The Road to Oklahoma City: A Comprehensive Guide to the Women's College World Series
The Women's College World Series (WCWS) has become a prominent and captivating event in women's sports, drawing increasing attention and viewership. The upcoming tournament promises to be another exciting chapter in the history of college softball. In recent years, the Women's College World Series has become one of a number of boats raised by women's sports's rising tide.
The Reign of the Oklahoma Sooners
The Oklahoma Sooners have established a dynasty, securing the last four national championships. Their dominance has solidified their place as one of college sports' most formidable teams. As they aim for a fifth consecutive title, all eyes will be on them as they compete at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, which is also set to host Olympic softball in 2028.
5 WCWS Format Explained
Like the Men's College World Series, the Women's College World Series employs a double-elimination format. This means that teams must lose two games to be eliminated from the main draw. The eight-team field is divided into two double-elimination brackets, with the winners of each bracket advancing to a best-of-three championship series. Teams retain their seeding from the main, 64-team NCAA tournament draw. Before the NCAA tournament, 16 teams are assigned national seeds and host four-team regionals; the 16 regional champions then play each other in super regionals. Seven of the eight Women's College World Series teams are national seeds.
A Glance at the Teams
The 2025 NCAA softball tournament is now down to eight teams set to open play in a double-elimination format at Devon Park in Oklahoma City. The last two teams standing will meet in a best-of-three WCWS championship series.
Here's a look at the teams that have made it to the 2025 Women's College World Series:
Read also: Comprehensive Guide to the NCAA Softball Bracket
- No. 2 Oklahoma: Swept Alabama in Norman Super Regional. Coach Patty Gasso has the second-seeded Oklahoma Sooners back in OKC trying to win a fifth consecutive NCAA championship.
- No. 3 Florida: Beat Georgia in Gainesville Super Regional. Four more SEC teams will join the Sooners at the WCWS - Florida, Tennessee, Texas and Ole Miss.
- No. 6 Texas: Beat Clemson in Austin Super Regional.
- No. 7 Tennessee: Beat Nebraska in Knoxville Super Regional.
- No. 9 UCLA: Beat South Carolina in Columbia Super Regional. Also meeting up in OKC are former Pac-12 rivals Oregon and UCLA, who each now represent the Big Ten.
- No. 12 Texas Tech: Swept Florida State in Tallahassee Super Regional. A pair of first-time WCWS participants will face off Thursday night in Big 12 champion Texas Tech (led by former Stanford star NiJaree Canady) and unseeded Ole Miss.
- No. 16 Oregon: Swept Liberty in Eugene Super Regional.
- Ole Miss: Beat No. 4 Arkansas in Fayetteville Super Regional.
Complete Bracket Overview
Here's an overview of the event in tabular form:
| GAME NUMBER (CHRONOLOGICAL) | TEAMS | DATE | TIME | CHANNEL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No. 6 Texas vs. No. 3 Florida | May 29 | Noon ET | ESPN |
| 2 | No. 7 Tennessee vs. No. 2 Oklahoma | May 29 | ESPN | |
| 3 | Ole Miss vs. No. 12 Texas Tech | May 29 | ESPN2 | |
| 4 | No. 16 Oregon vs. No. 9 UCLA | May 29 | ESPN2 | |
| 5 | Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser | May 30 | ESPN | |
| 6 | Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser | May 30 | ESPN2 | |
| 7 | Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner | May 30 | ABC | |
| 8 | Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner | May 30 | ESPN | |
| 9 | Game 5 winner vs. Game 7 winner | June 2 | ABC | |
| 10 | Game 6 winner vs. Game 8 winner | June 2 | ESPNU | |
| 11 | Game 9 winner vs. Game 7 winner | June 2 | Noon ET | ESPN |
| 12 (if necessary) | Game 9 winner vs. Game 7 winner | June 2 | ESPN | |
| 13 | Game 10 winner vs. Game 8 winner | June 2 | ESPN2 | |
| 14 (if necessary) | Game 10 winner vs. Game 8 winner | June 2 | ESPN2 | |
| 15 | Game 14 winner vs. Game 11 winner | June 4 | ESPN | |
| 16 | Game 14 winner vs. Game 11 winner | June 5 | ESPN | |
| 17 (if necessary) | Game 14 winner vs. Game 11 winner | June 6 | ESPN |
First Round Matchups and Dates
All four first-round matchups will be played Thursday in succession in Oklahoma City.
