For the second week in a row the No. 2-seeded Oklahoma softball team will go up against an opponent coached by one of its own.
Last weekend, it was head coach Melyssa Lombardi, who led the Oregon Ducks into the Norman Regional, and this week former Sooner player and alum Lonni Alamed travels to Norman as head coach of the No. 14 Florida State.
Alamed was an infielder at OU from 1990-92. She has been head coach of the Seminoles for 16 seasons and has compiled a record of 762-212-2 in that capacity. She is only the second head coach in FSU softball history, replacing legendary head coach JoAnne Graf, who was in that role in Tallahassee before her.
Lombardi was a catcher at Oklahoma in 1995-96 and played under Sooner head coach Patty Gasso. She then remained in Norman for 21 years as part of Gasso's coaching staff before getting the head-coaching position at Oregon in 2019.
Oklahoma and Florida State have been opponent's on college softball's biggest stage in two of the past three years, facing each other in the championship series of the Women's College World Series in both 2021 and 2023. The Sooners came away the winner on both occasions and also won the national title in 2022 as part of their record-tying three-straight national championships.
2024 Norman Super Regional
(Best two of three with the winner advancing to the Women's College World Series)
When: Thursday, May 23 through Saturday, May 25 (if necessary)
Where: Love's Field, Norman, Oklahoma
Game 1: 6 p.m. CT, Game 2: 7 p.m. CT, Game 3 (if necessary): TBD
How to watch
ESPN2 will televise Game 1 on Thursday at 6 p.m.. Games 2 and 3 (if necessary) broadcast information is TBD.
NCAA postseason history
Oklahoma
National championships: 7 (2000, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023)
National championship runner-up: 2 (2012, 2019)
Women's College World Series appearances: 11
NCAA Super Regional appearances: 17
NCAA Regional appearances: 30
Florida State
National championships: 1 (2018)
National championship runner-up: 2 (2021, 2023)
Women's College World Series appearances: 12
NCAA Super Regional appearances: 11
NCAA Regional appearances: 36
Players to watch
Oklahoma
INF Tiare Jennings: .374 batting average, 21 home runs, 62 RBI.
C Kinzie Hansen: .410 batting average, 8 home runs, 33 RBI.
OF Jayda Coleman: .403 batting average, 12 home runs, 42 RBI.
INF Alyssa Brito: .400 batting average, 16 home runs, 56 RBI.
UTL Ella Parker: .413 batting average, 12 home runs, 58 RBI.
OF Kasidi Pickering: .381 batting average, 9 home runs, 45 RBI.
P Kelly Maxwell: Record 19-2, 1.87 ERA, 129 strikeouts, .170 opponents' batting average.
P Nicole May: Record 14-2, 2.34 ERA, 90 strikeouts, .226 opponents' batting average.
P Kierston Deal: Record 12-1, 1.62 ERA, 64 strikeouts, .162 opponents' batting average.
Florida State
INF Jaysoni Beachum: .425 batting average, 15 home runs, 65 RBI.
C Michaela Edenfield: .389 batting average, 15 home runs, 46 RBI.
INF Isa Torres: .360 batting average, 9 home runs, 57 RBI.
P Ashtyn Danley: Record 18-5, 3.12 ERA, 101 strikeout, 62 walks, .237 opponents' batting average.