Whatever...!: Women's College World Series

Showing posts with label Women's College World Series. Show all posts

Friday, June 8, 2012

OUDaily.com | OU softball: Sooners make no excuses for national championship loss

You can blame the Oklahoma softball team’s national title loss on the 12-minute rain delay that happened in the fourth inning, when the Sooners were ahead 3-1, citing the teams should have never been played due to weather conditions. You can blame the defeat on four wild pitches and passed balls that let Alabama runners trot around the base paths into scoring position.

But making excuses has never been a part of coach Patty Gasso or her Sooners’ game plans this season, and they weren’t going to deviate from that plan following the 5-4 loss to Alabama in the 2012 national championship game.

“It just wasn’t our time,” Gasso said... Read full story: OUDaily.com | OU softball: Sooners make no excuses for national championship loss

We've got a soft spot for Alabama's softball national champions | al.com

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - He didn't say hello. He didn't even say good morning. Not right away.

It was half past daybreak Thursday morning at Shoal Creek, and the first words out of Mike Thompson's mouth weren't a greeting but a question.

Did my girls win?

There was no need to ask him to be more specific.

The Shoal Creek president is a big Alabama fan, and only one Alabama team was playing for a national chamÂpionship late Wednesday night when sleep overtook him.

It was the Alabama team that had done everything but... Read more: We've got a soft spot for Alabama's softball national champions | al.com

Tide fans tune in to softball in record numbers in 2012 | al.com

The Alabama softball team has enjoyed strong crowds at home games for years thanks to the sustained success of Patrick Murphy's program. But this season during the Crimson Tide's run to an eventual national championship, Alabama softball began drawing a whole new audience through television.

The Crimson Tide played 20 games on national or regional television during the 2012 season, an all-time high for the program, and the Tide's rise through the ranks of college softball has coincided with a national rise in interest in the sport in general.

The three games of the Women's College World Series finals, all of which aired on ESPN2, averaged 1.2 million viewers nationally in 2012. Games 1 and 2 of the series saw a 13% increase in viewers over last year's WCWS. Read more: Tide fans tune in to softball in record numbers in 2012 | al.com

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Alabama softball team wins its first national championship | al.com

Just when it looked as if it was going to rain on the Alabama softball team's parade, the Crimson Tide rallied and won its first national championship.

Alabama spotted Oklahoma a 3-0 lead, then scored four runs in a fourth inning that was delayed briefly by rain. The Crimson Tide went on to win Game 3 of the Women's College World Series' best-of-three championship series 5-4 Wednesday night in Oklahoma City.

The national championship is Alabama's fourth during the 2011-12 academic year, tying a Southeastern Conference record set by Arkansas in 1994 and tied by Georgia in 1999. Alabama never previously had won more than one national championship before the gymnastics team and women's golf team won titles to go with the crown the football team won in January.

Alabama is the first SEC team to win the national championship in softball.

The start of the game was delayed nearly three hours by rain... Read more: Alabama softball team wins its first national championship | al.com

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Alabama advances to 1st-ever Women's College World Series finals with win over California | al.com

For the first time in its eight Women's College World Series appearances, Alabama is in the finals.

The Crimson Tide eliminated the eight-team tournament's top seed to get there, as it downed California, 5-2, on Sunday at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.

No. 2 Alabama will face No. 4 Oklahoma... Read more: Alabama advances to 1st-ever Women's College World Series finals with win over California | al.com