Pickens added a two-run shot in the first inning and Mississippi beat Arizona 7-3 on Sunday night to win the Tucson Regional. Ole Miss (40-17) will play fourth-seeded Arkansas in the Fayetteville Super Regional next weekend. Brianna Lopez (13-4) gave up three runs on nine hits with four walks and a hit-by-pitch over 5 2/3 innings. Binford opened the scoring with a two-run homer. Persy Llamas hit a lead-off homer before Lexie Brady scored on a sacrifice fly by Ashton Lansdell in the third inning and Binford's solo shot in the fourth made it 7-3. Dakota Kennedy scored on a base-loaded single by Kaiah Altmeyer and Devin Netz scored on a walk by Miranda Stoddard in the first for No. 13 seed Arizona (47-13). Sydney Stewart added a solo shot in the third. Kennedy drew a two-out walk in the sixth, Regan Shockey followed with a single and Netz walked before Stewart popped out to end the threat. Brady finished with three hits, including a double, and scored two runs. Stewart hit a three-run home run in the first inning and Altmeyer added a two-run home run in the fourth to help Arizona beat Ole Miss 10-1 in five innings to avoid elimination earlier Sunday. Miranda Stoddard (15-0) scattered five hits for the win. ___ AP college sports:
San Francisco Chronicle
13-05-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Last year's heartbreak fueled Santa Clara softball's historic NCAA run this season
There wasn't much suspense in the room when the Santa Clara softball team learned its NCAA Tournament fate. The Broncos had already secured their place in the field the day before, capturing the program's first-ever West Coast Conference title with a dominant 15-4 win over Oregon State. But while Sunday's announcement might have lacked drama, the moment carried deep significance for sixth-year head coach Gina Carbonatto and her team. Last year, a loss on the final day of the regular season dashed Santa Clara's postseason hopes. Now the Broncos are tournament-bound for the first time in the program's 46-year history as a No. 4 seed. 'We had a bad taste in our mouths all offseason,' Carbonatto said. 'We were so close last year, and that season really propelled us to where we are now. We're just more prepared this time.' big opportunity at the 𝑮𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒐𝒏 𝑫𝒊𝒓𝒕 #StampedeTogether — Santa Clara Softball (@SCUSoftball) May 12, 2025 The Broncos will open the Tucson Regional against host and No. 13 national seed Arizona (43-10) on Friday. It's a tall task — the Wildcats are 10th in the nation in hits and 19th in home runs — but Santa Clara enters with momentum and belief backed by Carbonatto's NCAA Tournament experience. She was an assistant on Washington's 2009 national championship team and also reached the tourney with Pacific. 'We haven't talked much about what it's like being in the tournament, but more about how it didn't occur last year,' Carbonatto said. 'We had to find the why behind that, and I think we did. My philosophy is to play the game, not work the game, and that's what we've been about.' Offensively, Santa Clara has found success playing small-ball. The Broncos led the WCC with 303 runs, despite hitting a league-low 16 home runs. Their scoring came from speed, plate discipline and timely hitting. Sophomore second baseman Cairah Curran was the sparkplug. She led the conference with 26 stolen bases (in 32 attempts), broke the WCC single-season hits record with 78 and scored a league-best 49 runs. Many of her hits came via bunts and slap hits that set the table for the heart of the lineup. 'She's one of the fastest kids in the nation, but her real growth has been her offensive approach,' Carbonatto said. 'Speed never slumps and our offense is much more explosive (than last season). We have confidence in the hitters behind her.' Among them is senior third baseman Hope Alley, who transferred from Cal and led the conference with 41 RBIs. On the mound, freshman Cari Ferguson posted a WCC-best 1.92 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 98.2 innings. She complements fifth-year ace Hannah Edwards, the staff's emotional leader, and two-way standout Hazyl Gray. 'Hannah's still our bulldog, but Cari is such a different pitcher and that makes us dangerous,' Carbonatto said. 'We can take Hannah out and then (hitters) have to face (more offspeed pitches) from Cari. It's hard to make that adjustment.' Gray, the 2024 WCC Player of the Year, had a slightly quieter season at the plate (.844 OPS this season, .925 last year), but elevated her game in the circle. She threw a career-high 73 innings with a 3.74 ERA and remains the rotation's only lefty. 'We've had so much more offense around her that she hasn't also had to hit at the same pace,' Carbonatto said. 'We still win games when she doesn't hit two home runs. But she's the best in the circle she's ever been, and that's a big reason we're here.' When not pitching, Gray plays left and bats fifth behind sophomore catcher Taryn Clements, who matched Gray's .844 OPS and led the conference in caught-stealing percentage (.613). Santa Clara finished the season leading the WCC in runs scored, ERA, most defensive putouts and assists. But the road ahead in Tucson won't be easy. After facing No. 13 Arizona, the Broncos will deal with another tough team. Ole Miss (35-16) enters with SEC-tested depth, while Grand Canyon (43-6) is making its fourth straight NCAA appearance after dominating the WAC. 'We're happy about our seed, the location and our opponents,' Carbonatto said. 'The big difference for us this year is us having almost been there and tasted it and then kind of creating new expectations for this year's team, and then we were able to accomplish that.' Stanford, Cal also tournament-bound After making consecutive WCWS appearances, Stanford will begin this postseason on the road in the Eugene Regional. The Cardinal (40-11) will first deal with America East winners Binghamton (36-12) on Friday in a bracket that includes Oregon (47-7) and Weber State (28-30). The Cardinal posted a third-straight 40-win campaign behind a historic offensive attack with single-season records for runs (413) and home runs (94). Cal (35-19) is in one of the toughest brackets, opening in the Norman Regional against Omaha (39-11) before a potential second game against No. 2 Oklahoma (45-7). In their opener, the Sooners play Patriot League champion Boston University (39-17). This is the Bears' 36th NCAA Tournament appearance. They are looking to advance to their first Super Regional since 2012.
