2018 NCAA Women’s College World Series

2018 held at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on May 31 – June 5.


Champion – Florida State Seminoles (58-12)
Runner Up – Washington Huskies (52-10)


Standing in the circle with two outs in the seventh inning, Meghan King flung the ball toward the plate. The ball ricocheted off the bat of Taylor Van Zee and skipped along the ground. King took a step toward the ball; the crowd had gone quiet and she felt like everything was moving in slow motion. This was the moment, her moment. And all she could think about was how thankful she was for all those reps of pitcher fielding practice so that she wouldn’t screw this up.

King picked up the ball and threw it to first, getting the final out of the Women’s College World Series to give Florida State an 8-3 victory over Washington and its first softball national championship. It is also the first for the ACC.

It was a clean ending to a game that began as a comedy of errors Tuesday. Florida State, which had looked so collected the night before, was reeling in the first inning. Van Zee started it all with a leadoff hit off King. Then came a passed ball, a sacrifice bunt, a bad throw, a miscue in center field on a pop fly, and a line drive and grounder that drove in runs. When the dust settled, Washington was up 3-0.

But what could have been the beginning of the end for FSU only put the team back in a familiar position. The infield huddled in the dugout around the watercooler and busted out in laughter. Coach Lonni Alameda joked with her players, saying, “This is perfect because we’re the Cardiac Kids and we need to be down in order to come back. We’re going to score some runs. We’ll be all right.”

Not one of the Seminoles had any doubt. Why would they? Although they came into the game with a 1-0 series lead — a position FSU had not been in all postseason long as it survived six elimination games — they have shown that they are most comfortable, and lethal, with their backs against the wall. Perhaps the only way they could win while ahead was to fall behind.

The comeback began in earnest just a few moments later when catcher Anna Shelnutt, dubbed “Postseason Anna,” smashed a two-run homer in the bottom of the first. It was her second home run in as many nights.

Then it was King, a redshirt junior, who returned to the circle and proceeded to pitch six scoreless innings. After giving up two hits in the first inning, she gave up just another three the rest of the night. The FSU bats did their jobs, extending the lead to 8-3, but it was King who shut down Washington’s offense to secure the victory.

King’s tournament ERA of 0.20 ranks as the lowest in Women’s College World Series history. In 34⅓ innings, she allowed just one earned run, in the first inning of Tuesday’s game. While discussion all tournament long focused on Paige Parker, Kelly Barnhill and Rachel Garcia, King turned in what can only be described as one of the greatest WCWS performances of all time.

Her focus and consistency — and her ability to shake off Tuesday’s rocky start — lifted Florida State (58-12) to a national championship few thought possible. With its sweep of Washington (52-10), Florida State became the third team in the 37-year history of the Women’s College World Series to lose its WCWS opener and still win the title.


  • Most Outstanding Player – Jessie Warren, Florida State
  • Batting Leader – Bubba Nickles, UCLA – .545
  • RBI Leader – Elizabeth Mason, Florida State – 9
  • Home Run Leader – 8 tied at 2. Bubba Nickles, UCLA; Jessie Warren Florida State; Jocelyn Alo, Oklahoma; Taylor Pack, UCLA; Sydney Sherrill, Florida State; Jordan Roberts, Florida; Elizabeth Mason, Florida State; Anna Shelnutt, Florida State.
  • ERA Leader – Meghan King, Florida State – 0.20
  • Strikeout Leader – Rachel Garcia, UCLA – 42

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

P – Rachel Garcia, UCLA
P – Paige Parker, Oklahoma
P – Gabbie Plain, Washington
C – Taylor Pack, UCLA
C – Anna Shelnutt, Florida State
2B – Sydney Sherrill, Florida State
3B – Jessie Warren, Florida State
SS – Sis Bates, Washington
CF – Bubba Nickles, UCLA
RF – Trysten Melhart, Washington
UTIL – Jocelyn Alo, Oklahoma
UTIL – Meghan King, Florida State
UTIL – Elizabeth Mason, Florida State


SCORES

  1. Oregon 11 Arizona State 6
  2. Washington 2 Oklahoma 0
  3. Florida 11 Georgia 3 (5 inn.)
  4. UCLA 7 Florida State 4
  5. Washington 6 Oregon 2
  6. UCLA 6 Florida 5
  7. Oklahoma 2 Arizona State 0 – Arizona State eliminated
  8. Florida State 7 Georgia 2 – Georgia eliminated
  9. Oklahoma 2 Florida 0 – Florida eliminated
  10. Florida State 4 Oregon 1 – Oregon eliminated
  11. Washington 3 Oklahoma 0 – Oklahoma eliminated
  12. Florida State 3 UCLA 1
  13. Florida State 12 UCLA 6 – UCLA eliminated
  14. Florida State 1 Washington 0
  15. Florida State 8 Washington 3 – Washington eliminated

