RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
We continue our list of the Top 15 Softball Stories of 2021, which will run through December 31st when we’ll present our No. 1 story of the year.
Here are the previous stories (clink on link to read):
- #15… Ty’Liyah Hardeman Foregoes Playing for Bethune Cookman to Support Family after Mom Dies, Now at Kennesaw State
- #14… Dakota Wagner Promotes Tourette Syndrome Awareness Through Her Successes On & Off the Field
- #13… Sara Goodrum, the Trailblazing Former Oregon Duck Softball Player, Makes History in the MLB Ranks
- #12… USA U-18 Team Goes Undefeated in International Play This Fall (& Valerie Cagle Leads the Way!)
Also, on New Year’s Day 2022, we’ll list all 15 of the top stories of the year as well as run 15 more that were considered.
We’ve surveyed the softball community and talked internally as well to come up with what were the most impactful and relevant stories of the year pertaining to the world of fastpitch softball.
Where applicable, we are providing the text to the original articles and/or references when the story first happened.
- Click Here to see the Top 15 Stories of 2020
- Click Here to see the Top 15 Stories of 2019
- Click Here to see the Top 15 Stories of 2018
To provide comments, insights or thoughts, email: [email protected].
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Today’s Story of the Year: #11
The Women’s College World Series Expands & Explodes in TV Rankings Thanks to Great Players, Play on the Field & Dramatic Storylines
For many years, the Women’s College World Series has been one of college sports’ top championship tournaments. Television ratings reach new heights for the WCWS every year and 2021 was no exception.
The entire Women’s College World Series averaged 1.2 million viewers per game in 2021. That number absolutely smashed the ratings set by the Men’s College World Series, which averaged just 750,000.
In the championship series between Oklahoma and Florida State – which, if you’ll recall, was delayed by one day and featured a winner-take-all Game 3 in a Thursday daytime slot – averaged 1.84 million viewers per game.
Ten total WCWS games brought in more than a million viewers!
For the third time since 2015, the Women’s College World Series out-rated their baseball counterpart in terms of overall viewership. Head-to-head against the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, the WCWS easily beat hockey at every opportunity.
The WCWS Championship Series also outpaced televised championships including the MLS Cup, the 2020 WNBA Finals, and the FCS college football championship game.
After the completion of the WCWS, the NCAA also announced plans to permanently expand the WCWS from a 7-day to a 9-day event. Games will be spread out with fewer played in the same day, and off-days will be built into the WCWS schedule on a permanent basis, beginning with the 2022 tournament.
The World Series will begin on the Thursday following Memorial Day, as has been the case, but will now end one week and one day later on the following Friday, at the latest.
The expansive moves came after the 2021 tournament was impacted by rain and included an elimination game being concluded in the wee hours of the following morning.
Some proponents of expanding the tournament schedule noted the concerns of student-athlete health and potential other residual issues that could stem from continuing on the 7-day tournament schedule.
— Justin McLeod, Extra Inning Softball
To provide comments, insights or thoughts, email: [email protected].
*****
Below is a recap of each of the Women’s College World Series Championship Final games in order; below them are the storylines leading up to the title contests…
Women’s College World Series: Day 1 of Championship Series Finale… Florida State Offensive Explosion Too Much for Oklahoma to Overcome in 8-4 Seminole Win
Originally published June 8, 2021 on Extra Inning Softball
For the second day in a row, the Florida State offensive jumped out to a huge lead—it was 8-0 over Alabama on Monday in the semi’s and 7-0 in Game 1 of the Women’s College World Series against Oklahoma.
In both games, the favored higher speed clawed back—#3 Alabama scored five runs, #1 seed Oklahoma four–but FSU’s pitching was able to shut the door and now the Noles are one game away from winning its second National Championship in four years… amazing!
Using great defense (see below), clutch pitching and timely hitting, here’s how the team that didn’t even win its conference—Clemson won the ACC regular season crown and Duke took the SEC tournament title—is on the verge of winning the most important tournament of them all!
Check out this amazing relay from the outfield to nail a Sooner baserunner at home:
— Florida State Softball 🥎 (@FSU_Softball) June 9, 2021
Here’s how crazy this FSU offensive outburst was today:
Oklahoma has trailed by multiple runs just seven times this year before Game 1–and never by more than four runs in the 58 games this year for the Sooners’ season—which makes the 7-0 lead at one point that much more impressive.
