The Texas Tech Red Raiders are driving the ratings in college softball. That’s indisputable after what ESPN’s PR team put out on Tuesday. Texas Tech vs. UCLA hit over 2 million viewers, peaking at 2.6 million, which makes it the second-most watched non-finals WCWS game in the sport’s history.
There was great drama in the Women’s College World series, and as we talked about on our Heartland College Sports YouTube Channel, the college softball ratings are exploding.
As we get set for the WCWS finals between Texas Tech and Texas, the drama should be next level and the ratings should be impressive once again. Texas Tech has made the championship series in its first two WCWS appearances, joining Texas A&M (1983-84) as the only programs to do so. It will be the first title rematch since the WCWS adopted the best-of-three series format in 2005.
How Texas Tech Got Here
On Monday night, it was the Texas Tech Red Raiders softball team (61-8) defeating top-seeded Alabama twice Monday night to reach the finals. Mia Williams delivered the walk-off home run in the first game for a 5-4 win and NiJaree Canady showed her dominance in a 2-0 win in the second game to put Texas Tech back in the title series, which begins Wednesday against the defending national champion Longhorns.
Canady powered the No. 11 Red Raiders to a 2-0 win over the Crimson Tide in Monday’s nightcap, recording her fourth career WCWS shutout. She gave up just two hits and finished with six strikeouts, as Alabama (56-9) failed to score for only the second time this season. According to ESPN Research, Canady became just the fourth pitcher in WCWS history to record a shutout in four different tournaments.
WCWS Schedule
Women’s College World Series: May 28 – June 4/5 | Devon Park in Oklahoma City, OK
Wednesday, June 3Championship Series Game 1 8 p.m. | No. 1 Texas vs. No. 3 Texas Tech | ESPNThursday, June 4Championship Series Game 2 | 8 p.m. on ESPNFriday, June 5Championship Series Game 3 | 8 p.m. on ESPN (if necessary)
*All times EST
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