The 2025 NCAA softball match has had one thing for everybody.
Do you want upsets? Nicely, for the primary time, the match’s general No. 1 seed (Texas A&M) was knocked out earlier than the tremendous regionals. Three unseeded groups took top-7 seeds to a 3rd recreation within the tremendous regionals, too. Do you want star energy and chalk as an alternative? Nicely, regardless of the upsets above, four-time defending nationwide champion Oklahoma has scorched its means by way of the postseason, and annual contenders like Florida and Texas have superior as nicely.
Do you want drama? Texas and UCLA have had you lined. Each groups misplaced Sport 1 of their tremendous regionals and have been in deep trouble late in Sport 2 earlier than saving themselves in absurd trend after which successful Sport 3.
Do you want pitching? Texas Tech’s NiJaree Canady and Tennessee’s Karlyn Pickens are comfortably the 2 finest pitchers within the nation and have greater than regarded the half within the postseason. Do you want house runs? Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Texas and Oregon cannot cease hitting them.
Now, after a few breathless weekends, it is time for the Girls’s Faculty World Sequence. One facet of the Oklahoma Metropolis bracket will give us some epic heavyweight matchups — Oklahoma versus Tennessee and Florida versus Texas — whereas the opposite half of the bracket has fallen aside, offering intriguing alternatives for both World Sequence newcomers (Texas Tech, Ole Miss), an explosive Oregon group or the oldest of old-time heavyweights (UCLA). How will a wild postseason conclude? Let’s metal ourselves by wanting on the strengths and (relative) weaknesses of every group remaining within the subject.
Bounce to:
Oklahoma | Florida | Texas
Tennessee | UCLA | Texas Tech
Oregon | Ole Miss
No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners
Report: 50-7
Head coach: Patty Gasso (1565-359-2 profession)
Greatest WCWS outcome: Eight-time nationwide champions (18th look)
First WCWS opponent: No. 7 Tennessee (Thursday, 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
For a minute there, you may speak your self into OU being weak. After a superb 28-0 begin in 2025, the Sooners suffered sequence losses to Tennessee at house and Alabama on the street, and after a beautiful sweep of Texas (from which Texas pitchers do not appear to have recovered), they misplaced two of three at Florida, too. The Sooners misplaced seven video games within the common season, their most since 2017, and whereas numerous that needed to do with an improve in competitors — this was their first season in a completely nuclear SEC — it nonetheless felt as if OU lacked the star energy of earlier champions. There was no Lauren Chamberlain, no Keilani Ricketts, no Jocelyn Alo. They did not even get the No. 1 seed within the NCAA match — that went to A&M (which proceeded to drop the ball in historic trend).
Nevertheless it’s lots tougher to persuade your self of vulnerability now that the postseason has begun.
Greatest power: It seems to be like OU once more. Whereas different title contenders have wobbled or fallen, the Sooners have outscored 5 match opponents by a mixed 47-5. In a rematch with Bama within the tremendous regionals, they received 3-0 and 13-2. Ace Sam Landry may not be Ricketts or Paige Parker, however in her previous 5 appearances, she’s 5-0 with a 0.88 ERA. The batting order may not have an Alo or Chamberlain, however the Sooners are batting .414 with a 1.309 OPS (on-base proportion plus slugging proportion) and 13 house runs within the postseason.
Kasidi Pickering and Gabbie Garcia have 4 of these match homers every, and 6 gamers have hit no less than one. Pickering, Garcia and Ella Parker all now have an OPS over 1.200 for the season. (The nationwide OPS common: .826.) The Sooners have the most effective offense on this match, plus an ace permitting below one run per recreation. They’re peaking on the proper time. (Once more.)
Probably deadly flaw: Dingers. OU can play the facility recreation in addition to anybody, however for the season as a complete, the pitching has been weak to the lengthy ball as nicely. OU has allowed 49 house runs, and just one different WCWS group (Ole Miss) has allowed greater than 40. Landry kicked into fifth gear in latest weeks, however that is the primary WCWS for the Louisiana switch, and if outdated habits relax in, it is doable that some big-swinging opponents might discover success turning video games into observe meets towards the champs.
