r1186058 608x342 16 9 - Replay Madness

Jun 13, 2023, 04:10 PM ET

The 2023 Women’s College World Series concluded last week in historic fashion, with the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed Oklahoma Sooners winning their third-straight title.

Oklahoma caps off the season with a 61-1 record on an NCAA DI softball record-breaking 53-game winning streak. The runner-up Florida State Seminoles downed Oklahoma State, Washington and Tennessee to reach the championship series undefeated before falling short to the Sooners.

This postseason proved to be yet another great yet emotional tournament. Seniors like Montana Fouts, Kathryn Sandercock, Ashley Rogers and Grace Lyons said goodbye to collegiate softball.

Here are some of the best players and plays from the 2023 WCWS and the final poll for the 2023 college softball season.

Key Players of the WCWS

Tiare Jennings, Oklahoma: Jennings only knows winning. In her three years at Oklahoma, she has claimed three national titles. During this year’s WCWS, she hit a .425 batting average, one home run and six RBIs.

Kathryn Sandercock, Florida State: Sandercock capped off her final college postseason. The reigning ACC Pitcher of the Year allowed just four runs in 20.2 innings pitched with a 2.12 ERA.

Nijaree Canady, Stanford: Canady turned heads in her first NCAA Tournament appearance. She threw 25 strikeouts and allowed nine hits.

Best Plays of the WCWS

Kaley Mudge robs Oklahoma’s home run

Mudge robbed Haley Lee’s homer and kept Oklahoma from adding to its lead. Believe it or not, this was the first of two home run robberies in the exciting 2023 WCWS Championship series.

Tennessee escapes a potentially-bad situation

Things looked like they might get out of hand for the Vols after Tallen Edwards’ base hit. However, Katie Taylor regrouped herself and delivered the ball to help keep Oklahoma State from getting on the board.

Tiare Jennings’ birthday hit

Jennings helped lift the Sooners past Stanford with this game-winning blast. Her two-run double punched Oklahoma’s ticket to the WCWS.

Here are the schools ranked in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll (games as of June 13):

1. Oklahoma, 61-1 (25 first-place votes)
2. Florida State, 58-11
3. Stanford, 47-15
4. Tennessee, 51-10
5. Washington, 44-15
6. Oklahoma State, 47-16
7. Alabama, 45-22
8. Utah, 42-16
9. Clemson, 49-12
10. Duke, 48-12
11. Texas, 45-15-1
12. Georgia, 42-15
13. Northwestern, 42-132
14. Oregon, 38-17
15. UCLA, 52-7
16. Louisiana, 50-16
17. Arkansas, 40-19
18. San Diego State, 39-17
19. Auburn, 43-19
20. LSU, 42-17
21. Florida, 38-22
22. Baylor, 40-18
23. South Carolina, 40-22
24. Virginia Tech, 39-20
25. Wichita State, 44-12





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College softball rankings: 2023 NCAA final Top 25 poll