2008 Women's College World Series
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Women's College World Series
was held May 29 through June 4, 2008 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
. Eight NCAA Division I college softball
teams met after having advanced through a 64-team bracket to play at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium
. The official host for the event was the University of Oklahoma
.
Women's College World Series
The Women's College World Series is the final portion of the NCAA Division I Softball Championship for college softball in the United States. The tournament format consists of two four-team double-elimination brackets. The winners of each bracket then compete in a best-of-three title game series...
was held May 29 through June 4, 2008 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
. Eight NCAA Division I college softball
College softball
College softball is softball as played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education, predominantly in the United States. College softball is normally played by women at the intercollegiate level, whereas college baseball is normally played by men.As with other intercollegiate...
teams met after having advanced through a 64-team bracket to play at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium
ASA Hall of Fame Stadium
ASA Hall of Fame Stadium is a 7,300-seat multi-purpose stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma United States. It is located next to and operated by the Amateur Softball Association....
. The official host for the event was the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
.
Participants
| School | Conference | Record (Conference) | Head Coach | WCWS Appearances (including 2008 WCWS) | WCWS Best Finish | WCWS W-L Record (excluding 2008 WCWS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | SEC Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama... |
56-5 (25-3) | Pat Murphy Patrick Murphy (softball coach) Patrick Murphy is an American softball coach and the current head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide Softball team... |
5 (last: 2006 2006 Women's College World Series The 2006 Women's College World Series was held June 1 through June 7, 2006 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Eight NCAA Division I college softball teams met after having advanced through a 64-team bracket to play in the World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium. The official host for the event is the... ) |
5th (2000, 2005 2005 Women's College World Series The 2005 Women's College World Series was held June 2 through June 8, 2005 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Eight NCAA Division I college softball teams met after having advanced through a 64-team bracket to play in the World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium. The official host for the event is the... ) |
2-8 |
| Arizona Arizona Wildcats softball The Arizona Wildcats softball team represents the University of Arizona in NCAA Division I Softball. Having claimed eight national championships , the Arizona Softball program is one of the most successful in the history of the sport. The Wildcats play their home games at Rita Hillenbrand Memorial... |
Pac-10 | 41-16 (13-8) | Larry Ray Larry Ray Larry Dale Ray is a former Major League Baseball player. Ray played for the Houston Astros in the 1982 season. In five games, Ray had one hit in six at-bats, with one RBI. He played Right Field, and batted left and threw right-handed. He was drafted by the Astros in the 4th round of the 1979... (acting coach) |
20 (last: 2007 2007 Women's College World Series The 2007 Women's College World Series was held May 31st through June 6th, 2007 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Eight NCAA Division I college softball teams met after having advanced through a 64-team bracket to play at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium... ) |
1st (1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2006 2006 Women's College World Series The 2006 Women's College World Series was held June 1 through June 7, 2006 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Eight NCAA Division I college softball teams met after having advanced through a 64-team bracket to play in the World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium. The official host for the event is the... , 2007 2007 Women's College World Series The 2007 Women's College World Series was held May 31st through June 6th, 2007 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Eight NCAA Division I college softball teams met after having advanced through a 64-team bracket to play at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium... ) |
57-25 |
| Arizona St. | Pac-10 | 61-5 (18-3) | Clint Myers | 7 (last: 2007 2007 Women's College World Series The 2007 Women's College World Series was held May 31st through June 6th, 2007 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Eight NCAA Division I college softball teams met after having advanced through a 64-team bracket to play at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium... ) |
3rd (1982, 2002) |
5-12 |
| Florida 2008 Florida Gators softball team The 2008 Gators went 70-5 overall and 27-1 in SEC play. The 70 wins set an NCAA single season record and Florida, named the #1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, advanced to the semifinals of the Women's College World Series. They also were the SEC regular season and tournament champions... |
