The final two teams for the 2017 Women’s College World Series have reached the pinnacle of the season. The Florida Gators and Oklahoma Sooners are the two teams that will play in the best of three series to determine the 2017 NCAA Division 1 Softball National Champion.
Results for the Regional round are here, Super Regional Round are here, and the Women’s College World Series are here. The Oklahoma Sooners are going for their second straight National Championship while the Florida Gators are playing for their third title in the last four seasons.
The best of three series will start on Monday, June 5 at 7 PM Eastern Time. All three games can be seen on ESPN and we take a look at the path to the Championship Series for both teams.
Florida Gators (58-8 Overall)
Regular Season: SEC Champions (50-5 Overall and 20-3 SEC)
Conference Tournament: Lost in Quarterfinals to Ole Miss 2-0
Regional: Defeated Florida A&M 9-0, defeated Oklahoma State 2-0, lost to Oklahoma State 1-0, defeated Oklahoma State 5-0
Super Regional: Lost to Alabama 3-0, defeated Alabama 2-0, defeated Alabama 2-1
Women’s College World Series: Defeated Texas A&M 8-0, defeated LSU 7-0, defeated Washington 5-2
The Gators were the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and were one of the best teams all season especially in the circle. Florida has been on the brink of elimination a couple of times in this tournament, but they responded resolutely against Oklahoma State in the regionals and Alabama in the Super Regionals.
In Oklahoma City, the Gators hit another gear posting back-to-back shutouts against SEC foes Texas A&M and LSU. They nearly had a third against Washington but gave up a home run when the Huskies were down to their final out. Nevertheless, Kelly Barnhill and Delanie Gourley pose an extremely formidable duo against the Sooners in what should be a series showcasing great pitching.
Oklahoma Sooners (59-9 Overall)
Regular Season: Big 12 Champions (50-8 Overall and 17-1 Big 12)
Conference Tournament: Won Big 12 Tournament (Defeated Texas 3-0, defeated Texas Tech 8-0, defeated Oklahoma State 2-0)
Regional: Lost to North Dakota State 3-2, defeated Arkansas 5-3, defeated North Dakota State 10-2, defeated Tulsa 6-4, defeated Tulsa 3-0
Super Regional: Defeated Auburn 4-0, defeated Auburn 5-2
Women’s College World Series: Defeated Baylor 6-3, defeated Washington 3-1, defeated Oregon 4-2
Oklahoma began the season as the top team but hit a rough patch early on. Since the Sooners lost back-to-back games against Cal Poly in mid-March, they have been on a tear losing just twice: once to Baylor in the regular season and to North Dakota State in the opening game of the regional.
Since the loss to NDSU, the Sooners have not dropped a game though they were nearly eliminated against Tulsa in the regional. However, their last five games against Auburn (twice on the road), Baylor, Washington, and Oregon have been nothing short of impressive. Paige Parker and Paige Lowary will be key in the circle in the same manner as Barnhill and Gourley for the Gators.
2017 Women’s College World Series Championship Series
Below is the schedule for the 2017 Women’s College World Series Champions Series. This is set to be an excellent matchup between Florida and Oklahoma particularly in the circle with four excellent pitchers. This will mark the fifth straight season that either the Gators or Sooners will go home with the NCAA Championship.
| Date | Game | Time (EST) TV | Team #1 | Team #2 | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/5/17 | Game 1 | 7 PM ESPN | #10 Oklahoma | #1 Florida | 7-5 (17 Innings) |
| 6/6/17 | Game 2 | 8 PM ESPN | #1 Florida | #10 Oklahoma | 4-5 |
ESPN |
Photo courtesy of Florida Gators Softball on Twitter
