Who is OU softball playing in NCAA Tournament? Meet Norman Regional teams

NORMAN — Oklahoma softball, the No. 3 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, has its opponents set for this weekend's Norman Regional at Love's Field.

The Sooners (48-8) will take on Binghamton (20-25) to open the tournament at 2:30 p.m. Friday at Love's Field.

Michigan (34-20) and Kansas (35-19) are also in the Norman Regional.

OU has won its regional in 15 consecutive tournaments. The Sooners haven't lost a regional game since 2019.

Coach Patty Gasso's squad are heavy favorites to make it out of this weekend with one of the easier regional draws.

Here's a look at the other teams in the Norman Regional:

Kansas Jayhawks

Record: 35-19

NCAA Tournament history: 13th appearance, 17-24 record

Leading hitters: Presley Limbaugh is hitting .388 after starting all 54 games this season. Ella Boyer leads Kansas with 18 home runs and 57 RBIs.

Leading pitchers: Chloe Barber holds a 4.16 ERA in 14 starts, while Lila Partridge and Kaylee Washington, boast ERAs of 3.95 and 4.44, respectively, with 13 starts apiece.

OU's all-time record vs Jayhawks: 83-44 (42-10 in Norman)

Last meeting: 8-0 Sooners win, March 1, 2025

Short hops: This is the Jayhawks' first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2015. ... This KU squad set program records for home runs (81), runs (361), doubles (94) and RBIs (342). ... Kansas is 17-22 in the regional round, with its last win coming over Indiana State in 2015. ... KU made the 1992 Women's College World Series.

Michigan Wolverines

Record: 34-20

NCAA Tournament history: 32nd appearance, 117-64 record

Leading hitter: Lauren Putz has started all 54 games for the Wolverines and leads the team with a .442 batting average and 21 home runs.

Leading pitchers: Erin Hoehn started a team-high 20 games in the circle and enters the tourney with a 4.29 ERA. Gabby Ellis stated 19 games and holds a 4.20 ERA.

OU's all-time record vs Michigan: 8-13 (0-0 in Norman)

Last meeting: 7-5 Sooners win, June 4, 2016

Short hops: Michigan defeated Kansas 4-2 earlier this season on Feb. 8 at the USF-Rawlings Invitational in Tampa. ... The Wolverines are 91-27 all-time in NCAA Regional play, have won 18 regional titles and won their lone WCWS title in 2005. ... This marks Michigan's 30th NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 31 years.

Binghamton Bearcats

Record: 20-25

NCAA Tournament history: Third appearance, 0-4 record

Leading hitters: Rachel Carey started all 45 of the Bearcats' games this season and is hitting .477 with 14 home runs. Elisa Allen leads Binghamton with 16 home runs.

Leading pitcher: Olivia Kennedy started 17 games for the Bearcats and enters the tourney with a team-best 4.72 ERA.

OU's all-time record vs Binghamton: First meeting

Short hops: From 1995-98, Binghamton made four straight trips to the NCAA Division III Tournament. ... This is the Bearcats' third trip to the tourney. Binghamton traveled to the James Madison Regional in 2015 and the Oregon Regional last season.  ... The Bearcats advanced to this year's NCAA Tournament after a 4-2 win over UMass Lowell in the America East Tournament championship game.

Colton Sulley covers the Oklahoma Sooners for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Colton? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @colton_sulley. Support Colton's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing adigital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.