Duke softball faces reigning national champion Oklahoma in World Series opener

Its road to the Women’s College World Series spans four states, 1,191 miles and two time zones, but Duke is more than happy to make the trek.

The softball team’s locker room features a map to Devon Park — formerly USA Hall of Fame Stadium — in Oklahoma City, where the postseason tournament takes place — and displays a simple statement: Conquer adversity.

The Blue Devils (52-7) have done that and more. Head coach Marissa Young faced personal challenges with her husband’s health, spanning back to this time last season. She led the program to an ACC regular season title, ACC Championship, NCAA Regional title, and an upset in the Columbia Super Regional on Sunday. Its 52 wins set a new single-season record for the Blue Devils, topping the previous record by four.

“We’re making history here, and we’re excited to take this team to OKC,” Young said on Sunday.

The Super Regional win set up a matchup with reigning national champion and No. 2 Oklahoma (54-6) at 2:30 p.m. ET Thursday. Not only will it be Duke’s first-ever WCWS appearance in the program’s seven-year history but a rematch of the season opener.

OU seeks its fourth-straight national title; a feat that’s never been accomplished in the sport. Meanwhile, Duke — with few external expectations — hopes to steal a game from the champs.

“Our mentality is that we’re going to compete,” left-handed pitcher Cassidy Curd said on Sunday after winning the Super Regional. “Whoever we play, no matter where it is — in Durham, in Missouri, in Oklahoma; I don’t care — we’re gonna give it our all.

“I think it’s super important to go in with a neutral head space. The ball doesn’t know who’s a 10 seed or a 1 seed. The ball doesn’t care. The game doesn’t care.”

The last time up

OU and Duke played on Feb. 8 in the Puerta Vallarta Challenge. The Sooners — in the midst of their 71-game win streak — won 3-0 and was the Blue Devils’ only shutout of the season.

Curd started in the circle but struggled with control in the outing. She allowed three runs, three hits, four walks, two wild pitches and struck out three batters in 2 ⅔ innings of work.

Oklahoma native Lillie Walker threw for 2 ⅓ innings. She also allowed three hits and gave up a walk but did not allow any additional runs to score.

The Blue Devils had six base runners in the contest, with Kelly Torres reaching twice, but they never plated a run.

Key factor: Which bats get hot against elite pitching?

Despite the seeding differential, Duke and Oklahoma entered the postseason as two of the best teams in the nation. The Sooners ranked No. 2 in the RPI, with the Blue Devils right behind at No. 3, and their WCWS opener could be closer than expected.

The Blue Devils ranked No. 12 in batting average (.332) before Game 3 of its Super Regional. They dropped to No. 17 (.258) after going 7 of 34 against Mizzou on Sunday. Meanwhile, Oklahoma ranks No. 7 in the same category (.325).

The Sooners most valuable asset in a potential pitchers duel may be its on base percentage (.473), No. 1 in the nation, and ability to draw walks (26 in postseason).

They’re able to use those opportunities to score in every way possible. They’re known for their home run power, but Oklahoma can also manufacture runs with effective base running and patience at the plate. It focuses on effective at-bats, which include sacrifice hits.

Duke ranks No. 17 in on base percentage (.326) in the postseason and drew 15 walks.

The two squads feature some of the nation’s top home run hitters, as well. OU’s Tiare Jennings ranks No. 6 (22) and ranks No. 3 in NCAA history (95). Sooner Alyssa Brito and ACC Player of the Year Claire Davidson are tied at No. 22, with 18 homers each.

This year, OU showed fallibility, losing six games for the first time since 2019 and ending its 11-year streak of Big 12 regular season titles.

Its pitching staff features former Oklahoma State ace Kelly Maxwell, Nicole May, Karlie Keeney and Winston-Salem native Kierston Deal. It holds a 2.21 season ERA and 1.97 NCAA Tournament ERA.

May enters the game No. 13 in the country for postseason ERA (0.58), while Maxwell lands at No. 46 (2.00). The Sooners have allowed 10 runs in the last two weekends.

The Blue Devils bullpen includes Curd, Jala Wright and Oklahoma native Lillie Walker. It boasts a 2.10 season ERA and 1.30 postseason ERA as a staff. Curd ranks No. 21 in the postseason for ERA (0.72) and Wright comes in at No. 38 (1.37).

Duke allowed 11 runs in the tournament so far.

One underrated matchup could be between center fielders D’Auna Jennings and Jayda Coleman. Both players are known for their web gems at the warning track, but Coleman’s resume includes three titles and a 2023 National Player of the Year finalist nod.

“If you watch our games, I catch a lot of balls. That’s the testament to my confidence,” Jennings said on Saturday. “I think I’m the best center fielder in the nation. Period.”

This matchup will likely come down to which team’s offense can make the necessary adjustments against some of the best arms in the country.

How to watch Oklahoma-Duke in WCWS

The Blue Devils and Sooners face off in the second game of opening day, Thursday, May 30. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Streaming services DIRECTV Stream, fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV and SlingTV also carry ESPN.

Other possible Blue Devils matchups

WCWS teams play a double-elimination format to determine the final pair, who then play a best-of-three series for the national championship. The Blue Devils are guaranteed to play a second game, regardless of the outcome against Oklahoma.

Their side of the bracket includes No. 14 Alabama and No. 6 UCLA.

The Bruins lead the sport with 12 national titles, its last coming in 2019, and won the Pac-12 this season. They swept Georgia in the Super Regional and were tested in Regionals against Virginia Tech. The Hokies fell to UCLA, 7-6. Like OU, UCLA is effective at getting on base and led by Maya Brady. Their pitching, however, has been suspect all year and could be used against them.

Some fans criticized the NCAA Selection Committee for allowing Alabama to host a Regional, but the Crimson Tide earned its spot in the final eight. It was tested by South Carolina Upstate and Southeast Louisiana in Tuscaloosa but managed to go undefeated. Then, the Tide knocked off No. 3 seed Tennessee in Super Regionals, playing a 14-inning game on Saturday to tie the series. Bama may not have eye-popping stats, but it showed a lot of grit to get here.