This is a fair warning, this will be a lengthy post. I wanted to look into the teams that made the WCWS and kind of get a look at how they got there and some of the key players for each team. I am going to work my way down the bracket. For anyone who needs a reference point the bracket is posted first with game times and TV.
UCLA 48-8
Finished 2nd in the Pac 12
6.39 Runs per game
1.38 ERA, 0.82 WHIP
.973 Fielding Percentage
.324 Batting Average
57 Home runs
61/79 Stolen bases
UCLA has 3 pitchers that they rely on, Meghan Faraimo, Holly Azevado, and Lauren Shaw. Faraimo is a 2nd team All American and the Pac 12 Pitcher of the year. She was 22-4 on the season with a 1.70 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 10.71 K/7. Avevado, was 20-2 with a 1.19 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, and 8.11 K/7. These 2 have pitched all of the postseason innings for UCLA. Offensively, they are lead by a host of players, Bri Perez is their All American (2nd team) shortstop, she hit .393 with a 1.188 OPS. She has 33 extra bases hits including 10 home runs. Delanie Wisz is their catcher and was also a 2nd team all american. She hit .407 with a 1.263 OPS and a team leading 14 home runs. Kinsley Washington is their usual leadoff and hit .355 with a .981 OPS. She has been a clutch hitter throughout her career, including the walk off hit that won the 2019 WCWS.
UCLA swept through Regionals beating Grand Canyon 12-1, Lloyola Marymount 7-1, and Ole Miss 9-1. They beat Duke 3-2 and 8-2 in Super Regionals. The first game against Duke they trailed going into the 6th inning and got a big hit from Faraimo who will also hit for them to take the lead.
UCLA has made the last 7 WCWS including a National Championship in 2019.
Texas 43-19-1
Finished 3rd in the Big 12, Lost in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament
5.81 Runs per game
2.36 ERA 1.24 WHIP
.959 Fielding percentage
.309 Batting Average
92/102 Stolen bases.
Texas pitching is lead by Hailey Dolcini, the transfer from Fresno State was 22-10 on the season with a 2.19 ERA and .94 WHIP, she also had a 7.54 K/7 on the season. She was a 3rd team All American this year. She has thrown 535 pitches through 32.1 innings in the postseason over 5 games, and was getting a ton of work done to her arm in the dugout last weekend. It sounds like she will be pitching but something to watch for. Sophia Simpson is a freshman and was 8-4 with a 3.63 ERA and 1.53 WHIP with 8.60 K/7. She pitched a complete game shutout on Saturday against Arkansas to advance to the WCWS. Offensively Janae Jefferson leads the Texas offense, the 5th year senior is one of the best players in Texas history. She was a 2nd team All American, and hit .431 on the season with a 1.151 OPS. She has hit 3 home runs during the postseason, which is half of her homers on the season. Iakopo is their leading RBI girl, and has a .352 average with a 1.018 OPS. She starts behind the plate for Texas. Mia Scott also hit .370 with a .978 OPS. Scott has 24 stolen bases on the season and is a threat to run as well as Jefferson (16 Stolen bases). One thing to watch is the Texas defense. They come in with the lowest Fielding percentage of the 8 teams by a large margin.
In regionals, Texas went to Washington. They beat Weber State 6-0, Washington 8-2, lost to Washington 1-2, then beat them 3-2. In Supers, they lost the opening game at Arkansas 1-7 then won back to back games 3-1 and 3-0 to advance.
Texas' last trip to the WCWS was 2013.
Northwestern 45-11
Winner of the Big 10, lost in the semifinals of the Big 10 Conference Tournament.
6.73 Runs per game
2.64 ERA 1.19 WHIP
.973 Fielding Percentage
.304 Batting Average
76 Home runs
87/96 in Stolen bases.