FINAL STANDINGS

1. Florida State Seminoles (6-1)
2. Washington Huskies (3-2)
3. UCLA Bruins (2-2)
4. Oklahoma Sooners (2-2)
5t. Oregon Ducks (1-2)
5t. Florida Gators (1-2)
7t. Baylor Bears (0-2)
7t. Arizona State Sun Devils (0-2)


2018 Florida State Seminoles


NATIONAL SEEDS

  1. Florida
  2. Arizona
  3. Oregon
  4. Florida State
  5. UCLA
  6. Washington
  7. Auburn
  8. Tennessee
  9. Texas A&M
  10. Oklahoma
  11. Utah
  12. Ole Miss
  13. LSU
  14. Kentucky
  15. Baylor
  16. Alabama

REGIONALS

EUGENE REGIONAL

  1. Drake 3 BYU 2
  2. Oregon 4 Albany 0
  3. Oregon 5 Drake 0
  4. BYU 16 Albany 0 – Albany eliminated
  5. Drake 3 BYU 0 – BYU eliminated
  6. Oregon 3 Drake 0 – Drake eliminated

Oregon qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-0.

GAINESVILLE REGIONAL

  1. Ohio State 3 South Florida 0
  2. Florida 8 Bethune Cookman 0 (6 inn.)
  3. Florida 10 Ohio State 2 (6 inn.)
  4. South Florida 3 Bethune Cookman 0 – Bethune Cookman eliminated
  5. Ohio State 3 South Florida 2 – South Florida eliminated
  6. Florida 4 Ohio State 0 – Ohio State eliminated

Florida qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-0.

LOS ANGELES REGIONAL

  1. Cal St. Fullerton 2 Texas St. 1
  2. UCLA 3 Sacramento St. 0
  3. Cal St. Fullerton 3 UCLA 2 (9 inn.)
  4. Texas St. 8 Sacramento St. 4 – Sacramento St. eliminated
  5. UCLA 14 Texas State 1 (5 inn.) – Texas State eliminated
  6. UCLA 3 Cal St. Fullerton 0
  7. UCLA 6 Cal St. Fullerton 4 – Cal St. Fullerton eliminated

UCLA qualifies for the Super Regional, 4-1.

NORMAN REGIONAL

  1. Tulsa 9 Missouri 1
  2. Oklahoma 9 Boston U. 0 (5 inn.)
  3. Oklahoma 8 Tulsa 0 (6 inn.)
  4. Missouri 10 Boston U. 8 – Boston U. eliminated
  5. Missouri 6 Tulsa 5 – Tulsa eliminated
  6. Oklahoma 7 Missouri 0 – Missouri eliminated

Oklahoma qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-0.

SEATTLE REGIONAL

  1. Texas 2 Minnesota 1
  2. Washington 8 Boise St. 0 (5 inn.)
  3. Washington 2 Texas 1
  4. Minnesota 11 Boise St. 3 – Boise St. eliminated
  5. Minnesota 3 Texas 0 – Texas eliminated
  6. Washington 5 Minnesota 2 – Minnesota eliminated

Washington qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-0.

TALLAHASSEE REGIONAL

  1. Auburn 5 Kennesaw St. 2
  2. Florida State 8 Jacksonville St. 0
  3. Florida State 2 Auburn 1 (8 inn.)
  4. Jacksonville St. 5 Kennesaw St. 3 (10 inn.) – Kennesaw St. eliminated
  5. Jacksonville St. 3 Auburn 2 – Auburn eliminated
  6. Florida State 10 Jacksonville State 0 – Jacksonville St. eliminated

Florida State qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-0.

ATHENS REGIONAL

  1. Northwestern 3 vs. California 2 (8 inn.)
  2. Georgia 6 Harvard 2
  3. Georgia 12 Northwestern 0 (6 inn.)
  4. California 10 Harvard 1 – Harvard eliminated
  5. Northwestern 4 California 3 – California eliminated
  6. Georgia 9 Northwestern 7 – Northwestern eliminated

Georgia qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-0.

TEMPE REGIONAL

  1. Ole Miss 9 Long Beach State 1
  2. Arizona State 2 New Mexico State 0
  3. Arizona State 7 Ole Miss 1
  4. Long Beach State 9 New Mexico State 0 – New Mexico State eliminated
  5. Ole Miss 1 Long Beach State 0 – Long Beach State eliminated
  6. Arizona State 9 Ole Miss 0 (5 inn.) – Ole Miss eliminated

Arizona State qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-0.

