Women's College World Series finals mark an end of an era

The WCWS finals start Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN), and Oklahoma plays longtime rival Texas in the teams' final head-to-head meeting as Big 12 members.

The two schools will remain conference rivals after the season, albeit in the SEC. The Sooners and Longhorns are set to join the conference on July 1.

The Oklahoma-Texas rivalry has been the bedrock of the Big 12 since its 1996-97 expansion, and the winner will give the conference a nice parting gift with another NCAA championship.

Oklahoma aims to become the first program in NCAA history to four-peat as Women's College World Series champion. Manager Patty Gasso is seeking her eighth national title at Oklahoma, which would put her in a tie for most all-time (Sharron Backus, Mike Candrea).

The Sooners claim 43 national championships in all sports, and their athletics website notes, "Oklahoma currently boasts a streak of ten consecutive years with at least one national championship (not including the COVID-shorted 2019-20 season)."

Texas lost to Oklahoma in the 2022 finals and is seeking its first softball championship. The Longhorns have been on a hot streak in women's sports. They're the reigning NCAA champs in three, including volleyball, rowing and outdoor track, which holds its 2024 finals from June 5-8.
Since leaving the Southwestern Conference for the Big 12 in 1996, Texas has 31 NCAA championships overall, including 11 over the last four years.

Through their first three games of the 2024 WCWS, the Longhorns have outscored their opponents 15-0 and have allowed three hits in 19 innings.