NCAA softball: Odicci Alexander, Mackenzie Donihoo and the players who have made the WCWS fun

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NCAA softball: Odicci Alexander, Mackenzie Donihoo and the players who have made the WCWS fun

Thu, 06/10/2021 - 06:40
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Jun. 9—Seriously, are you not entertained?

The first Women’s College World Series in two years has delivered a perfect game and so much more.

When the COVID-19 pandemic put a sudden end to college sports last spring, everyone was deprived of the joy that the WCWS delivers to not just the hardcore softball fans but also the folks who casually tune in for stories such as this year’s James Madison team.

There were no Debbie Dooms for fans to rally around in 2020. It was just a year of Debbie Downers. That’s why having an expanded and packed USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium has been so thrilling for fans to see during the past week in Oklahoma City.

As Oklahoma battles Florida State for the national title, it’s a good time to reflect on the journey to get this far. Here are four players who have made this NCAA softball tournament exciting to watch:

After hitting only .145 in 24 games as a freshman last season, Donihoo has turned into a super sophomore for the Sooners in 2021. Donihoo has only recently become a fixture in the starting lineup, but it’s easy to see why with her intensity, not to mention that she’s hitting a .448 clip.

The Mustang native wasn’t in the lineup for the opener against JMU, but Donihoo announced her presence on the national stage Saturday. In win-or-go-home games against Georgia and UCLA, Donihoo went a combined 5-for-7 with three home runs, five runs batted in and four runs scored.

Perhaps the Sooners’ signature moment from Saturday was Donihoo stomping on home plate after homering off UCLA ace Rachel Garcia.

With Monday’s semifinal still in doubt, Donihoo smoked a two-run double into left-center field off Odicci Alexander, giving OU a 4-1 lead against James Madison. It was smooth sailing from there for the Sooners.

“I would say Thursday, we weren’t ourselves, and we have — we have no mercy,” Donihoo said after gashing Georgia 8-0 Saturday afternoon. “This is our game on the line. We have to push and push, and we switched it, and turned it on, and it was so much fun.”

When you play for a school outside the Power Five conferences, you get labeled as a Cinderella. That wasn’t an apt label for these Dukes, who were definitely not a fluke. Alexander gave UCLA all it wanted two years ago in the NCAA Tournament. JMU was not going to shy away from the moment in 2021 either.

The redshirt senior help the Dukes chop down a pair of Southeastern Conference teams in the regionals and super regionals — Tennessee and Missouri — just to get to Oklahoma City.

Alexander became the face of the tournament after beating OU 4-3 in last Thursday’s opener and Oklahoma State 2-1 the following night. Her diving tag Friday night against OSU will be seared into the memories of softball fans for a long time to come.

Alexander’s 66 strikeouts are the second most in this season’s NCAA tournament. She went 7-3 in the tournament, only losing to a ranked Missouri team and twice to topranked OU.

She left the field Monday afternoon to a standing ovation.

“I mean, it was amazing,” said Alexander, who went 18-3 with a 1.71 ERA. “I mean, it’s more than just a game. To see them all clapping for me and cheering me on, I mean, it was a great moment, and it warmed my heart.”

When you throw the first perfect game in 21 years at the WCWS, you’re going to be in the headlines. Even though she was far from perfect Monday night in an 8-5 loss to Florida State, Fouts showed that she is one of the best pitchers in the country in her junior year.

Her 349 strikeouts this season with the third most in Alabama history, making every time she stepped into the circle must-see television.

Fouts’ perfect game, a 14-strikeout performance in a 6-0 win Friday night, came against UCLA and Olympic pitcher Rachel Garcia. It capped her sixth consecutive outing in postseason play in which she pitched seven innings. She only allowed four runs in that stretch (three against Kentucky in the super regionals and one to Arizona on the opening night of the WCWS). She struck out 113 batters all told in the SEC and NCAA tournaments.

“I think that we could have went further, but just learned to be resilient,” Fouts said Monday night. “I think being resilient and gritty is maybe more than having all the talent in the world. I think those characteristics are more important.”

Although she only had two hits and a walk in OKC, Meeks rose in popularity thanks to her signature flexing once she got on base.

The 4-foot-11 Meeks stood out for being one of the shortest players in the tournament but also being one of the most joyful. Who didn’t think back to their Little League days each time she stepped on first base and flexed?

The redshirt junior still finished her senior with a respectable .283 batting average.