No. 3 Florida Gators
Report: 48-15
Head coach: Tim Walton (1109-302 profession, 983-236 at Florida)
Greatest WCWS outcome: Two-time nationwide champions (thirteenth look)
First WCWS opponent: No. 6 Texas (Thursday, 12 p.m., ESPN)
Florida is computerized below Seventeenth-year coach Walton. The Gators have missed solely two tremendous regionals since his first season in 2006, and so they’re now headed to OKC for the twelfth time since 2008. They almost took down the champs final yr, falling to OU in additional innings within the deciding semifinal recreation, and this season they took two of three from the Sooners within the final sequence earlier than the postseason. Like OU, they is perhaps peaking simply on the proper time: In six postseason video games, the Gators have scored no less than 5 runs 5 instances and have allowed greater than two solely as soon as. They’re comfortably the No. 2 title favourite, and so they know they’re able to beating the favourite, too.
Greatest power: Florida can rating in 100 other ways. Among the many eight World Sequence groups, the Gators are second in on-base proportion (.447), third in slugging (.596) and second in homers (107). They’re additionally first in walks (295), first in fewest strikeouts (196) and third in stolen bases (96). Solely OU and possibly UCLA play the facility recreation higher than Florida, however solely Oregon and possibly Texas Tech play small ball higher. The Gators do not chase pitches, and once they swing, they make good contact. That is doubly true when there are runners in scoring place.
The lineup is simply relentless — 9 Gators have had no less than 103 at-bats, six of them have produced an OPS of no less than 1.027, six have hit double-digit house runs, seven of them have walked no less than 25 instances, and all of them have batted in no less than 26 runs. Outfielder Taylor Shumaker is the one power-conference hitter to mix no less than 20 house runs with no less than 18 stolen bases. That is an unfair mixture.
Probably deadly flaw: They usually have to attain lots. The pitching has certainly been strong within the match. Keagan Rothrock, the SEC’s 2024 Freshman of the Yr, has dealt with many of the postseason work and has been respectable (2.63 ERA), whereas three backups have mixed for 11 innings and no runs. However the usual for pitching is very excessive within the World Sequence, and Florida’s employees is not among the many strongest.
Rothrock missed greater than a month with harm this season, and since her return in late-March, she’s 8-5 with a shaky 4.43 ERA. She permits all-or-nothing contact — even with strong numbers, she has nonetheless allowed 5 house runs within the match — and that is a reasonably scary thought with the variety of “all” hitters she’ll see within the coming days.
No. 6 Texas Longhorns
Report: 51-11
Head coach: Mike White (746-203-3 profession, 311-92-2 at Texas)
Greatest WCWS outcome: Runner-up in 2022 and 2024 (eighth look)
First WCWS opponent: No. 3 Florida (Thursday, 11 a.m., ESPN)
Speak about ready till the final doable second to get going: After going simply 7-7 of their final 14 video games earlier than the match, the Longhorns rolled by way of regionals however dropped Sport 1 of the supers to Clemson, then gave the Tigers’ runners at second and third with no outs within the backside of the eighth in Sport 2. However a strikeout, lineout and groundout later, they’d wriggled out of a doubtlessly season-ending jam. They scored two within the tenth inning to drive a Sport 3.
2:01
Texas vs. Clemson: Sport Highlights
Texas vs. Clemson: Sport Highlights
After surviving one other late jam in Sport 3, the Horns are headed to OKC. They usually have greater than sufficient expertise to make a 3rd run in 4 years to the championship sequence.
Greatest power: Veteran bats and proof of idea. Of the 9 Texas gamers with no less than 100 at-bats this season, eight have performed in no less than one WCWS (and championship sequence), and two, seniors Mia Scott and Katie Cimusz, have performed in two. Once you mix main expertise with main high quality — 5 of those gamers have an OPS of no less than 1.013, three have hit no less than 14 house runs, and 6 have scored no less than 47 runs — you get one thing fairly unflappable and fearsome. Whereas their general group OPS ranks fifth amongst WCWS groups, it rises to a tie for second, behind solely Oklahoma, when the Horns are behind. As Clemson simply discovered, it is actually, actually exhausting to knock Texas out.
Probably deadly flaw: The place did the pitching go? With greater than a mixed 1,000 profession innings and a great deal of high-pressure expertise, the pitching trio of Teagan Kavan, Citlaly Gutierrez and Mac Morgan must be as seasoned and harmful because the batting order. It was at one level this season, however the Horns have gotten knocked round of late. As of mid-April, Texas pitchers have been 39-5 with a collective 2.01 ERA, however since then they’ve gone simply 12-6 with a 4.63 ERA. Texas A&M knocked them round 14-2 within the SEC match, and Clemson scored 17 runs in three tremendous regional video games. Kavan, the ace who began final yr’s WCWS with 14 consecutive scoreless innings, has allowed no less than three runs in 9 of her previous 13 appearances. This group can swing the bats, however as with Florida, their pitching is way extra questionable than anticipated in the intervening time.
