Upsets Have Shifted Who Oklahoma Could Battle on the Path Back to the WCWS

The Sooners have taken care of business in impressive fashion, but other seeded teams who would have matched up with OU have struggled.

Oklahoma outfielder Abby Dayton celebrates after scoring a run against Binghamton. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Oklahoma still has business to take care of in the Norman Regional.

The Sooners will battle Michigan at 2 p.m. at Love's Field where a victory would secure OU's spot in next weekend's NCAA Super Regionals.

Patty Gasso's team will have an extra chance to punch their ticket if the Wolverines are able to pull an upset, as the teams would battle again at 4:30 p.m. in a winner-take-all contest.

The winner of the Norman Regional will be paired with the winner of the Eugene Regional in Super Regional play, and Saturday night brought another wave of upsets in Eugene.

Oregon, the tournament's 14-seed, started the day with a 4-0 loss to Mississippi State. Bulldogs pitcher Alyssa Faircloth threw a complete game no-hitter to send the Ducks to the losers' bracket.

Saint Mary's then defeated Idaho State in the first elimination game of the regional to set up a battle with Oregon, which marked the Gaels first victory in the NCAA Tournament.

Late in the evening, Saint Mary's pulled a major upset.

The Gaels took advantage of an Oregon error to jump out to a 4-3 lead in the fourth inning.

Oregon loaded the bases in the fifth and tied the game by drawing a walk, but the Ducks were unable to inflict more damage and take momentum back.

In the bottom half of the inning, the Gaels took the lead back with an RBI-triple.

The Ducks stranded a pair of baserunners in the sixth and left the tying run on first in the seventh as the Gaels closed the upset victory.

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Mississippi State is now in the same position as Oklahoma. The Bulldogs have to win one game on Sunday to advance to next weekend, which will likely entail a trip to Norman, while Saint Mary's needs to notch two more victories to keep their NCAA Tournament journey alive.

The Sooners had met Oregon, who is led by longtime Sooners assistant Melyssa Lombardi and has former OU player Sydney Romero on staff. OU had met the Ducks in each of the previous two postseason campaigns. Oklahoma hosted the Ducks in the 2024 Norman Regional, then the two teams battled in an elimination game at the 2025 WCWS.

There is still potential for an OU reunion next weekend, however.

Former OU star and graduate assistant Samantha Ricketts is in her seventh season as the head coach at Mississippi State, and the Bulldogs are seeking their second Super Regional appearance under Ricketts.