COLUMBIA REGIONAL

  1. Liberty 2 Hofstra 0 (10 inn.)
  2. South Carolina 3 UNCG 0
  3. Liberty 3 South Carolina 1
  4. Hofstra 6 UNCG 0 – UNCG eliminated
  5. South Carolina 5 Hofstra 4 – Hofstra eliminated
  6. South Carolina 2 Liberty 0
  7. South Carolina 5 Liberty 0 – Liberty eliminated

South Carolina qualifies for the Super Regional, 4-1.

KNOXVILLE REGIONAL

  1. James Madison 2 Ohio 1
  2. Tennessee 9 Monmouth 0 (5 inn.)
  3. Tennessee 12 James Madison 3 (6 inn.)
  4. Ohio 4 Monmouth 0 – Monmouth eliminated
  5. Ohio 7 James Madison 3 – James Madison eliminated
  6. Tennessee 5 Ohio 1 – Ohio eliminated

Tennessee qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-0.

BATON ROUGE REGIONAL

  1. Houston 1 Louisiana 0
  2. LSU 9 Fordham 0 (5 inn.)
  3. LSU 1 Houston 0
  4. Louisiana 15 Fordham 3 (5 inn.) – Fordham eliminated
  5. Louisiana 7 Houston 2 – Houston eliminated
  6. Louisiana 5 LSU 4 (10 inn.)
  7. LSU 3 Louisiana 1 – Louisiana eliminated

LSU qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-1.

TUSCALOOSA REGIONAL

  1. Wisconsin 9 Oregon State 3 (8 inn.)
  2. Alabama 8 Middle Tennessee 0 (6 inn.)
  3. Alabama 9 Wisconsin 1 (5 inn.)
  4. Oregon State 4 Middle Tennessee 0 – Middle Tennessee eliminated
  5. Oregon State 5 Wisconsin 1 – Wisconsin eliminated
  6. Alabama 6 Oregon State 0 – Oregon State eliminated

Alabama qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-0.

FAYETTEVILLE REGIONAL

  1. Wichita State 8 vs. Oklahoma St. 2
  2. Arkansas 2 DePaul 0
  3. Arkansas 5 Wichita State 0
  4. Oklahoma St. 6 DePaul 0 – DePaul eliminated
  5. Wichita State 5 Oklahoma St. 4 – Oklahoma St. eliminated
  6. Arkansas 6 Wichita State 4 – Wichita State eliminated

Arkansas qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-0.

TUCSON REGIONAL

  1. North Dakota St. 5 Mississippi St. 4
  2. Arizona 1 St. Francis (Pa.) 0
  3. Arizona 6 North Dakota St. 0
  4. Mississippi St. 11 St. Francis (Pa.) 5 – St. Francis eliminated
  5. Mississippi St. 12 North Dakota St. 0 (5 inn.) – North Dakota St. eliminated
  6. Arizona 4 Mississippi State 3 – Mississippi State eliminated

Arizona qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-0.

COLLEGE STATION

  1. McNeese 11 Baylor 10
  2. Texas A&M 9 Prairie View 0
  3. Texas A&M 10 McNeese 1 (6 inn.)
  4. Baylor 9 Prairie View 0 (5 inn.) – Prairie View eliminated
  5. Baylor 6 McNeese 0 – McNeese eliminated
  6. Texas A&M 10 Baylor 4 – Baylor eliminated

Texas A&M qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-0.

LEXINGTON REGIONAL

  1. Notre Dame 4 Michigan 1
  2. Kentucky 10 Illinois-Chicago 1 (5 inn.)
  3. Michigan 6 Illinois-Chicago 0 – Illinois-Chicago eliminated
  4. Kentucky 10 Notre Dame 0 (5 inn.)
  5. Notre Dame 2 Michigan 1 – Michigan eliminated
  6. Kentucky 8 Notre Dame 0 (6 inn.) – Notre Dame eliminated

Kentucky qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-0.


EUGENE SUPER REGIONAL

  1. Kentucky 9 Oregon 6
  2. Oregon 6 Kentucky 1
  3. Oregon 11 Kentucky 1

Oregon qualifies for the WCWS, 2-1.

GAINESVILLE SUPER REGIONAL

  1. Florida 5 Texas A&M 4
  2. Texas A&M 5 Florida 4
  3. Florida 5 Texas A&M 3

Florida qualifies for the WCWS, 2-1.

LOS ANGELES SUPER REGIONAL

  1. UCLA 7 Arizona 1
  2. UCLA 3 Arizona 2

UCLA qualifies for the WCWS, 2-0.

NORMAN SUPER REGIONAL

  1. Oklahoma 7 Arkansas 2
  2. Oklahoma 9 Arkansas 0 – Arkansas eliminated

Oklahoma qualifies for the WCWS, 2-0.

