Oklahoma State Softball vs. Florida WCWS Preview and Prediction
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the 2024 Women’s College World Series matchup between No. 5 Oklahoma State and No. 4 Florida.
GAME INFO
Location: OGE Energy Field at Devon Park | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Time: Thursday, May 30 | 8:30 p.m. CT | ESPN2
Records: Oklahoma State (49-10); Florida (51-13)
Rankings: Florida (No. 4 Seed); Oklahoma State (No. 5 Seed)
Last Week: Oklahoma State def. Arizona (2-0) in Stillwater Super Regional; Florida def. Baylor (2-1) in Gainesville Super Regional
Fun Fact: Oklahoma State head coach Kenny Gajewski and Florida Head Coach Tim Walton go way back. Gajewski and Walton played baseball together at Oklahoma, winning a national title with the Sooners in 1994. Both went on to get their first chance in the coaching ranks as grad assistants at OU before crossing over to softball.
WCWS HISTORY
OKLAHOMA STATE COWGIRLS
- WCWS Appearances: 16 (Five consecutive appearances dating back to 2019)
- Championships: 0
- All-Time NCAA Tournament Record: 75-51 (.595)
- All-Time WCWS Record: 25-30 (.455)
FLORIDA GATORS
- Appearances: 12 (All under Tim Walton)
- Championships: 2
- All-Time NCAA Record: 107-53 (.669)
- All-Time WCWS Record: 27-20 (.574)
KEY PLAYERS
OKLAHOMA STATE COWGIRLS
RHP Lexi Kilfoyl, Gr.
The best arm in America not named NiJaree Canady, Oklahoma State’s Lexi Kilfoyl has been sensational in her final year with the Cowgirls. With the nation’s second-best ERA (1.06) over 171.0 IP, Kilfoyl single-handedly makes OSU at national title contender. Teams are hitting just .172 against Kilfoyl this year, and she’s gone 26-3 in starts on the season. Kilfoyl has gone 28.0 IP in the postseason thus far, and with 17 complete games on the year, there’s a good chance opponents will be seeing a ton of her in OKC as well.
C Caroline Wang, Sr.
The top bat in Oklahoma State’s rotation is senior catcher Caroline Wang, who leads the team in batting (.380), OPS (1.135), RBI (51, T-1st), HR (17), and slugging (.726) on the year. Wang has been one of the best options for OSU at the plate all season long, and her leadership will be vital as the WCWS presses on. Another name worth mentioning here is Jilyen Poullard, who’s hit seven home runs in her last 10 games.
FLORIDA GATORS
C Jocelyn Erickson, So.
Florida catcher Jocelyn Erickson is coming off a regular season that earned her the 2024 SEC Player of the Year, leading the Gators and ranking second nationally with 80 RBIs. The Oklahoma transfer ranks third on the team in batting average (.383) but is also one of the best defensive players in the country as well. Erickson is far from the only gamebreaker on the UF offense, but she might be the most clutch of all of them.
INF Skylar Wallace, Sr.
Skylar Wallace was named the 2023 NFCA Player of the Year, among dozens of other accolades, and remains one of the top players in the nation this year. She is the best shortstop in the country and leads the Gators in OPS (1.370) and slugging (.803), but ranks second on the team in several statistics, including average (.421) and RBI (67). If there’s one Florida player that is most likely to ruin another team’s season, it’s the senior at shortstop.
KEY STORYLINES
OKLAHOMA STATE COWGIRLS
How far can Lexi Kilfoyl and the Oklahoma State offense take this team? The Pokes have done something that nobody else in the country has this season, and that’s beat both the No. 1 (Texas) and No. 2 (Oklahoma) seeds in a best-of-three series. When at their best, this team is capable of winning a national championship. They’ll need to play at that level from here on out though, as they’re paired with Florida, Texas, and Stanford if they are to advance through the winner’s bracket.
FLORIDA GATORS
Which Florida team shows up in OKC? The team that we’ve seen for the better part of the last month is capable of beating anyone, but this past weekend in Gainesville we saw a good Baylor team push them to the brink. Oklahoma State with Lexi Kilfoyl in the circle is a totally different animal, and if the offense can’t figure out the Cowgirls’ ace, things could get tricky. Still, this offense has been solid since the calendar flipped over to May, and that’s not likely to end all of a sudden.
PREDICTION: OKLAHOMA STATE MAKES A STATEMENT
Will it be 9-0, Oklahoma State? That’s not likely, but I do see a world where the Pokes make quite a statement in this game, and it won’t be what they do at the plate. Lexi Kilfoyl will be the best arm that Florida has seen all season, let alone in the postseason, and I expect her to cause them some issues. I could easily see this game end with a score of 4-0 or 5-1 in Oklahoma State’s favor is Kilfoyl has her best stuff, and that’s what I’m predicting we get to see on Thursday night.
