Oklahoma opens its super regional series against Mississippi State at 12 p.m. CT Friday at Love's Field in Norman, Oklahoma, and Audrey Lowry will likely take the circle for the Sooners.
Lowry is chasing her 23rd win of the season after throwing 4.2 innings against Michigan in the regional round, allowing one earned run and three hits while striking out three. The Sooners arrive having outscored opponents 20-1 in three Norman Regional games and 28-1 in the regional round overall, which included two run-rule victories and an 8-1 win over Michigan. Oklahoma’s pitching staff, collectively, allowed just one earned run and six hits during that three-game sweep.
Mississippi State reached the super regional with its own stingy run prevention. The Bulldogs allowed just two earned runs in three regional games, beating Oregon in the semifinals and St. Mary's twice to advance. Their staff includes Alyssa Faircloth, who was voted the 2026 SEC Newcomer of the Year and carries a 2.28 earned run average over 169 innings with 261 strikeouts this season.
That matchup of arms is the immediate weight of this series. Oklahoma will face either Faircloth or Peja Goold; both pitchers have thrown in 35 or more games, logged more than 148 innings apiece, and are limiting opponents to batting averages under.180. Game 1 is scheduled for Noon on ESPN2, Game 2 for Noon on, and a third game, if necessary, is listed as TBD.
Context matters: this series is the last step on Oklahoma’s route to the Women’s College World Series. The Sooners are attempting to reach a ninth-straight Women’s College World Series and to make the Women's College World Series for the 10th consecutive time. Mississippi State brings what has been described as one of the better pitching staffs remaining in the NCAA Tournament, and Faircloth’s season numbers underline that reputation.
The central tension is simple and sharp. Oklahoma’s offense has been explosive through the tournament, averaging more than 10 runs per game and ranking second in the nation in home runs, but Mississippi State’s proven starters — two pitchers with heavy workloads and sub-.180 opponent averages — are designed to blunt power. That collision of a top power lineup against disciplined, high-volume pitching is why this series feels less routine than the venue or the schedule suggest.
Oklahoma coach Ricketts framed the matchup in modest terms that understate the stakes: "It's always fun to kind of come back and see where we are compared to this program," she said, pointing to the measuring-stick quality of a super regional on home turf. For Lowry and the Sooners, that measuring stick is immediate: a strong start Friday would keep Oklahoma on track toward the streaks the program is pursuing.
This will be a pitcher-versus-lineup series to watch: if Lowry can complete a quality start and limit baserunners — as she did in her Michigan outing — Oklahoma’s runaway scoring from the regionals will be harder to suppress. If Mississippi State turns to Faircloth and gets another workmanlike, low-hit outing, the Bulldogs could flip the script in Norman. The answer that decides which team advances will arrive in thirteen innings, or eighteen, or a winner-take-all final — but it will hinge on whether a dominant pitching staff or a relentless offense sets the pace on Friday.