They are lead by Danielle Williams in the circle. She was named a 1st team All American today, was the B1G Pitcher of the year, and a Top 10 Finalist for the National Player of the Year. She has pitched the vast majority of the innings for Northwestern, and will likely pitch all of the innings in the WCWS. She has a 1.86 ERa .96 WHIP over 241 innings, and strikes out 9.38 batters per 7 innings. Offensively they are lead by Rachel Lewis, she was also named an All American, and was the B1G Player of the Year. She hit .356 on the season with a 1.323 OPS, 22 HR, and 61 RBI. Jordyn Rudd was awarded the Golden Glove as a catcher, but also hit .375 with a 1.040 OPS. Maeve Nelson plays shortstop and she was 2nd on the team with 12 home runs.
Northwestern swept through Regionals winning 9-2 over Oakland, 17-3 and 10-2 over Mcneese State. In Supers, they won the 1st game 4-3 in 11 innings, lsot the 2nd 4-7 in 8 innings, and then won 8-6. In the Super Regionals, Williams pitched 23.1 of a possible 26 innings.
Northwestern's last WCWS appearance was in 2007.
Oklahoma 54-2
Winner of the Big 12, lost in the Big 12 Tournament finals.
9.20 Runs per game
0.80 Era, 0.78 WHIP
.977 Fielding percentage
.369 Batting average
138 Home runs
59/76 Stolen bases
I'm going to be brief here. Trautwein and May have been great in the postseason, and Bahl will be available this week. The Pitching staff was the best in the country all year long. The offense was also the best in the country, including leading the country in Average, Runs, OPS, Home runs among many other stats. Alo is the home run queen comes in sitting at 117 homeruns in her career. Jocelyn Alo, Tiare Jennings, Jayda Coleman, Jordy Bahl, and Grace Lyons were named All Americans.
Oklahoma swept through regionals, 14-0 against Praire View A&M, Texas A&M 3-2 and 20-0. They swept through the Super regionals 8-0 and 7-1 against UCF.
Oklahoma is making their 6th straight appearance in the WCWS including National Titles in 2016,2017 and 2021 during that span.
Florida 48-17
Finished 4th in the SEC, and lost in the semi finals of the SEC Tournament.
5.78 Runs per game
2.36 ERA, 1.24 WHIP
.317 Batting average
36 Homeruns
131/147 Stolen bases
In the circle, Florida has had a 2 headed duo of Natalie Lugo and Lexie Delbry throw the majority of the innings. Lugo was 11-5 with a 1.98 ERA, and 1.08 WHIP and a 6.58 K/7. Delbry was 15-3 with a 2.20 ERA and 1.24 WHIP, she had a 7.52 K/7. Elizabeth Hightower lead the team in innings on the season, by about 55 innings. She had a 2.44 era and a 1.21 WHIP to go along with a 5.65 K/7. The Florida staff as a whole does not have strikeout a ton of batters with less than 1 per inning, but they have one of the best defenses in the country behind them. Hannah Adams won the Golden Glove award at 2nd base, and since coming back from an injury late in the season has given the Gators a spark in the 2 hole. She hit .379 with a .969 OPS on the season with 15 stolen bases. Kendra Falby is their lead off hitter and plays centerfield for them. She hit .401 on the season with a .962 OPS. She stole 36 bases on the season. Skylar Wallace is their 3 hole hitter most of the time, she was a 2nd team All American, and stole 51 bases on the season. She also lead the team with 8 home runs on the season. Charla Echols plays third base, and was named to the US National team last summer. She hit .306 on the season, and had 58 RBIs on the season. The Gators come in 5th nationally with 131 stolen bases, and play a very different game than most of the team in the WCWS with only 36 home runs.
Florida swept through their regional at home, 10-1 over Canisus, 7-1 over Georgia Tech, and 11-0 over Wisconsin. They went on the road to Virginia Tech in Super Regionals and dropped the first game 0-6, but bounced back to win 7-2 and 12-0 to advance to the WCWS.
Florida is back in the WCWS after missing in 2021.
