Road to the WCWS: College softball super regional keys - ESPN

Sixteen college softball teams remain after a thrilling regional weekend, and only eight of them will advance to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City next week.

Of the remaining teams, 13 of them earned a national seed, including No. 1 Oklahoma, which dominated the regionals to extend its winning streak to 46 games — one shy of tying Arizona (1996-97) for the Division I record.

Three teams are unseeded: Oregon, which is seeking its first WCWS appearance since coach Mike White left in 2018; Louisiana, which upset No. 10 seed LSU and is looking for its first WCWS berth since 2014; and San Diego State, which is in its first super regional in program history.

What will be the key for each remaining team to earn a trip to Oklahoma City? We break down each super regional and identify the X factors that will determine which teams advance and which ones are eliminated.

Jump to:Norman | Durham | TuscaloosaKnoxville | Tallahassee | StillwaterSeattle | Salt Lake City

Norman Super Regional schedule (best of three series): Game 1: Friday, 2 p.m., ESPN2Game 2: Saturday, 1 p.m.Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, TBD

Complete schedule and TV info »Valerie Cagle's painful road to stardom »Oklahoma earns the No. 1 overall seed »College softball rankings: Top 25 poll »

Oklahoma wins if… the bats stay hot. The Sooners, who have put up double-digit runs 19 times this season, are leading the country with 445 runs scored this season and averaging 8.24 per game. They swept their regional, scoring 38 runs in three run-rule wins while giving up only three runs (all to Cal). Clemson may be averaging 6.14 runs per game, but Oklahoma has proved its ability to pace any team in a slugfest with its 108 doubles and 104 home runs. Combine that