For Oklahoma, there is a positive trend to focus on (even though teams that win Game 1 of the Championships Series win 80% of the World Series championships!): each game the Sooners have lost so far this season—to Georgia, Oklahoma State and James Madison, in the first game of the Women’s College World Series—they’ve turned around and beat those teams the next time they played them.
They’ll have to do it a fourth time or their 2001 season will, by their standards, come up short. The next 24-48 hours will reveal all!
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#10 Florida State 8, #1 Oklahoma 4
The following article by Bret Clein was originally published Tuesday, June 8, 2021 on Seminoles.com…
The No. 10 Florida State softball team (49-11-1) handed No. 1 Oklahoma (54-4) just its fourth loss of the season and second loss of the Women’s College World Series on Tuesday with an 8-4 win over the Sooners.
Kaley Mudge recorded three hits on the night to bring her WCWS total to 13, tying Jessie Warren of FSU (2018), Brittany Lastrapes of Arizona (2010) and Michelle Moultrie of Florida (2011) for the most hits in a single WCWS.
The Seminole offense was clicking as it scored eight runs, tying the most runs scored against OU this season. Oklahoma had only allowed four stolen bases against them all season, the Seminoles had three on Tuesday.
Danielle Watson started for the Seminoles, making her first start since Pittsburgh on May 8. Watson retired the first 11 batters of the game before allowing back-to-back home runs. In total, Watson pitched 5.2 innings with five strikeouts while allowing four runs on her way to her 12th win this season.
Kathryn Sandercock entered in relief with two outs in the sixth inning, she allowed just two hits and no runs in 1.1 innings of work, recording her second save of the season.
After a pair of scoreless innings to start the game, the Seminoles put up two runs in the top of the third inning. Anna Shelnutt led off the inning with a nine-pitch walk. Three pitches later, Kalei Harding sent one deep to left field giving the Noles a 2-0 lead.
.@kaleiharding had herself a night and it was all started by this 2️⃣ run 💣 in the third!#OneTribe | #HowBoutIt pic.twitter.com/HQl2yzX46E
— Florida State Softball 🥎 (@FSU_Softball) June 9, 2021
The Seminole bats exploded in the fourth inning. FSU scored five runs on six hits and an Oklahoma error. All five runs came with two outs.
After a single and a walk, runners were on the corners for Harding who doubled to right center, clearing the bases. Kaley Mudge then singled up the middle, putting runners on the corners, this time for Sydney Sherrill. Sherrill singled to right field giving the Seminoles a 6-0 lead. Elizabeth Mason added the fifth run of the inning and seventh of the game, scoring Mudge on a single through the left side.
Oklahoma rebounded in the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back two-out solo home runs from Kinzie Hansen and Nicole Mendes.
The Sooners narrowed the Seminole lead to three in the sixth with two more runs. After a single and a hit batter, Mackenzie Donihoo singled to right field, scoring Nicole Mendes and Rylie Boone to draw OU to within three… but that was the closest Oklahoma would get.
Lou delivers 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍‼️
2-RBI single and we're within three! @kkenzienncole | 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/jzwPrrNGdv
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 9, 2021
The Noles rebounded in the seventh with an insurance run to make it 8-4. With one out, Josie Muffley and Shelnutt walked to bring Harding back to the plate. She singled to left field scoring Muffley. Harding was 3-for-4 on the game with four RBI.
The Seminole defense shutdown Oklahoma in the seventh, only allowing one hit as the Noles are now one win away from the program’s second national championship.
*** Click on this link to catch all the highlights from Game 1:
📼 WCWS HIGHLIGHTS: (10) @FSU_Softball defeats (1) @OU_Softball, 8-4, in game one of the Championship Series.#WCWS pic.twitter.com/yfhMtFhUI5
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) June 9, 2021
Scoring Summary
- T3 | Kalei Harding hit a two-run home run to left field. (FSU 2, Oklahoma 0)
- T4 | Kalei Harding doubled to right-center, scoring Josie Muffley and Carson Saabye. (FSU 4, Oklahoma 0)
- T4 | Sydney Sherrill singled to right field, scoring Kaley Mudge and Kalei Harding. (FSU 6, Oklahoma 0)
- T4 | Elizabeth Mason singled through the left side, scoring Sydney Sherrill. (FSU 7, Oklahoma 0)
- B4 | Kinzie Hansen homered to center field. (FSU 4, Oklahoma 1)
- B4 | Nicole Mendes homered to center field. (FSU 4, Oklahoma 2)
- B6 | Mackenzie Donihoo singled to right field, scoring Nicole Mendes and Rylie Boone. (FSU 7, Oklahoma 4)
- T7 | Kalei Harding singled to left field, scoring Josie Muffley (FSU 8, Oklahoma 4)
Up Next
Florida State plays Oklahoma in Game 2 on Wednesday, June 9 at 7:00 pm ET in the second of a best of three series for the National Championship.