Oregon State 39-20
Finished 6th in the Pac 12
4.76 Runs per game
2.33 ERA, 0.96 WHIP
.970 Fielding Percentage
.274 Batting average
59 Home Runs
33/49 Stolen bases
Oregon State is lead by 3rd team All American Maraih Mazon. The duel threat has a record of 17-11, a 2.05 ERA, and a 0.93 WHIP. She had a 8.37 K/7 on the season. She also hits in the middle of their lineup. On the season she hit .366 with a 1.227 OPS and 12 home runs. Also in the circle Haendiges had a 13-6 record with a 1.97 ERA , 1.01 WHIP, and a 6.69 K/7. Kiki Escobar leads off for them and hit .343 on the season, with a .758 OPS. She lead the team with 10 stolen bases. Frankie Hammoude is their other big hitter in the middle with a .386 average and a 1.260 OP with 15 home runs. Hammoude and Mazon are the only players with double digit home runs. Oregon State has had a very good postseason, but they just dont stand out on paper.
Oregon State in the regionals beat Ohio State 4-3, lost 0-3 to Tennessee, beat Ohio State 5-1, and then beat Tennessee 8-3 and 3-1 to advance. In the Supers, they went on the road to Stanford and won 3-1, and 2-0 to advance.
Oregon State is making their first trip to the WCWS since 2006.
Oklahoma State 46-12
Finished 2nd in the Big 12, and won the Big 12 tournament.
5.33 runs per game
1.84 ERA, 0.96 WHIP
.981 Fielding Percentage
.295 Batting Average
66 Home runs
64/78 Stolen bases
Oklahoma State is led in the circle by Kelly Maxwell, she was a co pitcher of the year in the Big 12, and a first team All American. She went 19-4 on the season with a 1.16 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP. She had 279 K on the season and a 11.55 K/7 on the season. She has been great this year. With Elish limited to DP only now, Morgan Day has stepped into the number 2 role, and has been really good since. On the season, she had a 13-4 record, a 2.56 ERA, and a 1.01 WHIP. She has a 7.40 K/7. Offensively the middle of the OSU offense is dangerous with Miranda Elish (DP .351 Avg, 1.062 OPS, 7 HR), Katelynn Carwile (.353 AVG, .993 OPS, 7 HR) and Sydney Pennington (.335 AVG, .975 OPS, 10 HR). Cheyenne Factor is also tied for the team lead with 10 home runs in the 2 hole. Chelsea Alexander is a threat on the base paths with 20 steals on the season. Karli Petty and Hayley Busby have reentered the lineup late in the season and played steady ball for the Cowgirls.
Oklahoma State has swept through the regionals and super regionals. They beat Fordham 12-0, Stanford 7-4 and North Texas 2-0 in regionals. And beat Clemson 2-0 and 5-1 in Supers.
Oklahoma State is making their 3rd consecutive WCWS appearance.
Arizona 38-20
Finished
6.12 Runs per game
3.70 ERA, 1.39 WHIP
.965 Fielding percentage
.324 Batting Average
95 Home runs
23/31 Stolen bases
Arizona was another team who did not have a great season, but got in and made a run on the road to get back to the WCWS. On paper, their offense has carried them this year. They have a lot of power with 2nd team All American Allie Skaggs (24 HR), Palacios (19 HR), and Scupin (19 HR) leading the way. The majority of their lineup hits over .300 with Skaggs, and Pacho at .371 each. Perezchica hits .377 in the 9 hole and really turns the lineup over well for them. Arizona does not run much with only 23 stolen bases on the season. In the circle, they have gone with 2 pitchers throughout the postseason. Hannah Bowen was 13-10 on the season with a 3.67 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and a 5.77 K/7. Devyn Netz was 15-7 with a 3.53 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, she is not a strike out pitcher so they will depend on a lot of defense with her in the circle. They hasve the 2nd lowest fielding percentage of the field.
Arizona swept through regionals after being one of the last teams in the field. They beat Illinois 8-3 and Mizzou 2-0, and 1-0. In Supers they went on the road to Mississippi State and won 3-2 and 7-1.
