Every Team in the 2025 WCWS Field: Record, Star Players and Path to Oklahoma City

The path to Oklahoma City for the Women's College World Series (WCWS) is a long one filled with ups and downs over the course of a grueling softball season.

For the eight teams that run through the gauntlet and qualify for the WCWS, the reward is a shot at a national championship. All that stands in each team's way are seven other programs vying for the same title.

All the records have reset, and we're back to a double-elimination setting for these eight programs. That means every at-bat is crucial. Every swing, every strikeout, every hit matters more.

For upperclassmen, this is their swan song. For underclassmen, the WCWS is something of a crash course in grit, determination and greatness. For fans? It's high-intensity fun.

When all is said and done, seven teams will leave empty handed and one will leave ecstatic, on the top of the college softball mountain. So let's break down the field.

Breaking Down the WCWS Field

No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners

Record: 50-7
Head Coach: Patty Gasso (1,565-359-2)
Best WCWS Result: National champions (eight times)

The Sooners stumbled in the middle of the season after jumping out to an incredible 28-0 start. Oklahoma lost to Tennessee, Alabama and Florida before figuring it out, but as a result the Sooners finished with their most losses since 2017.

That being said, the Sooners are peaking at the right time. They've outscored their tournament opponents 45-7 (with a .414 batting average) and ace Sam Landry is 5-0 with a 0.88 ERA in her last five outings.

No. 3 Florida Gators

Record: 48-15
Head Coach: Tim Walton (1,109-302)
Best WCWS Result: National champions (two times)

The Gators have an explosive offense. Among the eight teams remaining, Florida is second in on-base percentage (.447), third in slugging percentage (.596), second in home runs (107) and first in walks (295).

Pitching has been a question mark at time for the Gators, but ace Keagan Rothrock was the 2024 SEC Freshman of the Year award winner and has been brilliant for most of the year.

No. 6 Texas Longhorns

Record: 51-11
Head Coach: Mike White (746-203-3)
Best WCWS Result: Runner-up (two times)

Experience is an invaluable asset when it comes to the WCWS. The Longhorns have plenty of it. Of nine Texas players with at least 100 at-bats this season, eight of them have played in the WCWS.

That experience is probably what kept the Longhorns from panicking after going 7-7 in their final 14 games of the season and then being on the verge of elimination against Clemson in the super regionals.

Teagan Kavan, Citlaly Gutierrez and Mac Morgan were electric to start the season, but have faltered of late. However, the Longhorns will need these three (who are exceptionally experienced) to buckle down and get back to their dominant ways.

No. 7 Tennessee Lady Volunteers

Record: 45-14
Head Coach: Karen Weekly (1,130-354-2)
Best WCWS Result: Runner-up (two times)

Depending on who you ask, the Lady Volunteers might just have the best player in the country in pitcher Karlyn Pickens (although this is debatable and Texas Tech would definitely take exception). The junior hurler is 24-9 with a 1.00 ERA this season, despite pitching against a who's-who of hitters across college softball.

Tennessee will need her to be at her very best, too—on nine different occasions, the Lady Vols have scored one or fewer runs.

No. 9 UCLA Bruins

Record: 53-11
Head Coach: Kelly Inouye-Perez (871-220-1)
Best WCWS Result: National champions (13 times)

Dating back to 1982, the Bruins have missed the WCWS just nine times. That seemed so undoable that we double and triple-checked it to make sure.

That shows you just how consistently great the Bruins have been.

The 2025 Bruins aren't necessarily a group of sluggers, but still feature a great lineup. In fact, among tournament teams, UCLA has three players in the top five in extra-base hits: Jordan Woolery, Megan Grant and Savannah Pola.

No. 12 Texas Tech Red Raiders

Record: 50-12
Head Coach: Gerry Glasco (349-99)
Best WCWS Result: N/A (first appearance)

If Pickens isn't the best player in the nation, then NiJaree Canady is. After spending two years at Stanford, compiling a 41-10 record and 0.67 ERA, Canady joined the Red Raiders and didn't miss a beat.

She's currently 29-5 with a 0.89 ERA (the best in the nation) and 276 strikeouts. Canady simply doesn't get into jams very often, and when she does her stuff is so nasty she can get out of them with relative ease.

Which is great for the Red Raiders, because their lineup might be the weakest of the teams in Oklahoma City.

No. 16 Oregon Ducks

Record: 53-8
Head Coach: Melyssa Lombardi (238-114)
Best WCWS Result: Third Place (two times)

Texas A&M stumbled and Oregon pounced. The Aggies were the No. 1 overall seed, but were upset in stunning fashion by the Liberty Flames. The Ducks had very little interest in taking part in a Cinderella story and quickly dispatched the Flames in two games.

The Ducks have two pitchers (Lyndsey Grein and Elise Sokolsky) who can be handed the ball in any situation and succeed. At the plate, they have nine players with 100+ at bats this season, seven of whom have an on-base percentage at least .415.

They're also nightmares on the base paths. Only three teams in the WCWS have stolen 72 or more bases, but Oregon clocks in with 172 of them.

The only real downside to Oregon is that the team strikes out a lot. And in the WCWS, where every team is throwing its ace, things could get dicey.