2011 held at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on June 2-7.
Champion – Arizona State Sun Devils (60-6)
Runner Up – Florida Gators (56-13)
Only three times in 29 years before Tuesday night had a freshman been the winning pitcher in the deciding game of the Women’s College World Series.
UCLA’s Heather Compton accomplished the feat in 1990, and a year earlier it was UCLA’s Tiffany Boyd. The Bruins’ legendary Debbie Doom did the same in 1982.
Now, Arizona State’s Dallas Escobedo has added her name to the list.
The Sun Devil freshman didn’t lose a game at the WCWS, culminating with a 7-2 victory over Florida to finish off a 2-0 sweep of the championship series Tuesday night at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium for ASU’s second national championship in four years.
“It’s just a whole bunch of emotions right now,” said Escobedo, who allowed four hits and five walks with five strikeouts to improve to 37-3 on the season. “We worked so hard. I just came in here and had total confidence in my pitches.”
Escobedo said she was sore before the game and had to be stretched by the team trainer between each inning, but after giving up a first-inning run, she only surrendered one more hit until the Gators tacked on a meaningless run in the seventh inning.
“She’s not a freshman anymore,” coach Clint Myers said. “She is a seasoned veteran and there are no surprises. From this point on, she’s just going to grow with leaps and bounds as far as how good she can be.”
Escobedo meshed well as the central figure on a team with eight seniors, many of whom had been crucial players over the last four seasons. She blended quickly and added dominant pitching to a team that already had some of the best hitters and defenders in the country.
“Coming in here and just working hard and taking in what they had to say — they’ve been here, they know, they won a national championship,” Escobedo said. “Listening to what they had to say, and following and trusting in them made me how I am today.”
The Sun Devils’ offensive and defensive capabilities only made Escobedo stronger, and when she was handed the co-Most Outstanding Player award — which she shared with Florida’s Michelle Moultrie — she knew she owed a piece of it to the rest of the players as well.
“Those are the things she thrives on, because it gives her that sense of confidence that she can go out there and throw strikes, make them hit it, and they’re gonna make the plays (in the field),” Myers said.
“You saw a poised pitcher out there tonight. There’s a reason why it took 20 years for a freshman to lead a club to a national championship — because it’s such a rarity. It just doesn’t happen. Only a unique, special type of person can have that.”
- Most Outstanding Player – Dallas Escobedo, Arizona State
- Most Outstanding Player – Michelle Moultrie, Florida
- Batting Leader – Annie Lockwood, Arizona State – .563
- RBI Leader – Annie Lockwood, Arizona State – 8
- Home Run Leader – Annie Lockwood, Arizona State – 3
- Home Run Leader – Michelle Moultrie, Arizona State – 3
- ERA Leader – Whitney Canion, Baylor – 1.64
- Strikeout Leader – Dallas Escobedo, Arizona State – 38
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Whitney Larsen, Alabama
Holly Holl, Baylor
Whitney Canion, Baylor
Chelsea Thomas, Missouri
Cheyenne Coyle, Florida
Kelsey Bruder, Florida
Brittany Schutte, Florida
Krista Donnenwirth, Arizona State
Annie Lockwood, Arizona State
Mandy Urfer, Arizona State
SCORES
- Alabama 1 California 0
- Baylor 1 Oklahoma State 0 (8 inn.)
- Arizona State 3 Oklahoma 1
- Florida 6 Missouri 2
- Alabama 3 Baylor 0
- Arizona State 6 Florida 5
- California 6 Oklahoma State 2 – Oklahoma State eliminated
- Missouri 4 Oklahoma 1 – Oklahoma eliminated
- Florida 5 California 2 – California eliminated
- Baylor 1 Missouri 0 (13 inn.) – Missouri eliminated
- Florida 16 Alabama 2 (5 inn.)
- Arizona State 4 Baylor 0 – Baylor eliminated
- Florida 9 Alabama 2 – Alabama eliminated
- Arizona State 14 Florida 4
- Arizona State 7 Florida 2 – Florida eliminated
FINAL STANDINGS
1. Arizona State Sun Devils (5-0)
2. Florida Gators (4-3)
3. Alabama Crimson Tide (2-2)
4. Baylor Bears (2-2)
5t. Missouri Tigers (1-2)
5t. California Golden Bears (1-2)
7t. Oklahoma Sooners (0-2)
7t. Oklahoma State Cowgirls (0-2)
NATIONAL SEEDS
- Arizona State
- Alabama
- Texas
- Florida
- Missouri
- Georgia
- California
- Arizona
- Oklahoma
- Michigan
- Baylor
- Washington
- Oregon
- Tennessee
- Stanford
- Texas A&M
REGIONALS
Tempe Regional
- Arizona State 10 North Dakota State 0
- Long Beach State 6 San Diego State 2
- San Diego State 5 North Dakota State 4 – North Dakota State eliminated
- Arizona State 8 Long Beach State 0
- San Diego State 6 Long Beach State 4 – Long Beach State eliminated
- Arizona State 6 San Diego State 1 – San Diego State eliminated
Arizona State qualifies for a Super Regional, 3-0.
