State of Washington softball in best-of-3 World Series

Top seeds Stanford, Florida State, NC State, Clemson, Coastal Carolina, and East Carolina eliminated, and rest of Super Regional field will be decided today

By Arnie Leshin 

With all due respect to our nation’s capitol, the state of Washington deserves the same for the way its NCAA Division I softball and baseball teams are playing.

Tonight, the 5th seeded Huskies meet up with 6thseeded Florida State in the best-of-3 Women’s World Series championship at Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.

And the Husky men hope to get that far, as in playing in the World Series at Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb. and right now they are heading in the right direction after coming away as the 3rd seed bracket winner at Springs Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C.

Washington first turned back 2nd seed Connecticut, then disposed of top seed and host Coastal Carolina, the 2016 national champion, and finished off UConn to advance to a Super Regional match-up with Cal-State Fullerton, the 2nd seed that eliminated No. 1 seed Stanford.

The 2nd ranked Cardinal wasn’t the only top seed to be ousted at the Regional it hosted.  First came FSU, whose women are in the softball final, followed by North Carolina State, Clemson and East Carolina.

They’re still playing today to fill the remaining 16 Super Regional spots that will run from June 8-11.

Already there are No. 1 seeds Texas, North Carolina, Oregon State, Stetson, Arkansas, Texas Tech, and Minnesota, and also moving on are 3rdseeds Cal-State Fullerton and Washington, and 2ndseeds Vanderbilt and Auburn.

As it stands now, Auburn would face the Gainesville, FI, winner between overall top seed Florida or Florida Atlantic, with the Gators and Tigers both out of the SEC, and Texas Tech will line up against Georgia or Duke from the AthensGa., Regional.

Arkansas will take on the South Carolina-UNC Wilmington survivor from the Greensville, SC, bracket, and Vanderbilt meets up with the Tallahassee winner, Oklahoma or Mississippi State, and if it’s the Bulldogs, it will be an SEC encounter.

Surprising Stetson, the No. 1 seed as host at DeLand, Fl, as well as ranked 11th nationally, goes against North Carolina, while Minnesota and Oregon State clash in a Pac-12 match-up.

Hosting each of the eight Super Regional has yet to be decided, but it will be the higher seed having the upper hand.

If Florida wins its Region, it will play host to Auburn. Texas and Texas Tech are both top seeds, so it will be either one as the home side, while Arkansas will play host to the South Carolina-UNC Wilmington victor, Cal-State Fullerton and Washington are both 3rd seeds and only one can host.

If Mississippi State ousts Oklahoma, it or Vanderbilt will be the host, while the same for Stetson-North Carolina and Minnesota-Oregon State, all No. 1 seeds. But no matter what seed a team is, playing host will be the higher seed.

Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb., will be the site again for the baseball World Series won last year by Florida. It will begin Saturday, June 16, and conclude on June 27th. It will feature the Elite Eight from the original 64-school field.