OKC or bust: a Super Regional weekend of firsts, shutouts, and a Sooner streak ended
The WCWS field is set — Arkansas and Mississippi State book first-ever trips, Nebraska is back after 13 years, and Oklahoma
Super Regional weekend brought two first-time WCWS teams, ended Oklahoma's nine-year run at Devon Park, and put Nebraska back in OKC for the first time since 2013. Eight teams left. First pitch Thursday.
Lead Off
The eight teams headed to Devon Park are set, and the bracket reads like the sport's broadest WCWS in years. Arkansas and Mississippi State are both making their first-ever appearances. Nebraska is back for the first time since 2013, riding a 26-game win streak — the longest active streak in DI. The most stunning result: No. 5 Mississippi State going to Norman and shutting out No. 1 Oklahoma 6–0 in a winner-take-all Game 3, ending the Sooners' nine-year WCWS streak. Defending champ Texas, Tennessee, Alabama, UCLA, and Texas Tech round out the field. First pitch Thursday at noon ET on ESPN.
Why it matters: half of the eight teams are either first-timers or first-time-in-a-long-time. Oklahoma misses Oklahoma City for the first time since 2016. The bracket isn't just open — the sport's old hierarchy just got rearranged. Full WCWS bracket and schedule →
By the Numbers
399 — consecutive Oklahoma games without being shut out, the longest active streak in Division I, snapped Saturday in Norman by Mississippi State junior Delainey Everett, who threw a three-hit, complete-game 6–0 shutout in her first start of the season. OU's last home shutout had been in 2015. Source · NCAA / Mississippi State Athletics
Scoreboard
Last 7 days — Super Regional weekend
| Final | Note |
|---|---|
| Mississippi State 6–0 Oklahoma (Norman, Game 3) | Delainey Everett CG shutout ends OU's 9-year WCWS streak |
| Arkansas 14–5, 10–2 Duke (Fayetteville, sweep) | Razorbacks book first-ever WCWS trip; 4 NCAA wins, all run-rules |
| Nebraska 8–1, 9–1 Oklahoma State (Lincoln, sweep) | Huskers' 26-game win streak; first WCWS since 2013 |
| Texas Tech 16–7 Florida (Gainesville, Game 3) | Five HRs, 23-run game; Red Raiders return to OKC |
| Texas 5–0 Arizona State (Austin, Game 3) | Teagan Kavan CG shutout; Horns' 3rd straight WCWS |
This week — 5 to watch
| When | What | Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Thu May 28 · 12 pm ET | No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 5 Mississippi State (WCWS opener) | ESPN |
| Thu May 28 · 2:30 pm ET | No. 1 Texas vs. No. 2 Tennessee (WCWS opener) | ESPN |
| Thu May 28 · 7 pm ET | No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 2 UCLA (WCWS opener) | ESPN2 |
| Thu May 28 · 9:30 pm ET | No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 2 Arkansas (WCWS opener) | ESPN2 |
| Wed Jun 3 · 8 pm ET | Championship Series Game 1 (best-of-three) | ESPN |
Devon Park, 13,000 seats, no off days. The road to a title starts Thursday.
Hot Corner
1. Mississippi State stuns Oklahoma 6–0 — first WCWS ever, end of a Sooner era
Junior lefty Delainey Everett, in her first start of the season, threw a three-hit complete-game shutout to send the No. 5 Bulldogs to their first-ever WCWS. The 6–0 win snapped Oklahoma's 399-game scoring streak (the longest active in DI) and ended the Sooners' nine straight trips to Devon Park. Mississippi State head coach Samantha Ricketts — a former OU player and Patty Gasso assistant — now joins Tim Walton as the only Gasso assistants to beat her boss more than once. NCAA.com →
2. Arkansas run-rules its way to a first-ever WCWS
The No. 2-seeded Razorbacks swept Duke 14–5 and 10–2 to book Arkansas's first trip to OKC in program history. They are 4–0 in this NCAA Tournament — all four wins by run rule, a feat last accomplished by Arizona's 1995 national champions. Tianna Bell's second-inning grand slam in Game 1 broke a four-hour rain delay open; Karlie Davison closed it with a three-run walk-off homer. Coach Courtney Deifel finally cleared the program's white whale. Arkansas Athletics →
3. "Nameless, faceless" Huskers are back in OKC after 13 years
Nebraska outscored Oklahoma State 15–2 over two games (8–1, 9–1, run rule) to make the WCWS for the first time since 2013. The Huskers are riding a school-record 26-game win streak — the longest active in DI. The motivation? Cowgirl ace Ruby Meylan, a former Husker, had called her old team a "nameless, faceless opponent" in February. Hannah Coor went 3-for-3 with a homer in the clincher; Lauren Camenzind added a three-run blast. Huskers.com →
4. Texas Tech outslugs Florida 16–7 — five homers, one run rule
After dropping Game 2 by ten, the No. 3 Red Raiders torched Florida for a season-high 16 runs and five homers in a 16–7 run-rule Game 3 win. Jackie Lis and Taylor Pannell each hit two homers and combined for nine RBI; NiJaree Canady picked up her 100th career win in the circle. Coach Tim Walton was ejected in the fifth as Florida's season ended on the first home Super Regional mercy-rule loss in program history. Texas Tech →
5. Texas survives ASU, Teagan Kavan locks down WCWS No. 3
The defending national champions needed three games to escape Arizona State — including a Saturday loss in Game 1 — but junior righty Teagan Kavan closed the door Sunday with her sixth complete-game shutout of the season. Katie Stewart drove in four. The 5–0 win sends Texas back to OKC for the program's ninth WCWS and third straight, tying UCLA for the longest active streak. Texas Athletics →
From the Dugout
Podcast pick: "Out of the Box" Ep. 122 (Canterbury + Robertson) — "Jen Schroeder is Giving (feat. Big Volcano)." The Alabama radio broadcast crew walks every regional recap and every Super Regional pick, with longtime softball analyst Jen Schroeder joining in the back half. Takeaway: stay for the "Off the Wall" closer — the guys dig into how All-American voting and the polls don't actually measure the same thing, and why "Region" vs. "Regional" awards trip up parents reading their daughter's nominations. Useful frame for anyone navigating the recruiting trail this summer. Listen →
Clip of the week: @megremsoftball — Coach MegRem's hitting and infield breakdowns are tee-friendly and built for short midweek practices. Her recent "finish through the ball" reel is a clean fix for any 12U–18U hitter who keeps falling off the back foot under pressure.
Play of the Week
Delainey Everett's three-hitter ends nine years of Sooner softball at OKC
Delainey Everett made her first start of the season Saturday in Norman, with a Game 3 winner-take-all WCWS bid on the line. She threw a three-hit, three-walk, three-strikeout complete-game shutout. Oklahoma — winners of four of the last five national championships — was blanked at home for the first time since 2015. After the final out, Everett pointed to the sky and said postgame she did it for her late father. Mississippi State softball will play in the WCWS for the first time in program history.
Source: @NCAAsoftball · Watch the full clip →
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