NCAA softball tournament kicks off with powerhouse programs leading

WE’RE TRACKING A FEW THINGS IN THE FIRST WARNING FORECAST HERE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. TOMORROW. STILL HOT. SIMILAR TO THE WAY IT WAS TODAY. CLOSE TO 90 IN THE AFTERNOON. AND EVEN IF THE THERMOMETER DOESN’T QUITE MAKE IT TO 90, IT’S GOING TO FEEL LIKE IT. AND THEN THERE ARE THREE ROUNDS OF STORMS IN THE FORECAST FOR THE WEEKEND. SOME OF THOSE COULD BE STRONG BEHIND THOSE STORMS. THERE WILL BE MORE THROUGH THE FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK AND THEN LONGER RANGE. THE NEXT REALLY BIG CHANGE FOR US IS DRIER WEATHER AND SOME COOLER AIR THAT MAY FINALLY GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE OUTSIDE FOR MORE THAN A DAY OR TWO AT A TIME. TOMORROW, THE HIGH 89 IN BIRMINGHAM, AFTER A MORNING LOW AT 70. IF YOU WERE OUT EARLY THIS MORNING, YOU COULD FEEL THE SUMMERTIME BEGINNING TO CREEP IN, AND IT CERTAINLY FEELS LIKE THAT OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW TO 90 AT CALERA TOMORROW, 90 AT BRENT AND TUSCALOOSA 89 GADSDEN ANNISTON 88 HOMEWOOD 85 AROUND CULLMAN. THEN WE START DEALING WITH WAVES OF SCATTERED STORMS. 1ST MAY CREEP IN HERE VERY, VERY LATE FRIDAY NIGHT, BUT MOST OF THE DAY TOMORROW IS GOING TO BE DRY. MOST OF THE DAYTIME ON SATURDAY WILL ALSO BE DRY, BUT THEN WE’VE GOT MORE STORMS THAT COME IN ON SUNDAY. ISOLATED MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, ANOTHER ROUND OF POTENTIALLY HEAVY STORMS AND THEN OH, THAT LOOKS NICE. HIGH OF 77 WITH SOME DRIER AIR BY THURSDAY OF NEXT WEEK. WELL HERE’S FIRST WARNING LIVE RADAR RIGHT NOW. AND AS PROMISED, NO RAIN TODAY. THERE IS SOME TO OUR NORTHWEST OVER ARKANSAS AND TENNESSEE. AND THEN LOOK AT THIS LINE OF INTENSE STORMS, MULTIPLE TORNADOES IN PROGRESS FROM MINNESOTA ACROSS WISCONSIN AND DOWN TOWARD NORTHERN ILLINOIS. BY 11:00, THAT LINE OF STORMS GOING TO BE IN MICHIGAN AND THEN TRAVELING DOWN TOWARD ARKANSAS. AND THAT’S WHERE WE START TO LOOK FOR OUR NEXT FOCUS FROM ARKANSAS TO TENNESSEE EARLY TOMORROW MORNING, BIG ROUND OF STORMS. NOTICE WHO’S NOT IN IT. THAT’S US. THERE IS A LIMITED