SEC Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama... |
67-3 (27-1) | Tim Walton Tim Walton Tim Walton is an American college softball coach and a former college and professional baseball player. Walton is currently the head coach of the Florida Gators softball team of the University of Florida... |
1 | - | 0-0 |
| Louisiana-Lafayette | Sun Belt Sun Belt Conference The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions... |
51-12 (19-3) | Michael Lotief Stefni Lotief |
5 (last: 2003) |
3rd (1993) |
5-8 |
| Texas A&M Texas A&M Aggies Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "Aggie" is common at land-grant or "Ag" schools in many states. The teams compete in Division I of NCAA sports... |
Big 12 Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving... |
54-7 (17-1) | Jo Evans Jo Evans Jo Evans is the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies college softball team. She has been the head coach for the team since 1997. Prior to that, she served as the head coach for the Utah Utes from 1990–1996 and for the Colorado State Rams from 1986–1989. She started her coaching career as an assistant... |
7 (last: 2007 2007 Women's College World Series The 2007 Women's College World Series was held May 31st through June 6th, 2007 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Eight NCAA Division I college softball teams met after having advanced through a 64-team bracket to play at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium... ) |
1st (1983, 1987 1987 Women's College World Series The 1987 Women's College World Series was the last WCWS played in Omaha, Nebraska. The Aggies of Texas A&M took home the title beating the UCLA Bruins 4-1.- 1987 All-Tournament Team :Gena Strang, 1b, Fresno St.Julie Smith, 2b, Texas A&M... ) |
18-10 |
| Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Hokies softball The Virginia Tech Hokies softball team is a college softball program that competes in NCAA Division I and the Coastal Division of Atlantic Coast Conference. Their home games are played at the Virginia Tech Softball Stadium... |
ACC Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities... |
49-17 (16-5) | Scot Thomas | 1 | - | 0-0 |
| UCLA UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles . The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pacific-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation . For football, they are in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I... |
Pac-10 | 48-6 (17-4) | Kelly Inouye-Perez | 24 (last: 2006 2006 Women's College World Series The 2006 Women's College World Series was held June 1 through June 7, 2006 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Eight NCAA Division I college softball teams met after having advanced through a 64-team bracket to play in the World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium. The official host for the event is the... ) |
1st (1982, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1999, 2003, 2004) |
88-27 |
Tournament Notes
- Florida and Virginia Tech were the first teams in their respective school histories to reach the WCWS.
2008 Women's College World Series bracket
Game Results
| Date | Game | Winner | Score | Loser | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 29, 2008 | Game 1 | Louisiana-Lafayette | 3-2 | Florida | In 8th inn., ULL pitcher Ashley Brignac threw 21 straight pitches whilst having 3 balls, 2 strikes before batter got out. |
| Game 2 | Texas A&M | 1-0 | Virginia Tech | A throwing error allowed Texas A&M to score an unearned run in the 6th inning. | |
| Game 3 | Arizona State | 3-1 | Alabama | ASU erased a 0-1 deficit and scored 3 runs in the 7th inning. | |
| Game 4 | UCLA | 1-0 | Arizona | Two errors in the first inning helped UCLA score their only run. | |
| May 30, 2008 | Game 5 | Texas A&M | 2-1 | Louisiana-Lafayette | Louisiana-Lafayette tied the game in the bottom of the 6th inning; Texas A&M scored the winning run in the top of the 7th inning. |
| Game 6 | Arizona State | 4-0 | UCLA | Arizona State scored 2 runs in both 3rd and 5th innings; UCLA had 4 hits and Arizona State had 3 hits. |
|
| May 31, 2008 | Game 7 | Florida | 2-0 | Virginia Tech | VT eliminated in 9 innings; UF scored 2 runs in top of the 9th, VT pitcher Angela Tincher Angela Tincher Angela Susan Tincher is a former All-American pitcher who played for the Virginia Tech softball team from 2005–2008, and was a 2008 first-round draft selection for the NPF Akron Racers from Eagle Rock, Virginia... missed tying WCWS record for SO in extra-inning game by 1. |
| Game 8 | Alabama | 5-1 | Arizona | Alabama scored 4 runs in the 6th inning to knock out 2-time defending champion Arizona. | |
| Game 9 | Florida | 2-0 | UCLA | Florida scored on a pitching error and an RBI single in the first and sixth inning, respectively, to eliminate UCLA. UCLA's class became the first in school history to not win a WCWS title. | |
| Game 10 | Alabama | 3-1 | Louisiana-Lafayette | Louisiana-Lafayette eliminated; Alabama scored the winning runs in the 5th inning. |
|
| June 1, 2008 | Game 11 | Florida | 6-1 | Texas A&M | Florida used 3 unearned runs in the 4th inning aided by a catcher's error to break a 1-1 tie and a 2-run HR extended the lead in the 7th inning. |
| Game 12 | Arizona State | 3-1 | Alabama | ASU scored on a three-run home run. ASU advances to the National Championship series, and Alabama is eliminated. | |
| Game 13 | Texas A&M | 1-0 | Florida | Texas A&M advances to the National Championship series. Macie Morrow scored on Kelsey Spittler's triple in the top of the 9th inning. |