Arizona advances to their 3rd consecutive WCWS and their first under first year head coach Cailtin Lowe.
UCLA 48-8
Finished 2nd in the Pac 12
6.39 Runs per game
1.38 ERA, 0.82 WHIP
.973 Fielding Percentage
.324 Batting Average
57 Home runs
61/79 Stolen bases
UCLA has 3 pitchers that they rely on, Meghan Faraimo, Holly Azevado, and Lauren Shaw. Faraimo is a 2nd team All American and the Pac 12 Pitcher of the year. She was 22-4 on the season with a 1.70 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 10.71 K/7. Avevado, was 20-2 with a 1.19 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, and 8.11 K/7. These 2 have pitched all of the postseason innings for UCLA. Offensively, they are lead by a host of players, Bri Perez is their All American (2nd team) shortstop, she hit .393 with a 1.188 OPS. She has 33 extra bases hits including 10 home runs. Delanie Wisz is their catcher and was also a 2nd team all american. She hit .407 with a 1.263 OPS and a team leading 14 home runs. Kinsley Washington is their usual leadoff and hit .355 with a .981 OPS. She has been a clutch hitter throughout her career, including the walk off hit that won the 2019 WCWS.
UCLA swept through Regionals beating Grand Canyon 12-1, Lloyola Marymount 7-1, and Ole Miss 9-1. They beat Duke 3-2 and 8-2 in Super Regionals. The first game against Duke they trailed going into the 6th inning and got a big hit from Faraimo who will also hit for them to take the lead.
UCLA has made the last 7 WCWS including a National Championship in 2019.
Texas 43-19-1
Finished 3rd in the Big 12, Lost in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament
5.81 Runs per game
2.36 ERA 1.24 WHIP
.959 Fielding percentage
.309 Batting Average
92/102 Stolen bases.
Texas pitching is lead by Hailey Dolcini, the transfer from Fresno State was 22-10 on the season with a 2.19 ERA and .94 WHIP, she also had a 7.54 K/7 on the season. She was a 3rd team All American this year. She has thrown 535 pitches through 32.1 innings in the postseason over 5 games, and was getting a ton of work done to her arm in the dugout last weekend. It sounds like she will be pitching but something to watch for. Sophia Simpson is a freshman and was 8-4 with a 3.63 ERA and 1.53 WHIP with 8.60 K/7. She pitched a complete game shutout on Saturday against Arkansas to advance to the WCWS. Offensively Janae Jefferson leads the Texas offense, the 5th year senior is one of the best players in Texas history. She was a 2nd team All American, and hit .431 on the season with a 1.151 OPS. She has hit 3 home runs during the postseason, which is half of her homers on the season. Iakopo is their leading RBI girl, and has a .352 average with a 1.018 OPS. She starts behind the plate for Texas. Mia Scott also hit .370 with a .978 OPS. Scott has 24 stolen bases on the season and is a threat to run as well as Jefferson (16 Stolen bases). One thing to watch is the Texas defense. They come in with the lowest Fielding percentage of the 8 teams by a large margin.
In regionals, Texas went to Washington. They beat Weber State 6-0, Washington 8-2, lost to Washington 1-2, then beat them 3-2. In Supers, they lost the opening game at Arkansas 1-7 then won back to back games 3-1 and 3-0 to advance.
Texas' last trip to the WCWS was 2013.
Northwestern 45-11
Winner of the Big 10, lost in the semifinals of the Big 10 Conference Tournament.
6.73 Runs per game
2.64 ERA 1.19 WHIP
.973 Fielding Percentage
.304 Batting Average
76 Home runs
87/96 in Stolen bases.