SEATTLE SUPER REGIONAL

  1. Washington 3 Alabama 2 (9 inn.)
  2. Washington 6 Alabama 0

Washington qualifies for the WCWS, 2-0.

TALLAHASSEE SUPER REGIONAL

  1. LSU 6 Florida State 5
  2. Florida State 8 LSU 5 (11 inn.)
  3. Florida State 3 LSU 1

Florida State qualifies for the WCWS, 2-0.

ATHENS SUPER REGIONAL

  1. Georgia 4 Tennessee 3
  2. Georgia 2 Tennessee 1 (8 inn.)

Georgia qualifies for the WCWS, 2-0.

TEMPE SUPER REGIONAL

  1. Arizona State 5 South Carolina 2
  2. Arizona State 5 South Carolina 2

Arizona State qualifies for the WCWS, 2-0.


REGULAR SEASON INFORMATION

  • Honda Sports Award – Rachel Garcia, UCLA (.339, 11 HR, 54 RBI, 29-4, 1.31 ERA, 315 K)
  • USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year – Rachel Garcia, UCLA (.339, 11 HR, 54 RBI, 29-4, 1.31 ERA, 315 K)
  • NFCA National Player of the Year – Rachel Garcia, UCLA (.339, 11 HR, 54 RBI, 29-4, 1.31 ERA, 315 K)

ALL-AMERICAN FIRST TEAM

P – Kelly Barnhill JR. Florida Gators
P – Megan Kleist JR. Oregon Ducks
P – Giselle Juarez SO. Arizona State Sun Devils
C – Gwen Svekis SR. Oregon Ducks
1B – Alyssa Palomino SO. Arizona Wildcats
2B – Aubrey Leach JR. Tennessee Lady Vols
3B – Sydney Romero JR. Oklahoma Sooners
SS – Sis Bates SO. Washington Huskies
OF – Aaliyah Jordan FR. UCLA Bruins
OF – Jessie Scroggins SR. Baylor Bears
OF – Amanda Lorenz JR. Florida Gators
UTIL – Rachel Garcia SO. UCLA Bruins
UTIL – Jocelyn Alo FR. Oklahoma Sooners
AL – Holly Speers JR. Kent State Golden Flashes
AL – Paige Parker SR. Oklahoma Sooners
AL – Vanessa Shippy SR. Oklahoma State Cowgirls
AL – Meghan Beaubien FR. Michigan Wolverines
AL – Ivie Drake SR. Georgia State Panthers

ALL-AMERICAN SECOND TEAM

P – Miranda Elish SO. Oregon Ducks
P – Kylee Hanson SR. FSU Seminoles
P – Brittany Gray SR. Georgia Bulldogs
C – Kendyl Lindaman SO. Minnesota Golden Gophers
1B – Victoria Vidales SR. Texas A&M Aggies
2B – Kylee Perez SR. UCLA Bruins
3B – Nicole DeWitt SR. Florida Gators
SS – Lili Piper JR. Ohio State Buckeyes
OF – Kaylee Tow FR. Alabama Crimson Tide
OF – Cortni Emanuel SR. Georgia Bulldogs
OF – Annie Murphy SR. Boston College Eagles
UTIL – Savannah Heebner JR. Houston Cougars
UTIL – Taylor Rowland SO. Long Beach State 49ers
AL – Allie Walljasper SR. LSU Tigers
AL – Rachel Lewis FR. Northwestern Wildcats
AL – Jessica Warren SR. FSU Seminoles
AL – Janae Jefferson FR. Texas Longhorns
AL – Taran Alvelo JR. Washington Huskies

ALL-AMERICAN THIRD TEAM

P – Carly Hoover SR. LSU Tigers
P – Nicole Newman JR. Drake Bulldogs
P – Randi Rupp SR. Texas State Bobcats
C – Libby Sugg JR. BYU Cougars
1B – Jessica Hartwell JR. Texas Tech Red Raiders
2B – Sydney Sherrill FR. FSU Seminoles
3B – Jena Cozza SR. UMass Minutewomen
SS – Alyssa DiCarlo JR. Georgia Bulldogs
OF – Kara Shutt SR. Elon Phoenix
OF – Kate Gordon SO. James Madison Dukes
OF – Paige Murphy SR. Eastern Kentucky Colonels
UTIL – Odicci Alexander SO. James Madison Dukes
UTIL – Maddie Roth JR. Kennesaw State Owls
AL – Meghan Gregg SR. Tennessee Lady Vols
AL – Faith Canfield JR. Michigan Wolverines
AL – Gabbie Plain FR. Washington Huskies
AL – Katie Prebble FR. Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs
AL – Jenna Lilley SR. Oregon Ducks

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