Mississippi State’s softball series against Oklahoma was a story of firsts.
The biggest came Sunday when the No. 20 Bulldogs shut out No. 2 Oklahoma 6-0 to punch their ticket to the Women’s College World Series for the first time in program history.
Firsts along the way included Mississippi State earning a win in the super regional round for the first time ever, erasing a four-run deficit on Friday to beat the Sooners 11-9. It was the first time Oklahoma had ever blown such a lead in a postseason game since 2000. Then, on Sunday in the rubber match, the Bulldogs handed the Sooners their first shutout loss in six years. Oklahoma had previously gone 399 games without being held scoreless, dating back to 2019.
And perhaps most notably on the national level, Mississippi State became the first team in a decade to break up – or at least put a pause on – the Oklahoma softball dynasty. Sunday’s win prevented Oklahoma from making it to the World Series for the first time since 2015. The Sooners won an unprecedented four consecutive titles from 2021 to 2024 and made it to the semifinals in 2025.
If “first” feels like the defining word here, that’s because it takes something historic to topple a Goliath like Oklahoma.
Those making the history happen were Delainey Everett, who closed out the Sooners on Friday before pitching a complete game on Sunday, and Kinley Keller, who drove in three runs in the first three innings on Sunday. Paige Ernstes and Morgan Bernardini added some Sunday insurance with a home run each, while Tatum Silva knocked in three runs on Friday and was a catalyst to the comeback. Not to mention Morgan Stiles, who now has 16 hits across 10 career NCAA Tournament games.
The Bulldogs will look to keep the magic going when they take on No. 4 Texas Tech in the opening round of the Women’s College World Series on Thursday, May 28, in Oklahoma City.