They are lead by Danielle Williams in the circle. She was named a 1st team All American today, was the B1G Pitcher of the year, and a Top 10 Finalist for the National Player of the Year. She has pitched the vast majority of the innings for Northwestern, and will likely pitch all of the innings in the WCWS. She has a 1.86 ERa .96 WHIP over 241 innings, and strikes out 9.38 batters per 7 innings. Offensively they are lead by Rachel Lewis, she was also named an All American, and was the B1G Player of the Year. She hit .356 on the season with a 1.323 OPS, 22 HR, and 61 RBI. Jordyn Rudd was awarded the Golden Glove as a catcher, but also hit .375 with a 1.040 OPS. Maeve Nelson plays shortstop and she was 2nd on the team with 12 home runs.
Northwestern swept through Regionals winning 9-2 over Oakland, 17-3 and 10-2 over Mcneese State. In Supers, they won the 1st game 4-3 in 11 innings, lsot the 2nd 4-7 in 8 innings, and then won 8-6. In the Super Regionals, Williams pitched 23.1 of a possible 26 innings.
Northwestern's last WCWS appearance was in 2007.
Oklahoma 54-2
Winner of the Big 12, lost in the Big 12 Tournament finals.
9.20 Runs per game
0.80 Era, 0.78 WHIP
.977 Fielding percentage
.369 Batting average
138 Home runs
59/76 Stolen bases
I'm going to be brief here. Trautwein and May have been great in the postseason, and Bahl will be available this week. The Pitching staff was the best in the country all year long. The offense was also the best in the country, including leading the country in Average, Runs, OPS, Home runs among many other stats. Alo is the home run queen comes in sitting at 117 homeruns in her career. Jocelyn Alo, Tiare Jennings, Jayda Coleman, Jordy Bahl, and Grace Lyons were named All Americans.
Oklahoma swept through regionals, 14-0 against Praire View A&M, Texas A&M 3-2 and 20-0. They swept through the Super regionals 8-0 and 7-1 against UCF.
Oklahoma is making their 6th straight appearance in the WCWS including National Titles in 2016,2017 and 2021 during that span.
Florida 48-17
Finished 4th in the SEC, and lost in the semi finals of the SEC Tournament.
5.78 Runs per game
2.36 ERA, 1.24 WHIP
.317 Batting average
36 Homeruns
131/147 Stolen bases
In the circle, Florida has had a 2 headed duo of Natalie Lugo and Lexie Delbry throw the majority of the innings. Lugo was 11-5 with a 1.98 ERA, and 1.08 WHIP and a 6.58 K/7. Delbry was 15-3 with a 2.20 ERA and 1.24 WHIP, she had a 7.52 K/7. Elizabeth Hightower lead the team in innings on the season, by about 55 innings. She had a 2.44 era and a 1.21 WHIP to go along with a 5.65 K/7. The Florida staff as a whole does not have strikeout a ton of batters with less than 1 per inning, but they have one of the best defenses in the country behind them. Hannah Adams won the Golden Glove award at 2nd base, and since coming back from an injury late in the season has given the Gators a spark in the 2 hole. She hit .379 with a .969 OPS on the season with 15 stolen bases. Kendra Falby is their lead off hitter and plays centerfield for them. She hit .401 on the season with a .962 OPS. She stole 36 bases on the season. Skylar Wallace is their 3 hole hitter most of the time, she was a 2nd team All American, and stole 51 bases on the season. She also lead the team with 8 home runs on the season. Charla Echols plays third base, and was named to the US National team last summer. She hit .306 on the season, and had 58 RBIs on the season. The Gators come in 5th nationally with 131 stolen bases, and play a very different game than most of the team in the WCWS with only 36 home runs.
Florida swept through their regional at home, 10-1 over Canisus, 7-1 over Georgia Tech, and 11-0 over Wisconsin. They went on the road to Virginia Tech in Super Regionals and dropped the first game 0-6, but bounced back to win 7-2 and 12-0 to advance to the WCWS.
Florida is back in the WCWS after missing in 2021.
