Oklahoma softball: 101 primer on OU and Women’s College World Series
By Chip Rouse
When the Oklahoma softball team takes the field for its opening-round game in the 2023 Women’s College World Series, it will be the Sooners’ 16th appearance since 2000.
All of those WCWS appearances have come under head coach Patty Gasso, who is in her 29th season as head coach of the Sooners. This is the seventh straight season Oklahoma has made the short 30-minute trip to Oklahoma City and USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium, home of the WCWS every season but one (1995) since 1990.
The Sooners, with a nation-best 59-1 record and the No. 1 overall seed for the fourth consecutive season, have won six national championships overall, including four of the last six, and are going for an extremely rare third consecutive national crown this season. Only one other college program (UCLA in 1988-90) has accomplished that feat.
Oklahoma has made 19 total appearances in the WCWS, with all but three coming in the Big 12 era. The Sooners own a record of 45-23 all-time in WCWS competition. OU has a 10-8 WCWS record against teams in this year’s WCWS field.
The Sooners stand third all-time with the most WCWS national championships. All six of OU’s national titles have come since 2000, cementing its claim as the most dominant softball program in the first 24 years of the 21st century.
UCLA leads all schools with 13 national championships in softball, Arizona has won eight. Oklahoma’s next closest challenger is Arizona State with 4.
In addition to Oklahoma’s seven consecutive WCWS appearances, the Sooners have made 29 straight NCAA postseason appearances. They have never failed to make it into the NCAA Softball Tournament in Gasso’s entire 29-year tenure at OU.
Under Gasso’s leadership, the Sooners have won 21 regional championships in 29 seasons and 15 Super Regional titles, by far the most of any other Big 12 team.