Auburn Softball: WCWS Championship Preview

After a clutch double-header sweep last Sunday to eliminate Arizona in the super regional round, Auburn softball extended their season into the Women’s College World Series (WCWS) for the second consecutive year — the only two trips to the big show in its history.

Unlike last year, however, simply making it to the WCWS — the semifinal round specifically — wasn’t going to be enough.

The Tigers would knock off softball royalty (11-time national champion UCLA), the tournament Cinderella (16-seed Georgia), and the ACC regular season and tournament champion (Florida State). For their efforts, they have earned a berth into the championship series against No. 3 seed Oklahoma.

Now extended visitors to Oklahoma City, the premier stage in all of college softball, the Tigers (57-10) will attempt to defeat the recently unbeatable Sooners (55-7) in a best-of-three series to enter softball immortality as only title teams do.

Big 12 champion Oklahoma, like SEC Tournament winner Auburn, had an undefeated jaunt through the WCWS to the best-of-three championship final. The Sooners bested sixth-seeded Alabama, Big Ten champion and No. 2 seed Michigan, and LSU.

Tonight, Auburn softball will look to continue their march toward the school’s first softball national championship when they collide with Oklahoma at 7:00 p.m. CT on ESPN.

It isn’t often the Tigers face a team which tops them on paper. Oklahoma, however, does just that.

While the pitching numbers are generally close other than, as usual, the opposition registering more strikeouts by a wide margin, it must be noted that the Sooners go to two-time Big 12 Pitcher of the Year Paige Parker in big money games — and most games in general — and she boasts a mere 1.64 ERA over more than 235 innings.

Oklahoma hasn’t used a pitcher other than Parker since the regular season. Will her arm hold up with a fourth game tonight in four days? And if so, a fifth in five days? A sixth, if necessary, in six days?

Oklahoma’s offense has remarkable balance with literally no weak-spot in the entire lineup. All nine starters hit over .300, with eight players topping .333 and seven higher than even .345.

Six Sooners also have seven or more home runs and seven have notched six-plus stolen bases.

It’s no surprise then that Oklahoma has seven All-Big 12 selections, the most in the conference, and grabbed all five individual honors.

While some Auburn followers probably would’ve liked LSU to shock the softball world and beat the Sooners, now winners of 30 consecutive games, twice in a row in the semifinals — to make the path to the title smoother for the Tigers — that wasn’t meant to be.

The easier road is for other teams — not this one.

If this Auburn set of softball Tigers — this profoundly poised,  wonderfully resilient team — is going to accomplish yet another first for the program, this time by reaching the pinnacle of their sport, it’s only fitting that to do so they scale their highest mountain to-date.

SIX SOONERS TO WATCH

Paige Parker: 36-3, 1.64 ERA, 238.1 IP, 263 K, 64 BB
Two-time Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-Big 12. Oklahoma has relied heavily on the sophomore lefty’s arm all WCWS — and season — long. That will continue.

Erin Miller: .388 AVG, .466 OBP, 9 HR
Big 12 Co-Player of the Year and two-time First Team All-Big 12. The senior outfielder is an extra-base specialist with 22 doubles and three triples in addition to her home run ability.

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Shay Knighten: .395 AVG, .444 OBP
Big 12 Freshman of the Year and First Team All-Big 12. The first baseman has the most powerful bat in the Sooners lineup with 13 home runs.

Kelsey Arnold: .390 AVG, .423 OBP
Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. The sophomore was perfect in Big 12 play, making zero errors in 56 chances at shortstop. She leads the Sooners with 15 steals.

Caleigh Clifton: .352 AVG, 5 HR, 14 SB
Second Team All-Big 12. The freshman second baseman has an eye-popping .551 on-base percentage.

Sydney Romero: .347 AVG, .406 OBP, 9 HR, 14 2B
Second Team All-Big 12. In just her freshman campaign, the third baseman has outlasted — and, in their WCWS showdown, outplayed — her sister, USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Sierra Romero.

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES SCHEDULE

Tonight
Game 1: 7:00 p.m. (ESPN)

Tuesday
Game 2: 7:00 p.m. (ESPN)

Wednesday
Game 3 if necessary: 6:00 p.m. (ESPN)

All times central.