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Four-time defending champion Oklahoma is back in the Women’s College World Series.

And the Sooners enter this year’s WCWS, which begins Thursday in Oklahoma City, as the favorites.

But they aren’t the prohibitive favorites this time around after losing much of the core from the teams that have won the last four titles.

“I still can’t grasp how big this is,” Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso said after clinching the WCWS berth. “I didn’t expect this.”

The Sooners entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 overall seed, behind only Texas A&M, but the Aggies were upset in the regional round by Liberty.

Oklahoma will face a familiar opponent in the opening round.

Tennessee won the regular-season series, taking two of three at Oklahoma in late March.

The seventh-seeded Vols are led by junior pitcher Karlyn Pickens, who is 24-9 with a 1.00 ERA and 280 strikeouts in 204 innings.

Pickens will face a Sooners offense that has been red hot of late, outscoring opponents 47-5 in five NCAA Tournament games.

Two more SEC teams make up the top half of the bracket – No. 3 Florida and No. 6 Texas.

Both teams had to battle through their super regionals, winning a do-or-die third game to advance to their third WCWS in four years.

“They know how hard it is,” Gators coach Tim Walton said of his experienced seniors, Kendra Falby and Reagan Walsh. “They know how all the … ups and downs … young people go through to be consistent in this kind of stage.”

Florida pushed Oklahoma to the brink last season before being eliminated by the Sooners in the semifinals.

The Longhorns spent much of the season atop the polls after losing in the WCWS Championship Series last season for the second time in three seasons.

Texas enters the tournament hitting .359, best among the WCWS field. The Longhorns are led by Mia Scott, who is hitting .438 with eight home runs and 55 RBIs.

Oregon is in the WCWS for the first time since 2018 and the first time under Melyssa Lombardi, one of two Gasso proteges coaching their teams to the WCWS. Florida’s Tim Walton is the other.

“The hardest thing about the World Series is getting there,” Lombardi said. “That is the hardest thing. From there, you just get to play.”

No program has been to the WCWS more than UCLA, who is back in the field for the second consecutive season and 34th time overall.

The Bruins are led by Jordan Woolery, who is hitting .415 with 23 home runs and 86 RBIs.

UCLA was one of three teams to advance out of the super regionals on the road, beating South Carolina in three games.

Oregon won two of three from UCLA during the regular season.

“We’re a different team,” Bruins coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “We’ve got a different grit about us, different focus, and we’re playing to win.”

Two teams are making their WCWS debuts – Texas Tech and Ole Miss, who’ll meet in the first round.

That the Red Raiders are in the field isn’t a huge surprise.

They added superstar pitcher NiJaree Canady in the offseason after she led Stanford to WCWS appearances in each of the last two seasons.

In eight appearances in the event, Canady is 3-4 with a 1.25 ERA.

After transferring to Texas Tech in the offseason, Canady is 30-5 with a 0.89 ERA and 279 strikeouts in 205 innings.

“I’m just trying to enjoy the moment and soak it all in,” Canady said. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned these last three years, it’s that it’s hard to get to Oklahoma City.”

Ole Miss was under .500 in SEC play, and was sent on the road for the tournament.

But the Rebels eliminated host Arizona in regionals and then won two of three at Arkansas to make the WCWS.

“This just means the most,” Ole Miss’ Aliyah Binford, who was one win away from making the field last season at Baylor, said. “It’s so amazing. Why not the Rebels? We’ve worked so freakin’ hard.”

–Field Level Media