*****
Women’s College World Series: Day 2 of Championship Series Finale… Oklahoma Roars Back With Six Unanswered Runs to Win 6-2; One Game Now Decides It All!
Originally published June 9, 2021 on Extra Inning Softball
For the first time since 2016, we’ll need a decisive Game 3 to figure out who the 2021 Women’s College World Series Champion will be.
The National Champion that year?
Oklahoma.
Will history repeat itself five years later? Well, the Sooners certainly wouldn’t go down without a fight, as they defeated Florida State, 6-2, on Wednesday night at Hall of Fame Stadium.
Oklahoma’s win also means that for the first time since the WCWS expanded to a championship series in 2005, all 17 possible games of the tournament will be played.
For the first five innings, it appeared that Florida State would end the college softball season with its second consecutive win over the Sooners after winning 8-4 in Game 1.
Kathryn Sandercock took the circle after picking up a save in the first game of the championship series and started strong. She’d work out of a two-on, nobody-out jam by getting Kinzie Hansen to ground into a double play before Nicole Mendes grounded out to second.
Sydney Sherrill singled with one out in the home first and watched three-hole slugger Elizabeth Mason club a 3-1 pitch over the left center field fence to give Florida State a 2-0 lead.
Cassidy Davis walked on four pitches in the next at-bat to make it look like the ‘Noles would have more in store, but Oklahoma starter Giselle Juarez struck out Dani Morgan and Kalei Harding to end the threat.
Mason’s homer was all Florida State could get. Juarez allowed a hit from Davis in the fourth and from Anna Shelnutt in the fifth along with two more walks.
Aside from that, the lefty got better as the sun got lower in the Oklahoma City sky, throwing a complete game on 106 pitches, striking out six Seminoles and lowering her ERA to 2.24 on the year.
Oklahoma rewarded Juarez effort with runs. Well, eventually.
Jana Johns gave the Sooners a leadoff solo homer in the third to crack Sandercock’s shutout.
Florida State’s ace fought back and retired nine of the next ten she faced. But as Oklahoma has continued to do this postseason, the Sooners’ lineup got better in the late innings.
A four-run sixth inning started on a throwing error by Josie Muffley. Next at-bat, Sandercock’s 2-0 offering to Jocelyn Alo became historic. The senior crushed a two-run shot, Oklahoma’s 159th on the year, breaking Hawaii’s mark of 158 in 2010.
✔️ 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝-𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫.
✔️ 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫.
✔️ 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫.🤙 @78jocelyn_alo 🤙 pic.twitter.com/tSXvnxqbDR
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 10, 2021
Lost in it all was that Alo’s side suddenly had a 3-2 lead. Three straight singles – the third an RBI knock from Mackenzie Donihoo – made it 4-2 and forced Lonni Alameda to go to Caylan Arnold out of the bullpen.
The Sooners welcomed her to the game with an RBI single from Jayda Coleman to make it 5-2. Mendes added on a sacrifice fly in the seventh to cap off the four-run lead, which was more than enough for Juarez, who struck out a pair in the final frame to keep Oklahoma’s season alive.
Thursday’s game will mark a chance for Oklahoma to earn its fifth National Championship all time, while Florida State can win its second in program history. It will also move up a few hours in timeslot, broadcasted live on ESPN at 3 p.m. Eastern from Oklahoma City.
— Will Turner, Extra Inning Softball
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Women’s College World Series: Finale Day 3 of the Championship Series… Oklahoma Never Trails in 5-1 Win over FSU to Capture 5th National Championship
Originally published June 10, 2021 on Extra Inning Softball
Oklahoma captured its fifth national championship with a 5-1 victory over Florida State in Game 3 of the WCWS Championship Series Thursday.
Patty Gasso’s team was the first No. 1 overall seed to take the title since Florida did it in 2015 and only the fourth to ever come back and win it after losing Game 1 of the Championship Series according to ESPN.
Another impressive stat: only five #1 seeds have won the title since national seeding began 16 years ago so it’s not so easy to do—even when you’re the record setting offensive juggernaut that is OU softball.
Still, it was a pitcher that came up the biggest for the Sooners over the last two days after OU lost Game 1 and needed to shut down the aggressive hitting and baserunning attack that was so effective for Florida State.