No. 7 Tennessee Girl Volunteers
Report: 45-14
Head coach: Karen Weekly (1130-354-2 at Tennessee, 1343-451-2 general)
Greatest WCWS outcome: Runner-up in 2007 and 2013 (ninth look)
First WCWS opponent: No. 2 Oklahoma (Thursday, 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Give a legendary coach sufficient time to determine issues out, and he or she’ll in all probability achieve this. After seven WCWS appearances in 11 years between 2005-15, Weekly’s Volunteers had fallen right into a relative drought, falling wanting OKC in six straight postseasons. However they made it again in 2023 and reached the semifinals. Now, having survived a rugged schedule and a three-game take a look at from star Jordy Bahl and Nebraska, Tennessee is hoping to go even additional with a ridiculously battle-tested group and a pitcher who can preserve them in any recreation.
Greatest power: Karlyn Pickens. Throughout a softball broadcast, you may usually hear announcers speaking about how batters alter to pitchers all through a given recreation, and there is sometimes one thing to that. However you may forgive Nebraska hitters in the event that they assume that is all a bunch of hooey. They did not alter to Pickens within the tremendous regionals final weekend — she adjusted to them.
After giving up 5 runs and 4 hits in 3⅔ innings in a 5-2 loss on Friday, she responded by utterly erasing a prolific Huskers assault. Within the final two video games of the sequence, she pitched all 14 innings, gave up simply two runs and 7 hits, struck out 21 and walked two because the Vols took 3-2 and 1-0 wins. Oh yeah, and he or she broke her personal quickest pitch document (79.4 mph) within the course of.
Karlyn simply hit 79.4 on the gun 🔥🔥🔥
the brand new quickest pitch in NCAA Softball historical past, breaking her personal document of 78.2 pic.twitter.com/WuVWJrccdr
— Tennessee Softball (@Vol_Softball) Might 24, 2025
Pickens has been the most effective pitcher not named NiJaree Canady this season. The 6-foot-1 junior is 24-9, her 1.00 ERA is second within the nation (behind Canady), and he or she ranks each fifth in on-base proportion allowed (.246) and first in slugging proportion allowed (.219) regardless of having performed towards top-notch opponents: She’s confronted Nebraska 4 instances, Texas thrice, Ole Miss thrice, Arkansas thrice, Oklahoma twice, Texas A&M twice, Georgia twice, UCLA and Oregon as soon as every, and many others. At this level, she’s a junior with the expertise of a third-year professional.
Probably deadly flaw: Pickens would possibly must win just a few extra 1-0 video games. Like several lineup within the WCWS, Tennessee has loads of hitting expertise. Taylor Pannell boasts a 1.219 OPS and 15 house runs, catcher Sophia Nugent has 17 homers, outfielder Saviya Morgan will get on base nicely and steals lots. The Vols tough up questionable pitching in addition to anybody. However towards aces, issues get dicey. They have been held to zero or one runs on 9 events this yr, and whereas Pickens has received a few 1-0 selections (and misplaced a pair extra), she might need to do this just a few completely different instances within the coming days.
No. 9 UCLA Bruins
Report: 53-11
Head coach: Kelly Inouye-Perez (871-220-1 profession)
Greatest WCWS outcome: 13-time nationwide champions (thirty third look)
First WCWS opponent: No. 16 Oregon (Thursday, 9:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Looking for a primary WCWS bid in 28 years, South Carolina took the battle to UCLA within the supers. The Gamecocks cruised to a 9-2 win in Sport 1, then eased to a 4-1 lead in Sport 2. UCLA’s dynamite offense had evidently not made the journey to Columbia, and the season was going to finish in meek trend for historical past’s best softball program. (OU nonetheless wants 5 extra NCAA titles to catch the Bruins.)
Apparently, UCLA was simply ready to make a late entrance, Hollywood-style. A stroll, a triple and a single made the rating 4-3 within the backside of the seventh, however the Bruins have been nonetheless all the way down to their last out when South Carolina starter Sam Gress reentered the sport to pitch to Jordan Woolery. As Gress psyched herself up, the digicam panned to Woolery, who regarded like she was falling right into a trance.
First pitch: walk-off.
