After looking over the NCAA Softball Championship bracket, Oklahoma head coach Patty Gasso admitted she's glad she's not Alabama, even if the Crimson Tide did get that coveted top overall seed.
The Sooners were handed the third overall seed, and although there's a fair argument they deserved to be ahead of Bama and No. 2 Texas, the bracket still fell in OU's favor, maybe even better than it would have if the Sooners got their rightful spot at No. 1. Bama, instead of OU, surprisingly got the top seed, but it didn't come with any benefits.
Oklahoma sitting even prettier than Alabama as 3rd overall seed
"I think the entire bracket is pretty fair," Gasso said. "There's some things where you're like, 'Ooh, I hope they win and then they win so they meet.' Some really good matchups waiting."
But then Gasso remembered the Tuscaloosa Regional.
"That pitcher from Belmont is something, so I don't know that I would be thrilled to be Alabama, but, I mean, you're one for a reason," she added.
The Tuscaloosa Regional includes Alabama, Southeastern Louisiana, Belmont and USC Upstate. The fact there's no other Power Four team, while the Norman Regional includes three, makes Bama's path to a Super Regional look like a cakewalk at first glance. But those that know, know.
With Southeastern Louisiana and Belmont, the Tuscaloosa Regional features three of the top five pitching staffs in college softball based on team ERA. Southeastern Louisiana, which OU handled 9-1 during the regular season, has the fourth-best ERA in the country at 1.67. Belmont is right behind it at No. 5 with a 1.82 ERA. Alabama is No. 2 at 1.60 behind only Tennessee's nation-best ERA of 1.33.
Much could be said for the level of competition each pitching staff has faced, especially compared to the SEC lineups Bama had to take on on a weekly basis, but there's still no denying Southeastern Louisiana and Belmont's pitching staffs are dangerous enough to even worry the No. 1 team and make everyone else glad they avoided that potential disaster.
As Gasso mentioned, Belmont is led by ace Maya Johnson, who has the best individual ERA in the country at 0.66 while pitching the sixth-most innings (201.0). She also leads college softball with 29 complete games in 31 appearances and 381 strikeouts, which is 102 more than second-place Ana Serafinko of Saint John's. Serafinko has also appeared in nine more games than Johnson.
Johnson didn't impress enough just to catch Gasso's attention, but she was also the third overall pick in the recent Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) College Draft behind only Tennessee pitcher Karlyn Pickens and Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady. And OU fans know firsthand just how great Pickens and Canady are.
Read more: How to watch every inning of Oklahoma's journey to Women's College World Series
While the Crimson Tide are on upset alert already, the Sooners can't overlook anyone, but there doesn't seem to be any serious concerns between them and the Women's College World Series. OU will host Kansas, Michigan and Binghamton for the Norman Regional. The Sooners will then likely welcome No. 14 overall seed Oregon for a Super Regional at Love's Field.
It's usually a good time to be a Sooner during softball season, but it's an even better time to not be the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Add us as a preferred source on Google