The field for Oklahoma City is set as all eight Super Regionals are settled. James Madison is playing the part of the NCAA Softball Tournament Cinderella after defeating the Missouri Tigers on their home field at the Columbia Super Regional. The upset earned the Dukes their first ever trip to the Women’s College World Series and waiting on them will be the top-seeded Sooners.
The two will face off on Thursday morning at 11:00 in a game that will be televised on ESPN and before you label this as a “David vs. Goliath” matchup let’s understand that Oklahoma and James Madison are #1 and #2 in the nation in terms of winning percentage. In other words, they absolutely deserve to be there. The Dukes are 39-2 on the season and have the nation’s second-best win-loss percentage .951. The Sooners head to OKC with a 50-2 record and have a win-loss percentage of .962. Both teams ran through conference play with just one loss.
Led by Kate Gordon’s 18 dingers, JMU has collectively produced 66 home runs. Gordon has a batting average of .368 which places her second on the team behind Sara Jubas’ .409. From the circle Odicci Alexander went 16-1 on the season, striking out 186 batters and earning a 1.14 ERA.
It’ll be fun to see Oklahoma’s power against JMU’s pitching. The Sooners have launched 146 home runs this season and the James Madison pitching staff has allowed just 26 longballs on the year.
Follow us on Twitter: @SportsHeartland