Giselle “G” Juarez was lights out on Wednesday in Game 2 to help her team win 6-2 and tie the Series and then went the complete seven innings today giving up just one run on only two hits.
Juarez, who ran her record to 5-0 in the WCWS and gave up just four runs in 31.1 innings over the last few weeks, was named the Most Outstanding Player for the 2021 World Series.
G was engulfed by her teammates after the final out was a weak popup that landed harmlessly in her glove and secured the win for Oklahoma, which finished 56-4 and, impressively, would beat every one of the four teams it lost to either that same day in a double-header or in a subsequent game that week.
With all the great offensive candidates for the Sooners who could have won the MVP, it goes to an outstanding pitching performance this week:
Your 𝐖𝐂𝐖𝐒 𝐌𝐕𝐏: @ggotgame45
🐐🐐🐐 pic.twitter.com/4lz35F8xRH
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 10, 2021
Each of the three games in the Championship Series had a different script:
- Game 1 saw FSU jump out to an insurmountable eight run lead;
- Game 2 turned late in the contest when the Sooners took the lead for good on a two-run Jocelyn Alo blast,
- Game 3 witnessed a strong start by Oklahoma with five runs in the first three innings and the lead from the opening scoring via another Alo blast, this one a solo shot in the first inning.
Jocelyn Alo opens the scoring with, what else, a mammoth blast:
🤙 𝐉𝐨𝐜𝐲 𝐁𝐎𝐌𝐁 🤙
No. 3️⃣4️⃣ on the year and the #Sooners strike first!
B1 | OU 1, FSU 0 | 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/pU64vZvdzX
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 10, 2021
Alo’s home run was her school-record 34th of the season and fourth of the WCWS. It also extended the team’s DI single-season record of 161 which was set in yesterday’s game. The previous record-holding was Hawaii.
The offensive star of the title-clinching game today, however, was freshman outfielder Jayda Coleman, the #1 ranked player in the 2020 Extra Elite 100, who homered in the second inning to push the lead to 2-0 and then cleared the bases on a third inning two-out double that pushed the lead to 5-1, which would stand for the rest of the game.
More of the key moments in Thursday’s championship clinching action:
Jayda Coleman extends the lead to 2-0 with this home run.
💥 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐇𝐌𝐀𝐍. 𝐈𝐧. 𝐓𝐡𝐞. 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐲. 💥@jaydac00 is different.
B2 | OU 2, FSU 0 | 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/zfUIkpuuOq
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 10, 2021
Coleman clears the bases with her double to push the lead to 5-1:
JAYDA COLEMAN WITH THE BASES-CLEARING DOUBLE!
She makes it 5-1 for the Sooners! @OU_Softball #WCWS pic.twitter.com/0Ylt4pkpwx
— ESPN (@espn) June 10, 2021
The last out and the mandatory dogpile!
🏆 𝐖𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐃𝐎𝐆𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐎𝐊𝐂 🏆 pic.twitter.com/XQoDpJ4Hrb
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 10, 2021
*****
After today’s end to the 2021 Women’s College World Series, here is the complete list of DI champions…
| Year | Champion (Record) | Coach | Runner-Up | Site |
| 2021 | Oklahoma (56-4) | Patty Gasso | Florida State | Oklahoma City |
| 2020 | WCWS cancelled (COVID) | |||
| 2019 | *UCLA (56-6) | Kelly Inouye-Perez | Oklahoma | Oklahoma City |
| 2018 | *Florida State (58-12) | Lonni Alameda | Washington | Oklahoma City |
| 2017 | *Oklahoma (61-9) | Patty Gasso | Florida | Oklahoma City |
| 2016 | Oklahoma (57-8) | Patty Gasso | Auburn | Oklahoma City |
| 2015 | Florida (60-7) | Tim Walton | Michigan | Oklahoma City |
| 2014 | *Florida (55-12) | Tim Walton | Alabama | Oklahoma City |
| 2013 | *Oklahoma (57-4) | Patty Gasso | Tennessee | Oklahoma City |
| 2012 | Alabama (60-8) | Patrick Murphy | Oklahoma | Oklahoma City |
| 2011 | *Arizona State (60-6) | Clint Myers | Florida | Oklahoma City |
