Looking Back at the NCAA Champions: 2000 Oklahoma Sooners

Photo courtesy Oklahoma Athletics

Fall practice has wrapped up around the country in Division I, which allows us to set our sights on the 2024 season that lies ahead.

Early focus will be centered on the University of Oklahoma as they begin the quest to become the first team in Division I history to win four consecutive national championships.

The Sooners tied UCLA (1988, 1989, 1990) as the only teams to ever win three consecutive titles when they defeated Florida State to claim the 2023 title.

Extra Inning Softball will be reviewing the 41 national champions that have previously hoisted the trophy.

*****

2000 Oklahoma Sooners

The Venue: ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, Oklahoma City, Okla.

The Head Coach: Patty Gasso

The Players (Women’s College World Series Roster): Jennifer Stewart, Leah Gulla, Kelli Braitsch, Macy Wilson, Jennifer Stump, Erin Evans, Christy Ring, Lana Moran, LaKisha Washington, Lisa Carey, Jaime White, Ashli Barrett, Andrea Davis, Mandy Fulton, Larissa Foley

The Regular Season: The 2000 Oklahoma Sooners rolled through the regular season with a 58-8 overall record. The Sooners posted a 17-1 mark in the Big 12 to finish first overall, a game and a half ahead of Nebraska in the standings. The Sooners began the season by winning 23 of their first 24 games including wins over nationally ranked Southern Mississippi, Cal State Fullerton and Stanford. OU lost to Nebraska in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament, but that would be the last loss of the season for the Sooners. The Oklahoma offense was led by Lisa Carey, Ashli Barrett and Erin Evans, while Jennifer Stewart headlined the Sooners pitching staff. Carey, Barrett, Evans and Stewart were each named All-American following the season. Carey earned Big 12 Player of the Year honors and was joined on the All-Big 12 team by Lana Moran, Stewart, Barrett, Christy Ring and Evans. Carey batted .405 on the season with 20 home runs and 77 RBIs, while Barrett added 16 home runs. Stewart posted a 34-6 record in the circle and Moran was 26-3 and posted a 1.28 ERA.

The Regional/Super Regional: Oklahoma hosted the NCAA Regional for the second time in school history and welcomed Harvard, Oregon State, Northwestern, Arkansas and Cal State Northridge to Norman, Okla. The Sooners opened the regional with a comfortable 11-0 victory over Harvard, but the remaining games in the regional proved to be much more competitive. Game two saw the Sooners edge Cal State Northridge 2-1 and then OU would meet Oregon State in back-to-back games. The Sooners beat the Beavers 5-3 sending Oregon State to the loser’s bracket. OSU beat Northwestern to earn a rematch with the Sooners in the region final. Oklahoma defeated the Beavers 3-2 to secure its first-ever trip to the Women’s College World Series.

The Field at the Women’s College World Series: Alabama, Arizona, California, DePaul, Oklahoma, Southern Mississippi, UCLA, Washington

The Sooners at the Women’s College World Series: Oklahoma, making its first-ever appearance in the Women’s College World Series, opened play against California and made the first game memorable with a dramatic rally. Lana Moran and Jennifer Stewart held the Bears to just one run through seven innings, but the Sooners found themselves behind 1-0 entering the bottom of the seventh inning. Andrea Davis led off the seventh by drawing a walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Mandy Fulton and Jennifer Stump were each hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Leah Gulla tied the game at 1-1 with a single that plated pinch runner Jaime White. With two outs, Christy Ring singled to center giving OU a 2-1 victory. OU met Southern Mississippi and All-American pitcher Courtney Blades in game two, but Stewart outdueled Blades and the Sooners used the long ball to defeat the Golden Eagles 3-1. Davis got OU on the board in the top of the second inning with a home run to center and the Sooners increased the lead to 3-0 in the fifth inning. Fulton homered to left to open the ring and and Ring later added an RBI single. Southern Mississippi got a run back in the bottom of the fifth, but that was all that Stewart allowed. Oklahoma faced Arizona in its third game of the WCWS and Stewart and Lisa Carey led the Sooners to a 1-0 victory. Stewart was brilliant as she allowed six hits and struck out four over her 7.0 innings of work. The game was scoreless into the bottom of the fourth inning, but Carey delivered a one-out homer to left which proved to be all the offense Stewart would need. With the win, OU clinched a spot in the national championship game.

Join Today to Get Unlimited Access to Extra Inning Softball

Join Now

Already a Extra Inning Member? Log In

SUBSCRIBE

COPYRIGHT © 2024 Extra Inning Softball TM

Check out our other EIS links: