OCU, Rogers State add to state’s softball success
We’ve talked a lot about Oklahoma being Softball Central. But we don’t just mean the Sooners and Cowgirls.
Those teams reached the Women’s College World Series at Hall of Fame Stadium with hopes of achieving what Oklahoma City University and Rogers State achieved last week.
Win a national championship. Rogers State last Tuesday beat Cal State-Dominquez Hills 6-1 in Denver to win the NCAA Division II title, and OCU on Wednesday beat the University of Mobile 3-0 in Columbus, Georgia, to win the NAIA title.
Rogers State’s victory was historic — the first national championship in Hillcats history.
OCU’s victory was historic, too — the Stars’ 11th national softball championship, all under legendary coach Phil McSpadden.
“There’s no words to express what he’s done for our program and our team all five years I’ve been here,” said OCU star Kennedy Jackson of Moore. “We’ve had rollercoaster rides, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. The thing I would take away from him as my coach is he was in every single game for us, win or lose, he was right there. He’s an amazing man.”
McSpadden, who became OCU’s coach in 1988, has an all-time record of 1,843-399 over 35 years. The Stars also
won NAIA national titles in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2016 and 2017. OCU also reached the national finals six other times (1986, 1993, 1999, 2010, 2012, 2019). That’s 17 national-finals appearances in 35 seasons.
McSpadden said when people see his teams play, “I want to believe they see kids who are students of the game and passionate about what they do. I always use the expression ‘it’s a classroom on the field.’ You’re hoping it’s not about someone standing in the third-base box just clapping their hands and saying, ‘It’s OK, girls, we’ll get them tomorrow.’
“That we’re intense and we play hard and play the way it’s supposed to be played. I hope that people see these kids are having fun in the process.”
The Stars, 54-6, certainly had fun in Columbus, notching their second victory over No. 1-ranked Mobile in a threeday span.
In the finals, Shelbey Cornelson pitched a six-hitter for OCU, raising her record to 37-3, with her 11th shutout. The junior from Tuttle was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player; she notched every post-season decision for the Stars, going 12-1 with a 0.42 earned run average and 76 strikeouts in 82 2⁄ in
3 nings, with five shutouts. Cornelson allowed just one run in four NAIA World Series games.
Lexi Duff, a senior from Lone Grove, hit a two-run single in the first inning of the finals that provided more than enough support for Cornelson. Jackson’s RBI single in the fourth inning made it 3-0.
Amy Crabaugh, a junior from Edmond North and the daughter of OCU baseball coach Denney Crabaugh, had three hits for OCU. Brooklyn Mason, a senior from Lone Grove, had two hits. So did Tiffany Paul, a rookie from Choctaw.
Duff, Jackson, Cornelson and Rally Radacy, a rookie from Lookeba-Sickles, made the all-tournament team.
Sciences & Arts of Oklahoma made the NAIA semifinals and placed three on the all-tournament team — Emily Cerney of Newcastle, Sierra Selfridge of Mustang and Macenzie Ruth of Sulphur.
Meanwhile, in Denver, Abbey Rogers broke a scoreless tie with a two-run single in the fourth inning as Rogers State went on to beat Cal State-Dominguez Hills. Rogers, a rookie from Carl Albert, came to the plate with the bases loaded, the third such opportunity for the Hillcats.
“I just knew we needed a run,” Rogers said, according to the Claremore Progress. “You just have to play like it’s your last game every time.”
Rogers State ace Andrea Morales, a senior from El Paso, Texas, allowed a run in the first inning but blanked the Toros the rest of the way. Rogers’ tworun single scored Callie Yellin and Rebecca Bell.
Morales, a fifth-year senior, finished 2022 with a 38-4 record.
“There is nothing that can describe seeing our vision come to reality, it’s just mind-blowing,” said Rogers State coach Andrea Vaughan. “We have been talking about this since … last fall. I told them then that we have had a lot of great teams come through RSU, but this team has all the pieces to go out and win a national title.”