SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
By Arnie Leshin
From top to bottom in the NCAA National Softball Super Regionals Sweet 16, there are 11 remaining seeds and five unseeded, but the only thing that matters is getting there for the weekend best-of-three pairings that brings the survivors to the World Series played in Oklahoma City the following week, with June 6 the opening game.
The Super Regionals are expected to fill the seats at the eight host schools, with top-seeded Oklahoma already sold out at Marita Hynes Field versus 16th-seed University of Central Florida, and others having to add extra bleacher seats. That atones for the popularity of the yellow ball sport cheered on by all ages. Two schools have a chance to reach the World Series without leaving the state, and that’s the Sooners (52-2) and 7th-seeded Oklahoma State (44-12).
Like their state and Big 12 conference rivals, the Cowgirls are home in Stillwater for the Super Regionals and face 10th-seeded Clemson (42-15), one of the hottest teams in the land. The Atlantic Coast Conference Tigers went 3-0 in the Regional they hosted and the two key ones came against Auburn. So this could develop into an interesting matchup. While the Cowgirls get home field advantage after downing Fordham, Nebraska and North Texas, the Tigers did not allow a run in blanking North Carolina-Wilmington, Auburn and Louisiana-Lafayette, the latter two being quality programs.
Oklahoma, ranked first since day one, lost 4-2 to Big 12 opponent Texas in Austin after huge wins there in games one and two. The other setback came against OSU, 5-4, at home following back-to-back victorious there that brought a 12th straight conference championship.
Now comes UCF, the American Atlantic Conference champion sporting a 49-12 overall record. It hosted its Region and went 3-0 by turning in a pair of wins over the Big Ten’s Michigan after downing Villanova of the Big East in the first round. Taking to the road, especially in Norman, might be a little too much to ask for the school from Orlando. It will face a packed house of Boomer Sooners in southwest weather and hope the ball can take enough bounces its way to bring the upset.
Only the final scores count, but pre-game looks could provide other interesting contests.
Like for instance the clash between unseeded Mississippi State (36-24) and Arizona (37-20) in Starkville. The Southeastern Conference Bulldogs played their Regional at 2nd-ranked Florida State in Tallahassee and opened with a 4-0 loss to South Florida, the team given the best change to oust the Seminoles. But Mississippi State bounced back by eliminating South Florida and then remarkably won twice against FSU to advance.
Meanwhile, Arizona of the Pac-12 hit the road for 15th-seeded Missouri of the SEC and rolled past Illinois, 8-3, and then shut down the Tigers, 2-0 and 1-0 in a pair of tight tussles. So this could bring a close contest.
UCLA (46-8) of the PAC-12 is the 5th-seed and has won the most national titles, 11, as it lines up against visiting Duke (44-8), a rather surprise team out of the ACC that has been overly impressive in all praises of the game. The Blue Devils have won home and away, and now travel to Los Angeles. The Bruins got past Grand Canyon, Loyola Marymount and Ole MIss. Duke was 2-0 when it lost to Georgia, 5-2, of the SEC, but reversed it and moved on by routing the Bulldogs, 13-3.
Here’s another possible goodie matching 8th-seeded Arizona State (42-9) being home in Tempe versus 9th-seeded Northwestern (42-10). Both went 3-0 in the Regionals they hosted, the PAC-12 Sundevils disposing of Cal State California-Fullerton and twice over San Diego State, and the Big Ten Wildcats over Oakland and twice over McNeese. Two closely matched teams.
Unseeded Stanford (40-9) of the PAC-12 truly won big by ousting 6th-seeded Alabama of the SEC. The Cardinal slipped past Murray State, 3-1, shut down Alabama, 6-0, lost to the Crimson Tide, 4-0, and then sent them packing with another 6-0 loss. Now Stanford gets the home crowd against also-unseeded Oregon State (36-14), as the PAC-12 team stunned 11th-seeded Tennessee twice after a 3-0 setback to the Volunteers, and also won a pair over Ohio State.
The 3rd-seeded Virginia Tech (44-7) of the ACC shut out Saint Francis (Pa.), were edged 5-4 by Kentucky, and then knocked out the Wildcats, 9-2 and 5-4. Now the Hookies welcome visiting, 14th-seeded Florida (46-10) of the SEC, a familiar national tournament program that disposed of Canisius, Georgia Tech and Wisconsin, and giave up only two runs.
And last but certainly not least comes 4th-seeded Arkansas (47-9) of the SEC and it matches up with unseeded Texas (41-8) of the Big 12, which took two-of-three over 13th-seeded Washington in Seattle. The Longhorns shut out Weber State, 6-0, shocked the Huskies, 13-2, lost a 2-1 toughie to the home team, and then again hung another 13-2 rout over Washington. The Hogs advanced easily by blanking Ivy League Princeton, 11-0, and Oregon twice, 6-2 and 9-3. Now they greet visiting Texas.
SCHOOLS WITH NCAA SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS:
UCLA 11 … (Vacated title in 1995)
ARIZONA 8
OKLAHOMA 5
FLORIDA 2
ALABAMA 1
ARIZONA STATE 1
CALIFORNIA 1
CALIFORNIA STATE-FULLERTON 1
FLORIDA STATE 1
FRESNO STATE 1
MICHIGAN 1
TEXAS A & M 1
WASHINGTON 1
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SCHOOLS IN FINAL:
UCLA 18
ARIZONA 13
OKLAHOMA 7
FLORIDA 5
TEXAS A & M 5
WASHINGTON 4
CALIFORNIA 3
FRESNO STATE 3
ALABAMA 2
ARIZONA STATE 2
MICHIGAN 2
AUBURN 1
CAL STATE-FULLERTON 1
CAL STATE-NORTHRIDGE 1
NEBRASKA 1
NORTHWESTERN 1
TEXAS 1
