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Oklahoma Softball: Sooners begin NCAA title defense as 10th seed

By Chip Rouse

Oct 10, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners cheerleaders perform prior to the game against the Texas Longhorns during Red River rivalry at Cotton Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 10, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners cheerleaders perform prior to the game against the Texas Longhorns during Red River rivalry at Cotton Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oklahoma softball may be the hottest thing going right now in the world of Division 1 college softball.

And it comes at a perfect time. The Big 12 regular and postseason conference champion begins play this week in the NCAA Women’s Division I Softball Championship for the 23rd consecutive season under head coach Patty Gasso.

Oklahoma enters the NCAA regionals as winners of 27 of its last 28 games, and has not allowed an opponent to score in 32 consecutive innings.

The sixth-ranked Sooners are the defending Women’s College World Series champions, and they will serve as hosts of one of the 16 NCAA regionals, beginning on Friday.

Oklahoma is the 10th overall seed in the 2017 NCAA Division I Championship, The apparent reason OU isn’t seeded higher, given their ESPN.com/USA Softball No. 6 national ranking, is because of the teams that have a higher RPI (ratings percentage index) that the Sooners’ No. 11 standing in that rating system.

RPI takes into account who you play, your record against those team, as well the record or strength of schedule of the teams your opponents play.

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The Norman Regional will include Tulsa (39-15, 15-3) champions of the American Athletic Conference, Arkansas (31-22, 7-18) out of the SEC, and North Dakota State (28-31, 11-7) from the Summit League.

The Sooners, the top seed in the Norman Regional as the host school, will play fourth-seeded North Dakota State in the second game on Friday. Tulsa will play Arkansas, the No. 2 and 3 seeds, respectively, in the opening game at Marita Hynes Field.

The winners on Friday will face each other in one of three games to be played on Saturday. That will be followed by an elimination game between Friday night’s losing teams. The loser of the elimination game will be knocked out of the tournament, while the winner will move on to play again on Saturday night against the loser of Saturday’s first game between the two Friday night winners.

The two teams remaining in the double-elimination tournament will meet on Sunday for either one or two games, if necessary, to determine the regional champion.

If Oklahoma prevails, as expected, the Sooners will advance to the Super Regionals the following weekend against the winner of the Auburn Regional.

Auburn was the team the Sooners beat last June to win their third national championship. The Tigers are the No. 7 overall seed.

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