After a 5-0 win over the shell-shocked Gamecocks on Sunday, UCLA is in some way off to its thirty third WCWS; the Bruins have missed solely 9 of them going again to 1982. They usually’ve bought the firepower to remain in OKC for just a few video games.
Greatest power: Laborious hits and front-running. The Bruins do not hit house runs at fairly the identical fee as Oklahoma — exterior of Megan Grant (25) and Woolery (23), nobody has greater than 9 — however nobody within the WCWS has made extra extra-base hits (215), and nobody has extra whole bases (993). Eight Bruins have had no less than 110 at-bats in 2025, and so they’ve all made no less than 10 extra-base hits. Woolery has 43 of them.
They’ve old-school, line-drive-in-the-gap energy, and even when they’re late arriving to the social gathering, the runs finally come. And when the Bruins take the lead, the sport is pretty much as good as over. With a trio of strong arms, coach Inouye-Perez is ready to discover the best pitcher for the event, and UCLA leads the nation with a .978 win proportion when scoring first.
Probably deadly flaw: UCLA would not play quick. The Bruins’ energy and pitching depth are plain, however they do not get as a lot as others out of the pace recreation. They’ve by far the fewest stolen bases of any WCWS group — Jessica Clements and Kaitlyn Terry lead the group with simply 9 every — and so they’ve allowed the second most, too. The Bruins additionally turned the fewest infield double performs (11). As some ways as doable to win a recreation deep within the postseason is required, and the Bruins’ Plan B is not nice.
No. 12 Texas Tech Pink Raiders
Report: 50-12
Head coach: Gerry Glasco (349-99 profession, 50-12 at Tech)
Greatest WCWS outcome: First look
First WCWS opponent: Ole Miss (Thursday, 6 p.m., ESPN2)
You needed to really feel for whoever drew Texas Tech within the tremendous regionals. It was clear for some time that the Pink Raiders would find yourself seeded within the No. 10-16 vary, that means somebody was going to win 40-something video games, earn a very good nationwide seed, then get cursed with having to beat pitcher NiJaree Canady twice within the supers. No. 5 Florida State drew the quick straw; the Seminoles could not even beat her as soon as.
Coach Glasco got here to Lubbock after taking Louisiana to 6 regionals (and one tremendous regional), and with assist from one of the vital well-known NIL deal’s in girls’s sports activities, he nearly instantaneously turned Tech a softball energy. The Pink Raiders had by no means even been to a brilliant regional earlier than 2025 — now they’re on their approach to their first WCWS.
Greatest power: Canady. Clearly. She got here to Lubbock after going a mixed 41-10 with a 0.67 ERA in two seasons at Stanford, main the Cardinal to the WCWS each years. She has lived as much as all hype (and NIL worth) this season: She ranks first nationally in ERA (0.89), second in on-base proportion allowed (.219), second in slugging proportion allowed (.220) and third in strikeout fee (36.2%). You’ll be able to put the ball within the air towards her — her 9 house runs allowed are greater than most WCWS aces — however you may’t construct sustained rallies. Softball ace might be the second most essential place in any group sport behind soccer quarterback, and Tech has the most effective within the enterprise.
Probably deadly flaw: The bats are merely strong. Canady is simply 3-4 on the WCWS, and in her 4 losses, Stanford scored a complete of two runs. It is exhausting to not see the same dynamic in 2025.
Tech involves OKC ranked seventh amongst WCWS groups in on-base proportion (.401), seventh in slugging proportion (.507) and final in house runs (59). Canady, in truth, is the one participant with double-digit homers (11). The Pink Raiders can run — of those eight groups, solely Oregon has stolen extra bases. And you may say that they profit from a gradual expertise distribution: The lineup solely has three gamers with an OPS over 1.000 (together with Canady), however it additionally has just one batter under .850. This is not a dangerous offense. Nevertheless it’s nonetheless the second worst within the WCWS.
No. 16 Oregon Geese
Report: 53-8
Head coach: Melyssa Lombardi (238-114 profession)
Greatest WCWS outcome: Third place in 2014 and 2017 (seventh look)
First WCWS opponent: No. 9 UCLA (Thursday, 9:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Texas A&M’s loss was Oregon’s achieve. After Liberty upset the top-seeded Aggies, Oregon accelerated previous the Flames within the tremendous regionals, successful Sport 1 in additional innings however scoring 10 late runs to win Sport 2 by a 13-1 margin. Former Oklahoma assistant coach (and catcher) Lombardi took a short while to get rolling after changing Mike White in Eugene, however the Geese are again within the WCWS after a seven-year drought.