CHANCE OF A SEVERE STORM AS SOME OF THIS BEGINS TO COME SOUTH VERY, VERY LATE FRIDAY NIGHT. HERE’S THE NEXT ROUND FRIDAY AFTERNOON. LOOK AT THOSE UP AROUND PADUCAH, KENTUCKY. THIS COULD BE A REALLY NASTY ROUND OF STORMS. THIS BEGINS TO BUILD SOUTHWARD THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. THIS IS 11 P.M. FRIDAY, AND WE STILL HAVEN’T HAD A STORM AROUND HERE. BUT THERE IS THAT LOWER END CHANCE THAT SOME OF THESE STILL COULD BE SEVERE. 3:00 IN THE MORNING APPROACHING CULLMAN. THAT’S SATURDAY MORNING. HAMILTON DOUBLE SPRINGS, FORT PAYNE GADSDEN BIRMINGHAM METRO AREA. PROBABLY ABOUT THE TIME THE SUN COMES UP ON SATURDAY, WE’LL HAVE A HEALTHY ROUND OF STORMS RIGHT UP AND DOWN I-20 AND I-59, AND THEN THOSE MOVE TO THE SOUTH. WE MAY SEE A FEW MORE DEVELOP SATURDAY AFTERNOON OVER SOUTH ALABAMA, BUT THEN OUR ATTENTION TURNS OUT TO THE WEST. SO HERE’S A LOOK AT THE TIMELINE FOR SATURDAY. THIS IS WE’LL ALSO CALL IT LATE FRIDAY NIGHT EARLY SATURDAY MORNING MAINLY NORTH BEFORE 6 A.M. 3 TO 8 A.M. IN BIRMINGHAM TUSCALOOSA. THEN AFTER THAT, STORMS IN THE AFTERNOON WOULD BE DOWN TO THE SOUTH, BUT THEY’LL BE SOMEWHAT SCATTERED ON SUNDAY. THERE ARE STILL SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT EXACTLY HOW THIS IS GOING TO WORK OUT, BUT THERE’S A FRONT DRAPED ACROSS US. THESE COLORS REPRESENT HOW MUCH INSTABILITY AND FUEL THERE IS, SO THERE’S PLENTY OF IT AROUND. AND WE THINK THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP ON THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN WHERE IT’S REALLY UNSTABLE AND WHERE IT’S A LITTLE BIT COOLER AND DRIER TO THE NORTH. SO WE’LL KEEP AN EYE ON THAT FOR SUNDAY AT ANY POINT ALONG THE WAY HERE. SOME OF THESE COULD GET A LITTLE ACTIVE WITH SOME GUSTY WINDS, SOME HAIL, SOME LIGHTNING, BUT I DON’T THINK IT RAINS ALL DAY SATURDAY. SUNDAY IS MORE OF AN IFFY DAY AS TO HOW THOSE ARE GOING TO IMPACT US THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. THEN IT’S DRIER MONDAY. SCATTERED STORMS COULD BE HEAVY AGAIN TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY, AND THAT’S FOLLOWED UP BY FINALLY, WHAT I THINK IS ONE OF AT LEAST 3 OR 4

