Go yard or go home

How they got here: Texas took over the top spot in the rankings in early April and hasn’t budged since, posting a 45-6 record to capture the Big 12 regular-season ’ship. In the national tourney, the Longhorns put their Super Regional struggles far behind them as they tore through Oklahoma City, racking up three shutouts on their way to the finals.

• Defense isn’t their only strength: Texas is also one of the nation’s most dangerous teams at the plate, boasting the NCAA’s top batting average.

• That said, their bats were quieted by No. 8 Stanford sophomore pitcher NiJaree Canady — the 2024 Player of the Year — in Monday’s narrow 1–0 semifinal win over Canady’s Cardinal. But one run — a true stunner — was all Texas needed to dance into the finals.

Players to watch: Catcher Reese Atwood has been crushing her stellar sophomore campaign. An absolute menace in the batter’s box, Atwood’s broken Texas’ records for single-season home runs and RBIs this year, racking up tons of accolades along the way.

• But Texas’ OKC hero has been pitcher Teagan Kavan, who became the ’Horns’ first freshman to toss a complete-game WCWS shutout Thursday…before doing it again Monday, outdueling Canady each time. Between her and junior hurler Mac Morgan, you literally can’t touch this.

Key to victory: The Longhorns won their regular-season series against Oklahoma 2-1 but fell to them in the Big 12 tourney final. In both those losses, Oklahoma pulled away thanks to a few multi-run innings. So this week, it’s crucial for Texas pitchers to keep their cool and avoid loading the bases for the home run–happy Sooners. Damage control is the name of Texas’ game.

How they got here: Look up “dominant” in the dictionary, and you’ll see this Oklahoma squad. The Sooners have been a seemingly unstoppable force, winning three straight championships and posting an astounding 233-15 record over the last four seasons. But for the first time in years, their national title campaign feels less than inevitable.

• This week in OKC, No. 4 Florida pushed the Sooners to the brink, snapping Oklahoma’s 20-game NCAA tournament win streak with a crushing 9–3 Monday win that forced yesterday’s win-or-go-home matchup.

• Florida had Oklahoma on the ropes until Sooner designated hitter Ella Parker’s sixth-inning RBI single tied everything up. Center fielder Jayda Coleman’s aforementioned eighth-inning walk-off homer sealed the heart-stopping win to keep their historic four-peat dream alive.

Players to watch: The Sooners’ roster is loaded with veteran talent — four of their 10 seniors were selected in this year’s 15-player Athletes Unlimited draft, with bright professional futures ahead of them. From the circle, they’re led by ace pitcher Kelly Maxwell, who threw some serious heat in yesterday’s dub.

• At the plate, Coleman and shortstop Tiare Jennings are near-automatic: That walk-off homer gave Coleman Oklahoma’s career runs record, while Jennings is chasing WCWS home-run history this week.

Key to victory: Oklahoma and Texas are the nation’s top two offenses, so this series will likely be a pitcher’s nightmare. The pressure is on Maxwell and the Sooners’ bullpen to silence the Longhorns’ bats enough for their offensive heavyweights and heads-up baserunning to seal a pair of dubs. No matter what happens, expect an instant classic.

The GIST: The outdoor track & field natty hits the starting blocks today in Eugene, OR, with a packed slate of events through Saturday’s finale, all on ESPN or ESPN2. The women are stealing the show, so here are the gals’ top races to follow through tomorrow’s semis and Saturday’s finals — don’t blink!

The 5k: No. 5 Florida distance queen Parker Valby is likely the most recognizable name on the collegiate track, and for good reason: She’s broken nearly every record she’s chased — but this one has so far eluded her. If she goes extra hard to capture it, expect Valby to match or beat her unreal NCAA–record indoor time of 14:52.79. Tired just thinking about it.

The 800m: Half a mile in under two minutes? That’s no sweat for No. 2 LSU runner Michaela Rose, who does it on the regular. A repeat title in this event is hers for the taking — as long as she stays focused on the NCAAs instead of this month’s Olympic Team Trials, where she hopes to earn a chance to rep Team USA in Paris.

The 4x400m: Arkansas is seeking an indoor/outdoor team sweep this year, and this relay squad is leading the Razorbacks’ charge. They already set an NCAA record at prelims on May 25th, but with reigning team champ No. 3 Texas in the mix, there are no safe bets in this race.

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