It is that time of season and we have finally reached the State Tournament and congratulations to all the teams that have made it back to the state tournament. Follow along as I preview the State Tournament matchups and hear from the coaches as they give their thoughts. The State Tournament is at Devon Park formally known as the Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.
Choctaw vs Stillwater
10:00am (Integris Field)
Last Appearance: Choctaw (Fourth consecutive since 2021) Stillwater (First since 2021)
Choctaw’s road to state
Choctaw’s road began with wins over Midwest City 12-0 and Bixby 5-1 and 12-0 in regionals to advance to state.
Stillwater’s road to state
Stillwater’s road began with wins over Booker T. Washington 14-0 and Broken Arrow 16-15 and 7-5 in regionals to advance to state.
We overcame a 13-1 deficit in the 2nd inning to eventually beat Broken Arrow 16-15. This included overcoming an 8 run deficit in the bottom of the 7th. We then met up with Broken Arrow again & again trailed most of the game, tied it to go into extra innings. Broken Arrow hit a go ahead HR in the top of the 8th. We had runners at 1st & 2nd and 2 outs with our 6 hole freshman up (they intentionally walked our C, who had previously hit 2 HR). She quickly got down 0-2 & then hir an absolute bomb, walk off HR to right center. A walk-off to go to state said Stillwater coach Karie Linsenmeyer.
Mustang vs Edmond Memorial
12:00pm (Integris Field)
Last Appearance: Mustang (Fifth consecutive since 2020) Edmond Memorial (Sixth consecutive since 2019)
Mustang’s road to state
Mustang’s road began with wins over Muskogee 6-1 and Deer Creek 9-5 in regionals to advance to state.
Our road to State was very similar to last year’s run. We started the season a little rough, going 1-4 in our first week. After the first two weeks we really began to gel and play well as a team, and that led us to another undefeated season in our district play. Our goal is always first and foremost to host a regional and put ourselves in position to host Regionals, so we were happy to accomplish that once again. There is always a lot of anticipation leading up to state. It’s always exciting to get to play at the Hall of Fame in front of a big crowd and have that state tournament atmosphere, so we’re really looking forward to that. I believe making it to our 5th straight state tournament says a lot about what we are building at Mustang, the hard work and dedication of our players, and the standards we have as a program. We are thankful for the opportunity to be at state, but we aren’t satisfied with just making it. Our goal is to go win three games and raise the bar even higher for Mustang softball said Mustang coach Lacy Darity.
Edmond Memorial’s road to state
Edmond Memorial’s road began with wins over Sand Springs 7-1 and 11-0 in regionals to advance to state.
Our trip this year to the big stage was a little different than the last as we graduated 5 starters last year. This year we were essentially building a brand new team and it took time to get all the right pieces working as they should, all together. We are super excited to go out and play Thursday afternoon and these girls are more than ready to go out and perform on that stage they have worked so hard to be on! We are having fun and playing well together and can’t wait to see what happens. Making the state tournament for 6 consecutive years comes from the senior leadership that we’ve had in the past and them setting the bar and expectations for our program year after year. We love to compete and we live by the motto pressure is a privilege. The big stage is our favorite playing field and we love setting and withholding the Bulldog Softball standard as a state tournament team! said Edmond Memorial coach Kayla Carlsward.
Moore vs Yukon
2:30pm (Integris Field)
Last Appearance: Moore (Third consecutive since 2022) Yukon (First since 2018)
Moore’s road to state
Moore’s road began with wins over Westmoore 9-3 and 12-0 in regionals to advance to state.
So matching up with Yukon we know that they are young but we also know that they are very talented. We know that we have to stay disciplined and use our experience to our advantage. We are expecting it to be a tough game but we know that every game at this point is tough and you have to play your “A” game to keep playing. As a team we know making the state tournament is not an easy feat and we celebrated getting there but ultimately as a team we have bigger goals and that being the last team standing on Saturday said Moore coach Stephanie Riley.
Yukon’s road to state
Yukon’s road started with a 1-0 loss to Enid but quickly bounced back with wins over Putnam City North 17-0 and back to back wins over Enid 8-4 and 13-12 in regionals to advance to state.
Our road has had ups and downs, a lot of learning moments for our young team. We have had to face adversity in overcoming injuries and playing girls in different positions. This group has so much grit, determination and heart! They put everything out there last Thursday, showed how much they want it! Everyone is so excited to see what the future holds for this group. Anything is possible, they will be fun to watch! We are excited to return to the state tournament, it’s a strong tradition for Yukon softball and we are happy to get back in line with that tradition said Yukon coach Katy Hoke.
Owasso vs Bartlesville
5:00pm (Integris Field)
Last Appearance: Owasso (Ninth consecutive since 2016) Bartlesville (First since 2010)
Owasso’s road to state
Owasso’s road began with wins over Putnam City West 17-0 and Edmond Santa Fe 9-0 and 4-1 in regionals to advance to state.
We have a great senior class. We are super excited about the opportunity to win that final game. We know it will be really difficult. As far as being in the state tournament the past nine years is a statement to all the hard work these young ladies put in. I’m very blessed to be able to coach all these young ladies said Owasso coach Shane Eicher.
Bartlesville’s road to state
Bartlesville’s road began with wins over Ponca City 4-1 and Edmond North 11-1 and 6-1 in regionals to advance to state.
Getting to the state tournament we had to go through the Ponca City regional after finishing third in our district behind Owasso and Choctaw. We felt confident going into the regional knowing that Owasso and Choctaw were two of the top teams in state and we took Choctaw into the final innings twice with one run ball games being the difference. In the regional Alison Rosson, Kelsie Yales, and Lexie Durao all gave us good pitching performances only giving up one run in each game. Lexi Durao also hit two home runs during our regional to lead us offensively. The anticipation heading into it is exciting as we have not made the state tournament in fast pitch since 2010. We are looking forward to the challenge ahead and making the next steps for our program said Bartlesville coach Kyle Minton.
The OKPreps Rundown 
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