2022 WCWS - Can Texas softball find upset formula once more against overpowering Oklahoma?

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — There are two ways to look at Saturday's first game of the Women's College World Series slate. One is that the No. 1 seed, a historic dynasty, is playing a scrappy unseeded underdog that has gotten hot at the right time.

Or more simply: It's Oklahoma vs. Texas (3 p.m. ET, ABC and ESPN App).

The 55-2 Sooners certainly could've expected to be here, putting together one of the most dominant seasons in the history of the sport. Meanwhile, in February, the Longhorns went 0-5 in the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational and fans weren't exactly booking hotel rooms in Oklahoma City.

But fast-forward to June, and the Longhorns are facing the Sooners in the winners bracket in OKC after a 7-2 win over No. 5 UCLA.

In between, the unthinkable happened: On April 16, behind the arm of Hailey Dolcini, Texas beat Oklahoma, snapping the Sooners' 40-game winning streak overall and a 23-game winning streak against the Longhorns. It wasn't a cure-all for Texas' season; the Longhorns still dropped all three games in a series against Oklahoma State about a week later, and they lost again to the Cowgirls in the Big 12 tournament. But in the Seattle Regional and the Fayetteville Super Regional, the Longhorns went on a tear, going 5-2 with series wins over No. 11 Washington and No. 5 Arkansas, the latter a confidence-building victory before a decidedly home crowd.

Sound familiar?

The Longhorns will get a heavy dose of crimson and cream on Saturday, playing the defending champ Sooners just 20 miles from their Norman campus.

Before the Horns' first-round game against UCLA, Texas star Janae Jefferson, a four-time All-American, knew what was in store for her team.

«I'm not expecting us to get much support from the OU fans out