2023 Softball Regional Recap
MAYhem indeed!
Did anyone else find it difficult to come down after the hype that was that Sunday and entire weekend of softball regionals? Honestly I am surprised I was able to get to bed a little over an hour after Washington completed their epic comeback against McNeese State. And somehow, that might not have been the most epic and/or nerve racking moment of the weekend. Let’s take a look back on the weekend that was, and later this week I’ll do a preview on the Super Regionals to come.
Oklahoma, Tennessee, Georgia, roll.
Between these 3 teams, the most resistance they came up against over the weekend was the eternal rain delay in Knoxville. Oklahoma obliterated all three of their opponents, with the only shocking thing maybe being that Cal scored. Georgia handled Virginia Tech twice with ease. And while Indiana and Louisville provided us with home runs for days and objectively entertaining games, there was never any doubt who was coming out of Knoxville. Of these teams, Georgia is the only one traveling for their Super Regional matchup, but all of them will head into the weekend with supreme confidence.
Los Angeles Regional…I tried to tell y’all.
I expected UCLA to come out of this regional even though it was the toughest in combined RPI. I figured Grand Canyon would give teams out there fits because they were a legit team all year. What I did not expect was GCU to completely capsize the regional (and brackets at large) by beating UCLA off the jump. From there, most probably thought Liberty had a legitimate shot but they ended up in the losers bracket with the Bruins. San Diego State in the driver seat took care of business but not before Liberty handed UCLA their second loss in as many days. UCLA will not be in a Super Regional, let alone a WCWS for the first time since 2015. Instead the Aztecs will be traveling to Utah, who will be hosting a Super Regional for the first time in program history in their own right.
It (still) pays to have an ace up your sleeve.
Following their elimination in the 2022 postseason, Florida State was anxiously eager to wash that bad taste out of their mouth. They reasonably handled UCF Saturday, so let’s just get it done Sunday. Well, South Carolina decided to make them sweat by using two pitchers to throw a complete game shutout, forcing a winner take all game. In the first game the Noles used multiple pitchers, but they did not use Sandercock. Enter the senior in game 2 and with the help of truly stellar defense, Sandercock casually tosses a perfect game throwing just FIFTY NINE PITCHES!!! That is averaging less than 3 pitches per at bat. Which again, points out how good her defense was, but also how surgical her placement was as well. In a world where most teams are (rightly) going to staffs, it still pays to have that ace up your sleeve.
Baton Rouge Regional…just like I drew it up.
No, not really…no one could have predicted the chaos that ensued between LSU and Louisiana, but I did predict the outcome correctly. How we got there is a whole other story, but Louisiana should have been hosting and I feel that their performance over the weekend, especially the top to bottom grit shown by the team in the last game, proved that. Even with a surface level insight into the rivalry you know there is no love lost between LSU and Louisiana, especially amongst the fans. You could feel that seeping through the TV, specifically in that last game. High drama for one of the most underrated rivalries in the sport, but at the end of the day it is the Ragin’ Cajuns out of the Sun Belt that move on to Super Regionals.
Washington grit, but we can’t ignore the rain.
Rightfully so, most of us were tuning in to see McNeese State finish off a Husky team that had yet to score a run on the Cowgirls that day. They had a 6-0 lead, it was in the bag. Well, the heart of a champion never says die and Washington truly showed that. Whether or not you believe in momentum, it was palpable watching on the screen as the Huskies chipped away at the lead. Throw in some weather that makes pitching quite the wild card, Washington’s comeback is one of the most epic I have seen in sports, period. But do not get it twisted, the rain is not the reason the Huskies completed that comeback, they never gave up. And when they saw a door open, they put their foot in and smashed it wide open. Hats off to them.
Mid Majors, in name only.
If you have been watching softball all year, you are not surprised that these “Mid Major” teams had no fear when going up against their Power 5 competition. Upsets have been happening all year. That usually calms down during tournament time, but not so much this year. While not winning a game the Southern Illinois Salukis managed to push both Utah and Baylor to the absolute brink scoring runs for fun and completing a 7 run comeback, but falling short in extras. Middle Tennessee State pushed Alabama to a final game while also handling a Central Arkansas team most expected to potentially take that Regional. UMBC and Marist showed moxie in their elimination games. Miami of Ohio run ruled Kentucky and almost forced Northwestern into a winner take all. We already mentioned McNeese State but their pitching on the whole over the weekend can not be overstated. Charlotte, while unable to beat Duke, did more than compete with them, especially the final game. Then, of course Louisiana moves on to Super Regionals along with San Diego State who with great help from Liberty and Grand Canyon, vanquished the most storied program in the sport. So I say Mid Majors in name only, because these programs, along with plenty of others in the softball world, go into each game expecting to win. They aren’t intimidated by the crowds, name on the jersey, or softball rankings. They just ball, and know they can beat you if they play their best. We saw a lot of that this weekend, and maybe the committee will take it into consideration when it comes to seeds next year.
Some other quick notes to mention:
Alabama escapes without using Fouts.
Oregon Handles Arkansas twice.
Oklahoma State back to being good Oklahoma State.
Duke, Utah to host their first Super Regionals.
Apparently there’s a Spider Person who plays softball (and I love it).
Stanford looks complete, Florida has many questions to answer.
Clemson Wins the battle of the Tigers.
Texas owns the state.
Hopefully you all have some time to decompress from what was one of the most exciting regional weekends I can remember. And shout out to 7 Innings and their multiscreen option and coverage. Without it, I’m not sure I would have been able to enjoy the weekend as fully as I did. Get some rest everyone, we go again in a few days!