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Oklahoma softball: No. 1 Sooners meet No. 2 UCLA for WCWS championship

By Chip Rouse

SEPTEMBER 23 - BLACKTOWN: A general view of the softball game between women's Chinese and Canadian national teams, playing at the Blacktown Olympic Center, in Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia, on September 23, 2000. (Photo by Stephen Munday/Getty Images)
SEPTEMBER 23 - BLACKTOWN: A general view of the softball game between women's Chinese and Canadian national teams, playing at the Blacktown Olympic Center, in Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia, on September 23, 2000. (Photo by Stephen Munday/Getty Images) /
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The stage is set at the Women’s College World Series for a classic matchup of the top two teams in the country, and Oklahoma softball is sitting in the catbird’s seat at No. 1.

The Sooners (57-4) will face UCLA (54-6) in a rematch of the 2000 Women’s College World Series championship game. Oklahoma won that game, defeating the Bruins 3-1 to win its first national championship in softball.

Back in 2000, the championship was decided in one game. Beginning in 2005, the WCWS championship format was changed to a best of three series.

These two softball thoroughbreds have met only one other time in the WCWS, in 2002. The Bruins evened the score in that one with a 2-0 win over the Sooners.

OU and UCLA have faced each other on the softball diamond at total of 13 times previously, with the Bruins owning a 9-5 advantage. The Sooners and Bruins have already met once this season, in late February. UCLA, then the No. 2-ranked team, prevailed over No. 4 OU 7-1 in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic Tournament in Palm Springs.

This year’s championship series not only features the top two seeds, but two programs that are closely matched in the top-10 in most major statistical categories this season.

Oklahoma is the national standard bearer in at least nine major team statistical areas: batting average (.355), on-base percentage (.447), slugging percentage (..660), home runs per game (1.89), scoring (7,67), ERA (1.06), shutouts (28 out of 47), fielding percentage (17 total errors, .987) and won-lost percentage (.934).

UCLA’s stats are remarkably comparable. The Bruins rank second in batting average and ERA, fourth in scoring, fifth in on-base percentage, eighth in slugging percentage. If the Bruins have an Achilles heal it might be defensively, where they rank 23rd nationally.

All of this will mean nothing, though, if the Sooners aren’t able to generate much offense against UCLA senior superstar and USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Rachel Garcia, who has won 27 of 28 games this season. Garcia gave up just four hits and struck out seven in pitching compete-game victories in each of the Bruins first two WCWS wins.

Then, on Sunday, in a semifinal matchup with No. 3 Washington, Garcia went the distance in a 179-pitch, 10-inning 3-0 walk-off win, striking out 16 Huskie batters. She not only pitched a gem of a game, but contributed to her own cause with a three-run home run in the bottom of the 10th.

Garcia owns the country’s third-best ERA this season (1.01). Oklahoma’s Mariah Lopez (1.00) and “G” Juarez are right there, with her, however, ranking second and fifth, respectively, in that category.

With this kind of pitching power on both sides, it is quite likely that scoring opportunities and runs will be at a premium. Getting on the board first has been a strong indicator in this World Series. In 13 games, the team that scored first has won every game. There have been no comeback wins.

The Bruins have the most WCWS titles (11) of any NCAA Division I program. Oklahoma has won four national championships, all since 2000.

Experience is on the side of the Sooners this time around. For five Oklahoma seniors, this could be their third WCWS championship in four seasons.

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