|
| June 2, 2008 | Finals Game 1 | Arizona State | 3-0 | Texas A&M | Arizona State had a run in the 1st, 3rd, and 5th innings. Krista Donnenwirth Krista Donnenwirth Krista Lynn Donnenwirth is an All-American Softball Player. She attended Capistrano Valley High School. After graduating from high school with a perfect SAT score, she went on to attend Arizona State University, where she plays shortstop and third base... hit a home run. |
| June 3, 2008 | Finals Game 2 | Arizona State | 11-0 | Texas A&M | Arizona State scored 7 runs in the 7th inning to make the game an 11 run game, blanking the Aggies and taking home the national championship trophy. |
Championship Game
| School | Top Batter | Stats. |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona St. | Kaitlin Cochran (CF) | 1-2 3RBIs HR 2BBs SB |
| Texas A&M | Megan Gibson Megan Gibson Megan Lynne Gibson is an American softball player for the National Pro Fastpitch's Tennessee Diamonds. She was selected by the Philadelphia Force as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 NPF Senior Draft. After the Force folded she was picked up by the Tennessee Diamonds in 2010.She played college... (P) |
1-2 2B BB SB |
| School | Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | AB | BF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona St. | Katie Burkhart Katie Burkhart Katherine Burkhart is an American softball pitcher who plays for the USA Softball team. Burkhart plays professionally in the United States for the USSSA Pride in the NPF in addition to playing in Japan.-College career:... |
7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 25 | 26 |
| Texas A&M | Megan Gibson Megan Gibson Megan Lynne Gibson is an American softball player for the National Pro Fastpitch's Tennessee Diamonds. She was selected by the Philadelphia Force as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 NPF Senior Draft. After the Force folded she was picked up by the Tennessee Diamonds in 2010.She played college... |
7.0 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 31 | 35 |
Final standings
| Place | School | WCWS Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Arizona State | 5-0 |
| 2nd | Texas A&M | 3-3 |
| 3rd | Florida | 3-2 |
| Alabama | 2-2 | |
| 5th | UCLA | 1-2 |
| Louisiana-Lafayette | 1-2 | |
| 7th | Arizona | 0-2 |
| Virginia Tech | 0-2 |
All Tournament Team
The following players were members of the All-Tournament Team:- Francesca Enea, Florida
- Charlotte Morgan, Alabama
- Stacey NelsonStacey NelsonStacey Nelson is an American former All-American pitcher for the Florida Gators softball team. Nelson is considered one of the best pitchers in NCAA softball history, earning 2008-2009 First-Team NFCA/Louisville Slugger All-American honors, 2008-2009 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year...
, Florida - Holly Tankersley, La.-Lafayette
- Angela TincherAngela TincherAngela Susan Tincher is a former All-American pitcher who played for the Virginia Tech softball team from 2005–2008, and was a 2008 first-round draft selection for the NPF Akron Racers from Eagle Rock, Virginia...
, Virginia Tech - Megan GibsonMegan GibsonMegan Lynne Gibson is an American softball player for the National Pro Fastpitch's Tennessee Diamonds. She was selected by the Philadelphia Force as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 NPF Senior Draft. After the Force folded she was picked up by the Tennessee Diamonds in 2010.She played college...
, Texas A&M - Jami Lobpries, Texas A&M
- Kaitlin Cochran, Arizona State
- Krista DonnenwirthKrista DonnenwirthKrista Lynn Donnenwirth is an All-American Softball Player. She attended Capistrano Valley High School. After graduating from high school with a perfect SAT score, she went on to attend Arizona State University, where she plays shortstop and third base...
, Arizona State - Lesley Rogers, Arizona State
- Jackie Vasquez, Arizona State
- Katie BurkhartKatie BurkhartKatherine Burkhart is an American softball pitcher who plays for the USA Softball team. Burkhart plays professionally in the United States for the USSSA Pride in the NPF in addition to playing in Japan.-College career:...
, Arizona State (Most Outstanding Player)
WCWS records tied or broken
- 6,240 Session 1 (Games 1 and 2) total attendance — WCWS record
- 8,230 Session 3 (Games 5 and 6) total attendance — WCWS record
- In Game 11, Florida left fielder Francesca Enea hit two home runs to allow her team to defeat Texas A&M 6–1. She tied the WCWS record for the most home runs in a game that was set by UCLA's Yvonne Gutierrez in 1992 and tied by Arizona's Lindsey Collins in 1999 and UCLA's Andrea Harrison in 2010.
- Arizona State's 11-0 victory over Texas A&M was the largest margin of victory in a WCWS clinching game.
Post-Series Notes
- At the conclusion of their run in the series, Florida compiled a 70–5 overall record, becoming the first NCAA team to record 70 wins.
- The 2008 WCWS marked the first time that ArizonaArizona Wildcats-Athletic program:The University of Arizona participates in the NCAA's Division I-A in the Pacific-12 Conference Arizona participates in the conference's South Division, along with Arizona State, Colorado, UCLA, USC, and Utah...
did not return to the championship game/series while defending one of their eight national championships.
External links
- NCAA Softball
- Schedule, results, and game times at ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
- "Get to know the Women's College World Series field" at ESPN