| 2010 | *UCLA (50-11) | Kelly Inouye-Perez | Arizona | Oklahoma City |
| 2009 | Washington (51-12) | Heather Tarr | Florida | Oklahoma City |
| 2008 | *Arizona State (66-5) | Clint Myers | Texas A&M | Oklahoma City |
| 2007 | Arizona (50-14-1) | Mike Candrea | Tennessee | Oklahoma City |
| 2006 | Arizona (54-11) | Mike Candrea | Northwestern | Oklahoma City |
| 2005 | Michigan (65-7) | Carol Hutchins | UCLA | Oklahoma City |
| 2004 | UCLA (47-9) | Sue Enquist | California | Oklahoma City |
| 2003 | UCLA (54-7) | Sue Enquist | California | Oklahoma City |
| 2002 | California (56-19) | Diane Ninemire | Arizona | Oklahoma City |
| 2001 | *Arizona (65-4) | Mike Candrea | UCLA | Oklahoma City |
| 2000 | *Oklahoma (66-8) | Patty Gasso | UCLA | Oklahoma City |
| 1999 | *UCLA (63-6) | Sue Enquist | Washington | Oklahoma City |
| 1998 | Fresno State (52-11) | Margie Wright | Arizona | Oklahoma City |
| 1997 | Arizona (61-5) | Mike Candrea | UCLA | Oklahoma City |
| 1996 | *Arizona (58-9) | Mike Candrea | Washington | Columbus, Ga. |
| 1995 | *#UCLA (50-6) | Sharron Backus | Arizona | Oklahoma City |
| 1994 | *Arizona (64-3) | Mike Candrea | Cal State Northridge | Oklahoma City |
| 1993 | Arizona (44-8) | Mike Candrea | UCLA | Oklahoma City |
| 1992 | *UCLA (54-2) | Sharron Backus | Arizona | Oklahoma City |
| 1991 | Arizona (56-16) | Mike Candrea | UCLA | Oklahoma City |
| 1990 | UCLA (62-7) | Sharron Backus | Fresno State | Oklahoma City |
| 1989 | *UCLA (48-4) | Sharron Backus | Fresno State | Sunnyvale, Calif. |
| 1988 | UCLA (53-8) | Sharron Backus | Fresno State | Sunnyvale, Calif. |
| 1987 | Texas A&M (56-8) | Bob Brock | UCLA | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1986 | *Cal State Fullerton (57-9-1) | Judi Garman | Texas A&M | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1985 | UCLA (41-9) | Sharron Backus | Nebraska | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1984 | UCLA (45-6-1) | Sharron Backus | Texas A&M | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1983 | Texas A&M (41-11) | Bob Brock | Cal State Fullerton | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1982 | *UCLA (33-7-2) | Sharron Backus | Fresno State | Omaha, Neb. |
* Indicates undefeated teams in final series.
#-UCLA’s 1995 national championship was later vacated by the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions
*****
News & Results of the WCWS Leading Up to Championship Series
(stories listed oldest to newest posts)
- College News: The Road to the 2021 Women’s College World Series Will Go Through 16 of These 20 Potential Host Sites (May 1, 2021)
- College News: NCAA Women’s College World Series to be Held at 100 Percent Fan Capacity (May 21, 2021)
- Super Regionals (Friday, May 28, 2021): In a Day of Amazing Softball, We Have Our First Entrant to the Women’s College World Series!
- Super Regionals (Saturday, May 29, 2021): World Series Picture Becomes Clearer with 5 More Teams Confirmed… Sunday Games to Decide Final Two Spots!
- Super Regionals (Sunday, May 30, 2021): Final 2 Teams Decided for the Elite Eighty of the 2021 Women’s College World Series!
- 2021 Women’s College World Series Primer: Stars & Storylines to Watch in OKC… Starting Today! (June 3, 2021)
- World Series Spotlight (UPDATED): Day 1 of the WCWS Starts with Shocker; Closes with #2 & #3 Seeds Winning Big (June 3, 2021)
- Women’s College World Series, Day 2: James Madison & Alabama Go 2-0 Behind Odicci’s Diving Tag Out at Home & Montana Fouts’ Perfect Game on Her Birthday! (June 4, 2021)
- Women’s College World Series… Day 3 (UPDATED ALL GAMES): “Elimination Saturday” Sees 4 Teams Survive, 4 Others Go Home Including #2 Seed! (June 5, 2021)
- Women’s College World Series… Day 4 (Sunday): Florida State & Oklahoma (& Weather!) Force “If Necessary” Games on Monday (June 7, 2021)
- Women’s College World Series… Day 5 (Monday): Both Oklahoma and Florida State Emerge From Loser’s Bracket to Make Championship Series Finale