Oklahoma
UCLA enters Women's College World Series confident after rallying to reach Oklahoma City
UCLA’s bid for a 13th national championship begins Thursday with a familiar opponent at the Women’s College World Series.
The Bruins (54-11) face Oregon at Devon Park at 6:30 p.m. (PST) on the first day of a double-elimination tournament featuring Florida, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Texas Tech.
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Two finalists will play a best-of-three series to determine the NCAA softball champion beginning June 4.
The matchup between UCLA and Oregon will be the 131st meeting between current Big Ten teams and former Pac-12 rivals. The Bruins have dominated the series with 97 wins.
Read more: UCLA rolls past South Carolina, earns spot in Women’s College World Series
The teams played once previously in the World Series in 2015, with UCLA winning, 7-1.
More recently, Oregon (53-8) won two of three at home against the Bruins in April. Only one of the games was close. The host Ducks won by scores of 3-1 and 9-0. UCLA won the second game, 8-0.
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“What I learned most was our best is yet to come,” UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said Wednesday. “We didn’t play our best ball. We had a day. We had a day where we definitely showed up on day two and finished a game, but day three we didn’t finish out.
“At the end of the day, you go to every series with a goal of winning the series, and we walked away knowing we just didn’t play our best game. And I think that really set the tone for us getting ready to be able to come through in games like we did in regionals and super regionals because of those lessons learned.”
UCLA won back-to-back elimination games in the Super Regionals at South Carolina to advance to Oklahoma City. The Bruins were down to their final out in Game 2 when Jordan Woolery hit a 2-run walk-off home run to cap a four-run rally.
The homer secured the largest seventh-inning comeback in UCLA postseason history.
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Read more: Bombs away: UCLA’s Jordan Woolery, Megan Grant are a power duo unlike any other
The ninth-seeded Bruins are led by Woolery, a USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 10 finalist, and Top 25 finalist Megan Grant.
The junior sluggers have combined for 48 home runs and 165 runs batted in, which leads all duos nationally. Grant and Woolery’s combined RBI total is the most by a pair of UCLA players in a single season.
Kaitlyn Terry and Taylor Tinsley will lead the way in the circle for the Bruins.
Terry is 19-5 with a 2.62 ERA while Tinsley is 15-4 with a 2.62 ERA. In the South Carolina super regional, the pair allowed four runs on 12 hits — all singles
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No. 16 seed Oregon, the Big Ten regular-season champion, last played in the World Series in 2018.
The Ducks bring balance to the matchup, with 85 homers and nearly three steals a game. Oregon is the only team in the NCAA ranked in the top 10 in scoring, ERA and fielding.
UCLA pitcher Kaitlyn Terry delivers the ball from the mound during the Bruins’ win over South Carolina Sunday. (Ross Turteltaub / UCLA Athletics)
Oregon’s pitching ace is Lyndsey Grein, who is 29-2-3 with a 2.08 ERA and 134 strikeouts with 41 walks.
She started all three games in the Bruins’ series and didn’t allow a run in 11.1 innings of work.
Woolery had four hits and four RBIs in the series while Grant went 1 for 5 with a double and three walks.
Both players are looking forward to the challenge of facing Grein again.
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“Yeah, good pitching brings good competition,” Woolery said. “So I think we just try to rise to the occasion. I think we’re just really grateful to face more great pitching once again this weekend, and I feel like it’s going to be a really great opportunity for both of us.”
Grant is looking to break out on the big stage.
“It’s great competition, and it’s a competitive battle at the end of the day,” she said. “Going to win some, going to lose some, but I’m excited for the next opportunity to play again.”
The winner of tomorrow’s game faces the winner of the game between Mississippi and Texas Tech on Saturday at 4 p.m. (PST).
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The loser between UCLA and Oregon plays the loser of Mississippi-Texas Tech at 6:30 p.m. (PST) Friday.
Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Oklahoma State Department of Education has launched the Oklahoma Educator Launch & Mentorship Initiative, a statewide effort aimed at improving teacher recruitment and retention through training, mentorship and financial support for educators.
Oklahoma Teacher Initiative
The program includes a five-day Summer Launch Institute scheduled for July 27–31, 2026, followed by year-long mentorship support for first-year teachers.
OSDE said new teachers will be paired with experienced educators throughout the school year to help strengthen classroom readiness and long-term retention.
“Participating first-year teachers may earn up to $2,000 in stipends, while mentors may receive up to $10,000 for supporting new educators,” said Autumn Kouba, OSDE’s senior director of teacher recruitment and retention.
Focus On Teacher Recruitment and Retention
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Lindel Fields said the initiative is designed to support teachers early in their careers while recognizing experienced educators who serve as mentors.
“Recruiting great teachers is only part of the equation,” Fields said in a release. “We also have to ensure they feel supported, prepared, and encouraged to remain in the profession.”
Program Details
- Summer Launch Institute runs July 27–31, 2026
- First-year teachers can receive up to $2,000 in stipends
- Mentors may earn up to $10,000
- Retired educators and experienced teachers can apply as mentors
What happens next?
Applications are open now, and the Summer Launch Institute begins July 27, 2026.
From their favorite music to their Braum’s order, Oklahoma City-area high school athletes have a wide range of views.
The Oklahoman asked each athlete who attended an annual media day to answer those questions and more.
Let’s get to know the athletes in the Prep Spotlight:
Order book on Oklahoma HS basketball at ‘The Big House’
Logan Janaway, Washington
Sport: Golf
Class: Sr. | Ht./Wt.: 6-5/240
College choice: Seminole State
Social media: @janawaylogan (Instagram)
Favorite Braum’s order: “Chicken strip dinner”
Favorite pregame musical artist and/or song: “Firefly” by Ty Myers
What’s your dream career outside of being a professional athlete? “Pharmacist”
Who’s the best athlete you’ve played against?: “(Oklahoma State golfer and former Community Christian star) Collin Bond”
If you could change your school mascot, what would it be and why?: “Bugs because annoying”
Nick Sardis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Nick? He can be reached at nsardis@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @nicksardis. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Nick’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KOKH) — Three Oklahoma wildland fire task forces are headed to Kansas to assist with wildfires in southwest Kansas.
Governor Kevin Stitt and the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM) said three task forces made up of fire departments from Major, Noble, and Washington counties would assist with ongoing wildfires near Ashland.
The task forces include 32 firefighters, 15 brush trucks, and 1 tender. Crews will be deployed for 12 hours, but that period could be extended.
“Oklahoma is ready to extend the Oklahoma standard as communities respond to these fires,” said Governor Kevin Stitt. “Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management is activated and is deploying resources to assist local partners in need. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide updates as needed.”
The crews are deploying at the request of the Kansas Department of Emergency Management. The department requested assistance through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC).
EMAC is a national aid system allowing states to send assistance to help with disaster relief efforts in other states.
“EMAC allows states to quickly share resources when they’re needed most, and we’re grateful our county partners are answering the call to support Kansas,” OEM Director Annie Mack Vest said.
OEM said more support may be deployed if needed.
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