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OU opens WCWS vs. Vols eyeing 5th straight title

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OU opens WCWS vs. Vols eyeing 5th straight title


OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma could extend its record run of consecutive national titles to five at this year’s Women’s College World Series.

Patty Gasso’s second-seeded Sooners will face No. 7 seed Tennessee in their WCWS opener. Oklahoma beat Alabama on Saturday to win the Norman Super Regional.

Action in the eight-team double-elimination bracket begins Thursday at Devon Park. The final two teams will play for the title in a best-of-three series starting June 4.

Gasso, who will coach the United States at the 2028 Summer Olympics, has led the Sooners to eight national titles, including six of the past eight and seven of 10. This was Oklahoma’s first season in the Southeastern Conference.

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In other opening-day matchups, third-seeded Florida will play No. 6 seed Texas, No. 9 seed UCLA meets No. 16 seed Oregon and No. 12 seed Texas Tech will face unseeded Mississippi.

Oklahoma will face Tennessee star pitcher Karlyn Pickens, who broke her NCAA record by throwing a 79.4 mph pitch during Saturday’s win over Nebraska. Pickens then shut out the Cornhuskers 1-0 on Sunday.

Nebraska’s loss means Oklahoma won’t be facing former Sooners pitcher Jordy Bahl, who transferred to her home-state Cornhuskers after being named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2023 World Series with Oklahoma.

Although No. 1 overall seed Texas A&M was knocked out in regional play, the SEC has five teams in the field — Oklahoma, Tennessee, Florida, Texas and Ole Miss.

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Florida beat Georgia in three games to advance. The Gators won national titles in 2014 and 2015 and lost to Oklahoma in the semifinals last year.

Texas has reached the best-of-three championship series in two of the past three seasons, with both losses coming to Oklahoma. The Longhorns are also in their first season in the SEC.

Texas Tech and Ole Miss are first-time qualifiers.

Texas Tech beat host Florida State in a super regional. Pitcher NiJaree Canady, last year’s USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, led Stanford to the national semifinals two straight years before transferring to Tech. She led the Red Raiders to their first Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles.

Ole Miss is the only unseeded team remaining. The Rebels beat Arizona twice to win the Tucson Regional and beat Arkansas in super regionals.

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UCLA and Oregon will meet in a matchup of former Pac-12 teams that moved to the Big Ten this year.

Oregon, the Big Ten regular-season champion, defeated upstart Liberty to advance. Liberty stunned Texas A&M in regional play, but couldn’t get past the Ducks.

UCLA was down to its last out against South Carolina in Game 2 before winning, then took Game 3. The Bruins could add to their record 12 World Series titles.



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Tennessee

New Tennessee law allows K9 officers to be transported by helicopter, ambulance to vet

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New Tennessee law allows K9 officers to be transported by helicopter, ambulance to vet


Tennessee State Senators Michele Reneau of Signal Mountain and Bo Watson of Hixson spoke today about the new law supporting police K-9’s.

The act allows injured dogs to get stabilization services on-site and then be transported via ambulance or helicopter to a vet hospital.

“In the past, officers were basically putting the k9 in their car and transporting them in their in their own vehicle, they didn’t have an ambulance or an air ambulance,” said Senator Watson. “This allows for an air ambulance. It also allows for a educational program for those in EMS, who will be taught how to manage canines emergency medical condition, which is different than a human’s.”

In April, Erlanger flew a K9 officer from Clay County, to North Carolina.

It was the first time the program was used for a live transport after several training runs.

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What You Need to Know About Tennessee Softball’s Path to Another WCWS | Rocky Top Insider

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What You Need to Know About Tennessee Softball’s Path to Another WCWS | Rocky Top Insider


tennessee softball
Photo via @Vol_Softball on X

Tennessee softball’s path back to the Women’s College World Series is set. On Sunday night, the Lady Vols were named the No. 7 overall seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament and will host the regional stage in Knoxville as it looks to return to the WCWS in back-to-back seasons.

The Lady Vols are matched up with Virginia, Indiana and Northern Kentucky in the regionals. It would play Georgia, Clemson, UNC Greensboro or Charleston in the super regionals.

