Meet the Teams Oklahoma Could Face in the Norman Regional

NORMAN — Binghamton looked dead in the water.

Needing to beat UMass Lowell twice to win the America East title, the Bearcats trailed 7-0 in the fifth and 8-2 in the sixth on Saturday.

Binghamton roared back with an eight-run sixth to take the lead and win 10-8 before winning the second game 4-2 to earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament despite having a sub-.500 record at 20-25.

Binghamton’s reward is a date with No. 3 seed Oklahoma.

The Sooners and Bearcats will square off at 2:30 p.m. Friday in the first game of the Norman Regional. That game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

Following that game, Michigan will take on Kansas on ESPNU in the matchup of the other two teams in the regional.

OU has never met Binghamton, but has some experience with the other two.

The most experience comes against Kansas, a team the Sooners have played every year since 1980.

The Jayhawks are in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.

OU and Michigan haven’t met since the 2016 Women’s College World Series.

Here’s a look at the three teams other than Oklahoma in the Norman Regional:

Binghamton Bearcats

Coach: Jess Bump, fifth season (142-100)

Record: 20-25, 15-5 America East

NCAA Tournament History: Third appearance. The Bearcats also made the field in 2015 and 2025, going 0-2 each time.

Top Hitter: Sophomore third baseman Rachel Carey was the America East Player of the Year. Carey is hitting .477 with a 1.394 OPS, 14 home runs, 19 doubles, 47 RBIs and 45 runs scored. Carey’s batting average is fifth nationally.

Top Pitcher: Senior pitcher Olivia Kennedy is 8-8 with a 4.72 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 99 1/3 innings. She has seven complete games and a save. In conference play, Kennedy was 5-1 with a 2.51 ERA.

All-time vs. Oklahoma: First meeting.

Notable: Binghamton played two SEC teams this season, falling to South Carolina and Auburn. … Elisa Allen leads the Bearcats with 16 home runs. … The Bearcats’ previous regional came at James Madison (2015) and Oregon (2025).

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Michigan Wolverines

Coach: Bonnie Tholl, fourth season (142-84)

Record: 34-20, 11-13 Big Ten

NCAA Tournament History: 32nd appearance and 30th in the last 31 tournaments. The Wolverines won the 2005 Women’s College World Series. Michigan is 117-64 all-time in the NCAA Tournament with 13 WCWS appearances. In addition to winning the title in 2005, the Wolverines made the WCWS championship series in 2015. Michigan is 91-27 all-time in the regional round.

Top Hitter: Sophomore outfielder Lauren Putz is hitting .442 with 21 home runs and 77 RBIs with 41 walks and 61 runs scored. She has a 1.541 OPS, with a .554 on-base percentage.

Lauren Putz, Michigan — Lauren Putz accepts an award at the Arizona High School Sports Awards at Arizona Financial Theater in Phoenix, June 17, 2024. | Vanessa Abbitt/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Top Pitcher: Junior right-hander Gabby Ellis is one of two Wolverines’ pitchers with more than 111 innings pitched this season. Ellie is 12-7 with a 4.20 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 111 2/3 innings.

All-time vs. Oklahoma: Michigan leads the all-time series 13-8 but the teams have never met in Norman. Teams met in a 2006 regional in Ann Arbor, Mich., with the Wolverines beating the Sooners twice — both in extra innings — to advance. Michigan and Oklahoma had met in the Women’s College World Series three times. The Sooners beat the Wolverines in the first round in 2001 and 2013. In 2016, OU won in the second round over Michigan.

Notable: Michigan beat Kansas 4-2 on Feb. 8 in Tampa, Fla. … Junior righty Erin Hoehn is 8-5 with a 4.29 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 111 innings this season and is hitting .348 with five home runs and 30 RBIs. … The Wolverines’ .973 fielding percentage is second-best in the Big Ten and No. 36 nationally. Of the teams in the Norman Regional, only OU (.983) has a better fielding percentage.

Kansas Jayhawks

Coach: Jennifer McFalls, ninth season (140-177)

Record: 35-19 (14-10 Big 12)

NCAA Tournament History: 13th appearance and first since 2015. The Jayhawks are 17-22 in the regional round and 17-24 in the NCAA Tournament overall. Kansas’ long Women’s College World Series appearance came in 1992.

Top Hitter: Freshman catcher Ella Boyer leads the Jayhawks with 18 home runs, helping Kansas set a program record with 81 home runs so far this season. Boyer is hitting .336 with 57 RBIs, 42 runs scored and 35 walks. Boyer, like Oklahoma’s Kendall Wells and Kai Minor, was on the NFCA Freshman of the Year top 10 list. She was a unanimous pick for Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors.

Top Pitcher: Freshman righty Lila Partridge leads the Jayhawks with 78 innings pitched, striking out 45 and posting a 3.95 ERA. She pitched five innings and earned the win in Kansas’ Big 12 Tournament win over UCF. She threw four consecutive complete games from April 19-May 2.

All-time vs. Oklahoma: OU leads 84-44, including 43-10 in Norman. The Sooners beat Kansas twice last season at Love’s Field, both in run-rule fashion. The Sooners have won 25 consecutive meetings, with the last Jayhawks win over OU coming in 2016.

Notable: Shortstop Hailey Cripe was the Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year. … McFalls was an OU assistant in 1998 under Patty Gasso. … The Jayhawks have four Oklahomans on their roster — September Flanagan of Morrison, Karsen Griggs of Dale, Ellie Loveless of Washington and Aynslee Linduff of Westmoore. Linduff, an outfielder, has started every game this season.

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