The kind of early-summer haze that covers Devon Park an hour before first pitch and makes the outfield lights appear softer than they should is currently present in Oklahoma City. The Women’s College World Series is in its peculiar middle phase, where the games are crucial but the attendance hasn’t yet reached its peak. On Thursday, eight teams showed up. Only six remain by Sunday afternoon, and two of them will be leaving before supper.
If you read the schedule slowly, it tells a story. There will be two crucial elimination games on Sunday, May 31. Nobody in the Longhorns’ camp could have anticipated the matchup between Texas and Nebraska, which takes place on ABC at three in the afternoon. Then, at seven, UCLA takes on Texas Tech on ESPN, pitting a team that has won eleven national championships against one that is vying for its first. It’s difficult to ignore how rapidly the bracket has altered the anticipated sequence of events.
Texas, the reigning champion, was defeated six to three by Tennessee in their first game on Thursday. The entire week was rearranged by that one outcome. After defeating Mississippi State on Friday, the Longhorns are now just one defeat away from returning home. Nebraska, which defeated Arkansas in ten innings before losing to Alabama on Saturday, is in a similar situation. Both groups are proficient in math. One game, one chance, one side of the bracket.
The calendar becomes exceptionally busy on Mondays. Two of the four games are marked “if necessary,” which is bracket jargon for “we’ll know by then who needed a second chance.” The contingency games are scheduled in between Games 11 and 13, which begin at noon and seven, respectively. The WCWS semifinal format has always been a little peculiar, with undefeated teams receiving a day off while the injured teams struggle through doubleheaders. It’s evident that the format rewards survival just as much as skill.
The two teams that have yet to lose in Oklahoma City are Alabama and Tennessee. The Crimson Tide defeated Nebraska on Saturday and UCLA on Thursday. After eliminating Texas, Tennessee defeated Texas Tech 2 to 1 in eight innings on Saturday. Now both teams are waiting. As this plays out, there’s a subtle sense that the rest could cut both ways, that a team can either become sharper or dull by remaining motionless for 48 hours while the other side struggles. Coaches won’t say which one they are more afraid of.
The Championship Series doesn’t start until eight o’clock on Wednesday, June 3. Thursday is Game 2, and if necessary, Friday is Game 3. ESPN will broadcast one game per night for three nights. The way the tournament picks up speed in the middle and then slows down for the last act has an almost theatrical quality. It provides players with a respite, broadcasters with an opportunity to develop the narrative, and Oklahoma City fans with an excuse to stay in their hotel rooms for an additional night.
The novelty of this year’s bracket is what makes it worthwhile to watch. Texas Tech, ranked eleventh, came here as the lowest-seeded team in the field after defeating Florida in a road super regional. Despite the Bulldogs’ elimination, Mississippi State entered the tournament unseeded after defeating Oklahoma in Norman. The typical suspects—Oklahoma in particular—are completely absent. Perhaps people will remember this year more for the disruption than the champion.
The trophy will be held by someone by Friday night. Everything revolves around that one moment, including the schedule, the bracket, the elimination games, and the rest days.