The first will feature No. 6 Texas and No. 3 Florida in an all-SEC matchup. This is the second straight year these two teams have met in the Women's College World Series; the Longhorns shut out the Gators 10-0 in five innings in the second round of last year's event. No. 7 Tennessee and the No. 2 Sooners will come next; Oklahoma swept the Volunteers in the event's finals in 2013.
Ole Miss-the event's only unseeded team-and No. 12 Texas Tech will lead off the evening action; this is the first time the Red Raiders have ever advanced past the regional round. Big Ten foes No. 16 Oregon and No. 9 UCLA will cap off the night with the team's second World Series meeting. The Bruins won the first 7-1 in 2015.
Semifinal and Championship Series Schedule
The tournament's semifinals-which may require as few as two or as many as four games-will be played on June 2. The afternoon window will air on ESPN while the evening window will air on ESPN2. The 2025 NCAA DI softball tournament started with a 64-team field, with teams playing at one of 16 regional sites. See the DI softball tournament schedule below. All times Eastern.
Read also: Comprehensive Ranking: Women's College Basketball
- June 4 - Game 1: No. 6 Texas 2, No.
- June 5 - Game 2: No. 12 Texas Tech 4, No.
- June 6 - Game 3 : No. 6 Texas 10, vs. No.
- Game 2: No.
- Game 3: Liberty 8, No.
- Game 5: No.
- Game 6: No.
- Game 7: Liberty 6, No.
- Game 2: No.
- Game 3: No.
- Game 6: No.
- Game 2: No.
- Game 3: No.
- Game 6: No.
- Game 2: No.
- Game 3: No.
- Game 6: Auburn 8, No.
- Game 7: No.
- Game 2: No.
- Game 3: No.
- Game 6: No.
- Game 1: No.
- Game 2: Ohio St.
- Game 3: No.
- Game 5: Ohio St.
- Game 6: No. 7 Tennessee 5, Ohio St.
- Game 2: No.
- Game 3: No.
- Game 6: No.
- Game 1: No.
- Game 3: No.
- Game 6: No.
- Game 2: Southeastern Louisiana 4, No.
- Game 4: No.
- Game 5: Southeastern Louisiana 8, No.
- Game 2: No.
- Game 3: No.
- Game 6: No.
- Game 1: No.
- Game 3: No.
- Game 6: No.
- Game 1: No.
- Game 3: Ole Miss 10, No.
- Game 5: No.
- Game 6: No.
- Game 7: Ole Miss 7, No.
- Game 1: No.
- Game 3: Georgia 8, No.
- Game 5: No.
- Game 6: No.
- Game 7: Georgia 5, No.
- Game 2: No.
- Game 3: No.
- Game 6: No.
- Game 2: No.
- Game 3: Stanford 14, No.
- Game 5: No.
- Game 6: No.
- Game 7: No.
- Game 1: No.
- Game 2: No.
- Game 1: No. 2 Oklahoma 3, No.
- Game 2: No. 2 Oklahoma 13, No.
- Game 1: No.
- Game 2: Georgia 2, No.
- Game 3: No. 3 Florida 5, vs.
- Game 1: Ole Miss 9, No.
- Game 2: No.
- Game 3: Ole Miss 7, No.
- Game 1: No. 12 Texas Tech 3, No.
- Game 2: No. 12 Texas Tech 2, No.
- Game 1: No. 11 Clemson 7, No.
- Game 2: No. 6 Texas 7, No.
- Game 3: No. 6 Texas 6, No.
- Game 1: Nebraska 5, No.
- Game 2: No.
- Game 3: No.
- Game 1: No. 8 South Carolina 9, No.
- Game 2: No. 9 UCLA 5, No.
- Game 3: No. 9 UCLA 5, No.
- Game 1: No. 6 Texas 3, No.
- Game 2: No. 2 Oklahoma 4, No.
- Game 3: No.
- Game 4: No. 9 UCLA 4, No.
- Game 5: No. 7 Tennessee 11, No.
- Game 6: No.
- Game 7: No. 6 Texas 4, No.
- Game 8: No. 12 Texas Tech 3, No.
- Game 9: No. 7 Tennessee 5, No.
- Game 10: No. 2 Oklahoma 4, No.
- Game 11: No. 6 Texas 2, No.
- Game 13: No. 12 Texas Tech 3, No.
Devon Park: The Host Venue
The Women's College World Series will be played at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
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