Oregon State 39-20
Finished 6th in the Pac 12
4.76 Runs per game
2.33 ERA, 0.96 WHIP
.970 Fielding Percentage
.274 Batting average
59 Home Runs
33/49 Stolen bases
Oregon State is lead by 3rd team All American Maraih Mazon. The duel threat has a record of 17-11, a 2.05 ERA, and a 0.93 WHIP. She had a 8.37 K/7 on the season. She also hits in the middle of their lineup. On the season she hit .366 with a 1.227 OPS and 12 home runs. Also in the circle Haendiges had a 13-6 record with a 1.97 ERA , 1.01 WHIP, and a 6.69 K/7. Kiki Escobar leads off for them and hit .343 on the season, with a .758 OPS. She lead the team with 10 stolen bases. Frankie Hammoude is their other big hitter in the middle with a .386 average and a 1.260 OP with 15 home runs. Hammoude and Mazon are the only players with double digit home runs. Oregon State has had a very good postseason, but they just dont stand out on paper.
Oregon State in the regionals beat Ohio State 4-3, lost 0-3 to Tennessee, beat Ohio State 5-1, and then beat Tennessee 8-3 and 3-1 to advance. In the Supers, they went on the road to Stanford and won 3-1, and 2-0 to advance.
Oregon State is making their first trip to the WCWS since 2006.
Oklahoma State 46-12
Finished 2nd in the Big 12, and won the Big 12 tournament.
5.33 runs per game
1.84 ERA, 0.96 WHIP
.981 Fielding Percentage
.295 Batting Average
66 Home runs
64/78 Stolen bases
Oklahoma State is led in the circle by Kelly Maxwell, she was a co pitcher of the year in the Big 12, and a first team All American. She went 19-4 on the season with a 1.16 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP. She had 279 K on the season and a 11.55 K/7 on the season. She has been great this year. With Elish limited to DP only now, Morgan Day has stepped into the number 2 role, and has been really good since. On the season, she had a 13-4 record, a 2.56 ERA, and a 1.01 WHIP. She has a 7.40 K/7. Offensively the middle of the OSU offense is dangerous with Miranda Elish (DP .351 Avg, 1.062 OPS, 7 HR), Katelynn Carwile (.353 AVG, .993 OPS, 7 HR) and Sydney Pennington (.335 AVG, .975 OPS, 10 HR). Cheyenne Factor is also tied for the team lead with 10 home runs in the 2 hole. Chelsea Alexander is a threat on the base paths with 20 steals on the season. Karli Petty and Hayley Busby have reentered the lineup late in the season and played steady ball for the Cowgirls.
Oklahoma State has swept through the regionals and super regionals. They beat Fordham 12-0, Stanford 7-4 and North Texas 2-0 in regionals. And beat Clemson 2-0 and 5-1 in Supers.
Oklahoma State is making their 3rd consecutive WCWS appearance.
Arizona 38-20
Finished
6.12 Runs per game
3.70 ERA, 1.39 WHIP
.965 Fielding percentage
.324 Batting Average
95 Home runs
23/31 Stolen bases
Arizona was another team who did not have a great season, but got in and made a run on the road to get back to the WCWS. On paper, their offense has carried them this year. They have a lot of power with 2nd team All American Allie Skaggs (24 HR), Palacios (19 HR), and Scupin (19 HR) leading the way. The majority of their lineup hits over .300 with Skaggs, and Pacho at .371 each. Perezchica hits .377 in the 9 hole and really turns the lineup over well for them. Arizona does not run much with only 23 stolen bases on the season. In the circle, they have gone with 2 pitchers throughout the postseason. Hannah Bowen was 13-10 on the season with a 3.67 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and a 5.77 K/7. Devyn Netz was 15-7 with a 3.53 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, she is not a strike out pitcher so they will depend on a lot of defense with her in the circle. They hasve the 2nd lowest fielding percentage of the field.
Arizona swept through regionals after being one of the last teams in the field. They beat Illinois 8-3 and Mizzou 2-0, and 1-0. In Supers they went on the road to Mississippi State and won 3-2 and 7-1.
Arizona advances to their 3rd consecutive WCWS and their first under first year head coach Cailtin Lowe.
