For the seventh-seeded Stanford Cardinal, today’s game
against UCLA may seem a little odd. The two California schools are
flying to Oklahoma City for the first round of the Women’s
College World Series. Stanford (47-17) won the regional it hosted
after surviving a scare by unranked Hofstra on championship day.
The Cardinal finished tied for second in the Pac-10 and was one of
the conference’s surprise teams. “We’re very
proud of our team,” Stanford coach John Rittman said.
“They’ve been through a lot this year, had some
injuries.” UCLA was shut out by Stanford’s Dana
Sorensen in the team’s first meeting, but the Bruins scored
13 runs in a pair of wins three weeks ago. While UCLA only used one
pitcher in regionals, senior Keira Goerl, Stanford is more likely
to use multiple pitchers. “We have a pitching staff, so
you’re going to most likely see both of our pitchers,”
Rittman said.
LSU V. MICHIGAN: Like most teams at the WCWS,
third-seeded Louisiana State earned its spot by sweeping its
regional. The Tigers are the only representatives from an
up-and-coming Southeastern conference. They are one of the more
balanced teams in the nation but do not have as much experience
against top-tier competition as the Pac-10 teams. “This is
the best team chemistry I’ve ever had in these young women,
and I’m just happy for them to experience the College World
Series,” LSU coach Yvette Girouard said. LSU will face
sixth-seeded Michigan in its first game. The Wolverines had to
survive a tough test by Oregon State and the weather to make it to
Oklahoma. While Michigan is making the WCWS for the seventh time,
it has a 2-12 record in its six previous appearances.
“We’re not just happy to be here, we’re very
excited about our opportunity,” Michigan coach Carol Hutchins
said. Back in the second week of the season, UCLA defeated Michigan
3-0. If UCLA defeats Stanford, it will face the winner of the
LSU-Michigan game. If UCLA loses, it will face the loser of
LSU-Michigan.
OKLAHOMA V. WASHINGTON: On the other side of
the bracket, top-seed Oklahoma should be boosted by the home crowd.
The Sooners may need the advantage, as they are the only team
outside the top 10 to make the WCWS. Oklahoma defeated top-ranked
Arizona in regionals. The Wildcats then lost to Louisiana-Lafayette
on Saturday, leaving a wide open regional. After a wild regional
championship day, the Sooners clinched their fifth-straight WCWS
appearance. “We know we don’t have the record of a No.
1 seed,” Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso said. “We had a
very tough regional like everyone else, where we went in as
underdogs. Everybody stepped up in the lineup and got hot at the
right time.” They will face eighth-seeded Washington in the
first round. The Huskies struggled near the end of the Pac-10
season but swept their regional in Georgia. Washington will rely on
the power of catcher Kristen Rivera, the Pac-10 Player of the
Year.
FLORIDA STATE V. CAL: The final opening-round
game will feature fourth-seeded Florida State facing fifth-seeded
Cal. Florida State comes into the WCWS with 60 wins, more than any
other team in the tournament, but most of them came in a weak
Atlantic Coast Conference. The Seminoles are led by national Player
of the Year finalist Jessica van der Linden, who is their best
pitcher and starting center fielder when she does not pitch. Cal
finished the season in a tie for second place in the Pac-10 and is
one of the hotter teams in the nation. The winner in this game will
face the winner of Oklahoma-Washington, while the losers of these
two games will also face off.