Video above: Thursday weather forecastOklahoma looked primed to have a bit of a drop-off this season. The four-time defending Women’s College World Series champion Sooners lost the core of the group that had won those titles. Thanks to the transfer portal and an already deep roster, coach Patty Gasso’s team is back in a familiar spot. Oklahoma enters the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 overall seed.The Sooners want more.Many key players are freshmen and transfers who haven’t won a national title. Pitcher Sam Landry was honored as the Southeastern Conference’s newcomer of the year. The transfer from Louisiana was the No. 1 overall pick in the Athletes Unlimited draft. She's 19-4 with a 2.04 ERA. Two of the Sooners' most powerful hitters are freshmen.Gabbie Garcia has 16 homers and Nelly McEnroe-Marinas has 14. In the circle, freshman Audrey Lowry is gaining confidence. She’s 6-0 with a 3.24 ERA. She threw three perfect innings in relief in an SEC semifinal win over Arkansas.“I don’t think any of them have felt like they’ve arrived yet,�� Gasso said of her freshmen. “Their work ethic is quite different in a wonderful way of how you would want to see freshmen come in, and they just keep asking for more �� coming in and hitting at night on their own, those types of things. And it shows.��>> YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD: Community coverage from �� 13Oklahoma (45-7) opens regional play Friday against Boston University. Omaha and California are also in the regional and will play each other Friday. The Sooners have won in less spectacular fashion than in past years, but the results largely have been the same. In their first season in the SEC, the Sooners won the regular-season title and tied for the tournament title after the final against Texas A&M was canceled because of weather. Oklahoma's biggest stars on offense have been sophomores Ella Parker and Kasidi Pickering, both holdovers from last year.Parker leads the Sooners with a .417 batting average. She has 11 homers and 44 RBIs and leads the team with 17 doubles. Pickering is hitting .404 with 14 homers and 45 RBIs. Oklahoma is the clear favorite to advance, but Gasso doesn’t want to hear it.“I’m not listening to what naysayers might say or, ‘Well, you’ve got the easiest (regional),’�� she said. “When people say that, you just have to plug your ears.”Texas A&M is the No. 1 overall seed after falling just short of the Women's College World Series last year. The Aggies almost knocked off No. 1 seed Texas in a Super Regional in 2024. Texas A&M won the opener, then led Game 2 before the Longhorns rallied to win in extra innings. The Aggies trailed 6-2 in the decisive third game, then scored three runs in the seventh before losing 6-5. All three games in the super regional were decided by one run. Texas went on to be the national runner-up.Now, Texas A&M (45-9) is in Texas' position. Emiley Kennedy has a 21-4 record with a 2.68 ERA. Mya Perez leads the Aggies with a .447 batting average, 14 homers and 68 RBIs. Amari Harper is hitting .407 and Koko Wooley is hitting .393. KK Dement has 13 homers.Fourteen of the SEC’s 15 teams made the tournament. Nine are seeded and hosting regionals �� No. 1 Texas A&M, No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Florida, No. 4 Arkansas, No. 6 Texas, No. 7 Tennessee, No. 8 South Carolina, No. 10 LSU and No. 15 Alabama. Ten of the past 12 national champions come from the current SEC, with Oklahoma having won six of those titles.>> FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL: Facebook | X | Instagram | YouTube Florida State, which won the national title in 2018 and was runner-up in 2021 and 2023, will try to return to the WCWS. The Seminoles (46-9), who lost to Oklahoma in a Super Regional last year, are the No. 5 seed and the highest-seeded team outside the SEC. Isa Torres, a finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, is hitting .447 with eight homers and 44 RBIs. The Seminoles open play Friday against Robert Morris. Auburn and South Florida also are in their regional.The Big Ten is well-represented with the addition of ex-Pac-12 powers UCLA, Oregon and Washington. The newly expanded conference sent eight teams to the NCAA Tournament. No. 9 seed UCLA (49-10) hosts UC Santa Barbara on Friday. The Bruins have won a record 12 national titles. No. 16 seed Oregon (47-7), the Big Ten regular-season champion, will begin postseason play at home against Weber State on Friday. Washington (34-17) is in the Lubbock Regional with No. 12 seed Texas Tech. Five of the old Big Ten teams qualified. Michigan, the Big Ten Tournament champion, is in the Austin Regional with Texas. Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio State and Northwestern also received bids. Indiana (33-18) leads the nation with a .368 team batting average. The Hoosiers are in the Fayetteville Regional with Arkansas.Virginia Tech could be a problem in the Tuscaloosa Regional. The Hokies (41-11) feature two players who were selected in the Athletes Unlimited draft. The Blaze took pitcher Emma Lemley at No. 3 and the Bandits chose utility player Cori McMillan at No. 4. McMillan is a finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. She leads the nation with 30 homers and has 63 RBIs in one of the most prolific power-hitting seasons in Division I softball history. Michell Chatfield has 15 homers and Bre Peck has 14. Lemley has a 17-7 record and a 2.74 ERA with 180 strikeouts in 148 innings.The Hokies open Friday against Belmont. Alabama plays Jackson State in the other game on Friday.