Lombardi has crafted a fantastically balanced squad in 2025: The Geese are explosive in each the pitching and batting departments, and so they went 19-4 of their first go-round within the Huge Ten. They discovered their backs towards the wall after a blowout loss to former Pac-12 rival Stanford within the regionals, however they’ve since received 4 straight video games by a mixed rating of 41-15.
Greatest power: Depth and choices. The Geese have simply the best participant for any event. At pitcher, Lyndsey Grein (29-2, 2.08 ERA) and Elise Sokolsky (16-2, 2.00 ERA) have produced related high-level numbers. However Grein is a strikeouts-and-flyballs ace — her 50 appearances are essentially the most within the nation, and her 31.8% strikeout fee ranks eighth — whereas Sokolsky permits contact however retains the ball on the bottom.
On the plate, Oregon wears you down with sheer depth. Of the 9 Geese with no less than 100 at-bats, seven have an on-base proportion of no less than .415, six slug no less than .597, 4 have no less than 10 house runs and 4 have no less than 16 stolen bases. (Solely three WCWS groups have stolen greater than 72 bases, however the Geese have stolen 166. There are not any free outs, and in the event you’re one of many few groups able to hitting Grein, they’ve a change-of-pace prepared.
Probably deadly flaw: Persistence. Of the eight groups in OKC, solely Tennessee batters have struck out greater than Oregon batters. The Geese take numerous pitches however can fall behind within the depend towards elite pitchers. And there are fairly just a few elite pitchers on the WCWS. In the meantime, solely Florida and Ole Miss pitchers stroll extra batters. And when issues get away from the Geese, they actually get away: They have not misplaced many video games, however the record features a 14-1 loss to Stanford, 8-0 to UCLA and 5-0 to Michigan. Two of these three got here inside the Geese’ final eight video games.
Ole Miss Rebels
Report: 42-19
Head coach: Jamie Trachsel (523-289-1 profession, 181-115 at Ole Miss)
Greatest WCWS outcome: First look
First WCWS opponent: No. 12 Texas Tech (Thursday, 6 p.m., ESPN2)
Texas and UCLA definitely introduced the drama, however no group needed to grind as exhausting as Ole Miss did to get to Oklahoma Metropolis. Unseeded after an 11-13 common season within the SEC, the Rebels took two of three at Arizona within the regionals, then took two of three at No. 4-seed Arkansas within the supers. In seven whole video games, they outscored opponents solely 41-40 — their 5 wins have been by a mean of 8.0-5.2, and so they misplaced video games 10-1 and 4-0. It took clutch play after clutch play for the Rebels to earn their first WCWS look. However right here they’re. They usually get a marquee recreation towards Canady proper out of the gate.
Greatest power: Alyiah Binford is perhaps the most popular hitter within the nation. Since they’re the one unseeded group to achieve OKC, one would count on the Rebels’ general numbers to be poorer than others within the subject. And they’re. But when we glance solely at what groups have produced so far within the NCAA match, the Ole Miss bats have been hotter than anybody’s in addition to Oklahoma. The Rebels have hit 15 house runs within the postseason, two greater than even the Sooners (albeit in two extra video games), and so they have the second-most extra-base hits and third-most whole bases.
On the coronary heart of this success is Binford. The Baylor switch has in all probability been the Rebels’ finest postseason pitcher, too, however in 24 tourney at-bats, the free-swinging senior has hit 4 house runs (amongst six extra-base hits) with 9 RBIs and eight runs scored. Her postseason OPS is 1.440.
Probably deadly flaw: That is the worst group within the subject. Or possibly you may extra diplomatically say that they’ve the worst statistical resume. The offense has certainly come alive of late, however, nicely, the Rebels have allowed 5.2 runs per recreation of their match wins. And for the season, they’ve each the worst general OPS and worst OPS allowed amongst WCWS groups.
The Rebels’ seasonlong offensive numbers are worse than these of each of the pitching-first groups within the subject (Tennessee and Texas Tech), however their pitching numbers are additionally comfortably the worst: Their 3.25 group ERA is a half-run worse than anybody else’s in OKC, and so they enable much more base-runners than anybody else. Coach Trachsel’s group is resourceful and gritty, however they’re going to should intestine out fairly just a few 7-5 wins to advance deep into the WCWS. It might occur.