Ahead of the tournament, here’s a look at each team in the Knoxville Regional and potential matchups for the ensuing best-of-three super regional if Tennessee advances.

Knoxville Regional

7-seed Virginia

  • 2026 record
  • 2026 conference tournament result
  • 2025 NCAAT result
  • 2026 BAVG leader
  • 2026 HR leader
  • 2026 ERA leader

 

Indiana

  • 2026 record
  • 2026 conference tournament result
  • 2025 NCAAT result
  • 2026 BAVG leader
  • 2026 HR leader
  • 2026 ERA leader

 

Northern Kentucky

  • 2026 record
  • 2026 conference tournament result
  • 2025 NCAAT result
  • 2026 BAVG leader
  • 2026 HR leader
  • 2026 ERA leader

 

More From RTI: Everything Josh Elander Said After Tennessee Baseball Dropped Series Finale Against Texas

Knoxville Super Regional

3-seed Georgia

  • 2026 record
  • 2026 conference tournament result
  • 2025 NCAAT result
  • 2026 BAVG leader
  • 2026 HR leader
  • 2026 ERA leader

 

6-seed Clemson

  • 2026 record
  • 2026 conference tournament result
  • 2025 NCAAT result
  • 2026 BAVG leader
    • Jamison Brockenbrough – .342
  • 2026 HR leader
  • 2026 ERA leader

 

UNC Greensboro

  • 2026 record
  • 2026 conference tournament result
  • 2025 NCAAT result
  • 2026 BAVG leader
  • 2026 HR leader
  • 2026 ERA leader
    • Brooklyn Shroyer – 1.41

 

Charleston

  • 2026 record
  • 2026 conference tournament result
  • 2025 NCAAT result
  • 2026 BAVG leader
  • 2026 HR leader
  • 2026 ERA leader
    • Mackenzie Mathis – 3.34



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Tennessee rowing wins first SEC championship in program history

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Tennessee rowing wins first SEC championship in program history


Tennessee rowing won the program’s first SEC championship in a thrilling finish on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge.

The title came down to the final race with the varsity eight boat, which had the lead against Texas going into the final 250 meters. The Longhorns made a late push to overtake the Lady Vols, but the 1V8 crew held on for the victory to secure the SEC championship on May 10.

Tennessee narrowly beat Texas 79-75 to win the title. It’s the first time the Lady Vols have won a conference championship since 2013 when they were a member of Conference USA.

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The program’s first SEC title comes in the third season under coach Kim Cupini, who has transformed Tennessee into a national powerhouse.

“Phenomenal to see that from the team”, Cupini said in a school release. “Texas coming in was the number one team in the country and had that undefeated eight. So to see the varsity eight clinch like that was awesome. I have to take my hat off to the full team to get enough points to win the SEC Championship and bring that championship home, especially here at home in Tennessee. So, I was super impressed and super proud of them.”

Tennessee moves on to the NCAA Championships at Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Gainesville, Georgia, from May 29-31.

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Tennessee narrowly beat Texas 79-75 with four total wins, which also included the 2V4, 3V8 and 3V4.

The 1V8 boat finished with a time of 6:06.939 for the win. The first varsity eight crew has beaten eight ranked opponents on the season.

The 2V4 was a crucial comeback win for Tennessee. The second varsity four crew fell behind early but caught up to and overtook Texas in the final 500 meters for the win, finishing with a time of 7:12.677.

“I think the boats on the water saw that,” Cupini said. “To be able to race from behind in the event and win is incredible. The second four, we were going crazy on that. It was a group that just got together the other day. They row together a lot as a team and as a group, but that lineup hasn’t been together. So to see them pull that off and get the win was incredible.”

Tennessee swept the third varsity races, with the 3V8 finishing with a time of 6:29.409 and the 3V4 finishing with a time of 7:16.747. The Lady Vols placed second in the 2V8 and 1V4, losing to Texas by a combined 11 seconds.

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Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalllBluesky: @corahall.bsky.social‬. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe





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