OKLAHOMA CITY —

Video above: Thursday weather forecast

Oklahoma looked primed to have a bit of a drop-off this season. The four-time defending Women’s College World Series champion Sooners lost the core of the group that had won those titles. Thanks to the transfer portal and an already deep roster, coach Patty Gasso’s team is back in a familiar spot. Oklahoma enters the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 overall seed.

The Sooners want more.

Many key players are freshmen and transfers who haven’t won a national title. Pitcher Sam Landry was honored as the Southeastern Conference’s newcomer of the year. The transfer from Louisiana was the No. 1 overall pick in the Athletes Unlimited draft. She's 19-4 with a 2.04 ERA. Two of the Sooners' most powerful hitters are freshmen.

Gabbie Garcia has 16 homers and Nelly McEnroe-Marinas has 14. In the circle, freshman Audrey Lowry is gaining confidence. She’s 6-0 with a 3.24 ERA. She threw three perfect innings in relief in an SEC semifinal win over Arkansas.

“I don’t think any of them have felt like they’ve arrived yet,�� Gasso said of her freshmen. “Their work ethic is quite different in a wonderful way of how you would want to see freshmen come in, and they just keep asking for more �� coming in and hitting at night on their own, those types of things. And it shows.��

>> YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD: Community coverage from �� 13

Oklahoma (45-7) opens regional play Friday against Boston University. Omaha and California are also in the regional and will play each other Friday. The Sooners have won in less spectacular fashion than in past years, but the results largely have been the same. In their first season in the SEC, the Sooners won the regular-season title and tied for the tournament title after the final against Texas A&M was canceled because of weather. Oklahoma's biggest stars on offense have been sophomores Ella Parker and Kasidi Pickering, both holdovers from last year.

Parker leads the Sooners with a .417 batting average. She has 11 homers and 44 RBIs and leads the team with 17 doubles. Pickering is hitting .404 with 14 homers and 45 RBIs. Oklahoma is the clear favorite to advance, but Gasso doesn’t want to hear it.

“I’m not listening to what naysayers might say or, ‘Well, you’ve got the easiest (regional),’�� she said. “When people say that, you just have to plug your ears.��

Texas A&M is the No. 1 overall seed after falling just short of the Women's College World Series last year. The Aggies almost knocked off No. 1 seed Texas in a Super Regional in 2024. Texas A&M won the opener, then led Game 2 before the Longhorns rallied to win in extra innings. The Aggies trailed 6-2 in the decisive third game, then scored three runs in the seventh before losing 6-5. All three games in the super regional were decided by one run. Texas went on to be the national runner-up.

Now, Texas A&M (45-9) is in Texas' position. Emiley Kennedy has a 21-4 record with a 2.68 ERA. Mya Perez leads the Aggies with a .447 batting average, 14 homers and 68 RBIs. Amari Harper is hitting .407 and Koko Wooley is hitting .393. KK Dement has 13 homers.

Fourteen of the SEC’s 15 teams made the tournament. Nine are seeded and hosting regionals �� No. 1 Texas A&M, No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Florida, No. 4 Arkansas, No. 6 Texas, No. 7 Tennessee, No. 8 South Carolina, No. 10 LSU and No. 15 Alabama. Ten of the past 12 national champions come from the current SEC, with Oklahoma having won six of those titles.

>> FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL: | | |

Florida State, which won the national title in 2018 and was runner-up in 2021 and 2023, will try to return to the WCWS. The Seminoles (46-9), who lost to Oklahoma in a Super Regional last year, are the No. 5 seed and the highest-seeded team outside the SEC. Isa Torres, a finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, is hitting .447 with eight homers and 44 RBIs. The Seminoles open play Friday against Robert Morris. Auburn and South Florida also are in their regional.

The Big Ten is well-represented with the addition of ex-Pac-12 powers UCLA, Oregon and Washington. The newly expanded conference sent eight teams to the NCAA Tournament. No. 9 seed UCLA (49-10) hosts UC Santa Barbara on Friday. The Bruins have won a record 12 national titles. No. 16 seed Oregon (47-7), the Big Ten regular-season champion, will begin postseason play at home against Weber State on Friday. Washington (34-17) is in the Lubbock Regional with No. 12 seed Texas Tech. Five of the old Big Ten teams qualified. Michigan, the Big Ten Tournament champion, is in the Austin Regional with Texas. Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio State and Northwestern also received bids. Indiana (33-18) leads the nation with a .368 team batting average. The Hoosiers are in the Fayetteville Regional with Arkansas.

Virginia Tech could be a problem in the Tuscaloosa Regional. The Hokies (41-11) feature two players who were selected in the Athletes Unlimited draft. The Blaze took pitcher Emma Lemley at No. 3 and the Bandits chose utility player Cori McMillan at No. 4. McMillan is a finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. She leads the nation with 30 homers and has 63 RBIs in one of the most prolific power-hitting seasons in Division I softball history. Michell Chatfield has 15 homers and Bre Peck has 14. Lemley has a 17-7 record and a 2.74 ERA with 180 strikeouts in 148 innings.

The Hokies open Friday against Belmont. Alabama plays Jackson State in the other game on Friday.

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NCAA softball tournament kicks off with powerhouse programs leading

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