Dawn Staley reacts to future SEC matchup between Oklahoma, Texas in WCWS Finals
The Women’s College World Series annually draws eyes from all across the sports world to Oklahoma City to watch the best that college softball has to offer.
South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley made sure to tune into Game 1 between Oklahoma and Texas on Wednesday night.
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Of course, both the Sooners and Longhorns will be heading to the SEC for the upcoming athletic calendar year. That means Staley is going to have a chance to see both of these teams in action next season when they’re battling her South Carolina Gamecocks.
Staley has already confirmed that she plans to be front and center when they come to town.
While Oklahoma and Texas set the standard for college softball in Oklahoma City this week, Staley and her team did the same in the women’s college basketball space.
Staley was tasked with rebuilding her team after losing the core of her team to graduation or the WNBA Draft in 2023. She turned some of her less experienced players into stars and added key pieces from the transfer portal. After many counted the Gamecocks out before the 2023-24 season — Staley proved everyone wrong and completed an undefeated, national championship-winning season.
Even Staley has said that she wouldn’t have guessed that this group would go on to be capable of doing the things they did. But the belief that they could do it and the work ethic they developed over the season became unrivaled. Thus, they won every single game that they played.
Just like South Carolina during the offseason, Oklahoma and Texas have had to overcome adversity to get to where they are today, but only one can leave Oklahoma City as NCAA Champions.
The Sooners would go on to take Game 1 on Wednesday 8-3, meaning a victory on Thursday would secure Oklahoma’s fourth consecutive national championship victory.
The loss was the first for the Longhorns in Oklahoma City. Previously winning their first three matchups heading into the final series, Texas did not give up a run at all in the Women’s College World Series until Wednesday’s matchup.
For the Sooners, they won their first two matchups in their WCWS bracket before being bested 9-3 vs. Florida in the semifinals. Oklahoma punched its ticket to the final with a 6-5 win over the Gators in extra innings.