College Station Regional
- Texas A&M 10 Sacred Heart 2
- Syracuse 3 LSU 0
- LSU 10 Sacred Heart 0 – Sacred Heart eliminated
- Texas A&M 13 Syracuse 5
- LSU 5 Syracuse 0 – Syracuse eliminated
- Texas A&M 3 LSU 1 – LSU eliminated
Texas A&M qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-0.
Tucson Regional
- Arizona 10 Harvard 0
- New Mexico State 9 Texas Tech 0
- Texas Tech 7 Harvard 0 – Harvard eliminated
- Arizona 8 New Mexico State 0
- Texas Tech 6 New Mexico State 4 – New Mexico State eliminated
- Arizona 10 Texas Tech 2
Arizona qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-0.
Norman Regional
- Oklahoma 7 Iona 1
- Tulsa 9 Missouri State 7
- Missouri State 4 Iona 2 – Iona eliminated
- Oklahoma 6 Tulsa 0
- Tulsa 11 Missouri State 0 – Missouri State eliminated
- Tulsa 4 Oklahoma 3
- Oklahoma 5 Tulsa 0 – Tulsa eliminated
Oklahoma qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-1.
Columbia Regional
- Missouri 12 Illinois State 3
- DePaul 2 Indiana 1
- Illinois State 3 Indiana 1 – Indiana eliminated
- DePaul 2 Missouri 1
- Missouri 8 Illinois State 4 – Illinois State eliminated
- Missouri 7 DePaul 3
- Missouri 8 DePaul 0
Missouri qualifies for the Super Regional, 4-1.
Seattle Regional
- Washington 6 Portland State 2
- BYU 2 Auburn 1
- Auburn 2 Portland State 1 – Portland State eliminated
- Washington 4 BYU 1
- BYU 4 Auburn 3 – Auburn eliminated
- Washington 7 BYU 5 – BYU eliminated
Washington qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-0.
Gainesville Regional
- Florida 8 Bethune-Cookman 0
- UCLA 2 Jacksonville 0
- Jacksonville 8 Bethune-Cookman 0 – Bethune-Cookman eliminated
- Florida 4 UCLA 2
- UCLA 12 Jacksonville 4 – Jacksonville eliminated
- UCLA 3 Florida 2
- Florida 11 UCLA 3 – UCLA eliminated
Florida qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-1.
University Park Regional
- Oregon 3 Albany 1
- Fordham 2 Penn State 0
- Penn State 6 Albany 1 – Albany eliminated
- Oregon 2 Fordham 0
- Penn State 5 Fordham 2 – Fordham eliminated
- Oregon 3 Penn State 1 – Penn State eliminated
Oregon qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-0.
Austin Regional
- Texas 2 Texas State 0
- Houston 7 Louisiana-Lafayette 2
- Louisiana-Lafayette 11 Texas State 2
- Houston 1 Texas 0
- Louisiana-Lafayette 5 Texas 3
- Houston 4 Louisiana-Lafayette 1
Houston qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-0.
Knoxville Regional
- Tennessee 8 Liberty 0
- Oklahoma State 2 Georgia Tech 1
- Georgia Tech 4 Liberty 3 – Liberty eliminated
- Oklahoma State 6 Tennessee 1
- Tennessee 7 Georgia Tech 0 – Georgia Tech eliminated
- Oklahoma State 6 Tennessee 5 – Tennessee eliminated
Oklahoma State qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-0.
Athens Regional
- Georgia 8 Georgia State 0
- UAB 2 Florida State 0
- Florida State 6 Georgia State 1 – Georgia State eliminated
- Georgia 9 UAB 2
- Florida State 13 UAB 1 – UAB eliminated
- Georgia 10 Florida State 2
Georgia qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-0.
College Park Regional
- Baylor 4 Lehigh 0
- East Carolina 5 Maryland 2
- Maryland 11 Lehigh 0 – Lehigh eliminated
- Baylor 2 East Carolina 0
- East Carolina 2 Maryland 0 – Maryland eliminated
- Baylor 1 East Carolina 0 – East Carolina eliminated
Baylor qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-0.
Berkeley Regional
- California 6 Jacksonville State 3
- Louisville 5 UIC 2
- Jacksonville State 1 UIC 0 – UIC eliminated
- California 4 Louisville 0
- Louisville 12 Jacksonville State – Jacksonville State eliminated
- California 3 Louisville 0 – Louisville eliminated
California qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-0.
Ann Arbor Regional
- Michigan 5 Western Michigan 0
- Kentucky 8 Notre Dame 0
- Notre Dame 4 Western Michigan 0 – Western Michigan eliminated
- Kentucky 7 Michigan 6
- Michigan 9 Notre Dame 8 – Notre Dame eliminated
- Kentucky 2 Michigan 1 – Michigan eliminated
Kentucky qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-0.
Tuscaloosa Regional
- Alabama 8 Jackson State 0
- Memphis 4 Chattanooga 1
- Chattanooga 8 Jackson State 1 – Jackson State eliminated
- Alabama 7 Memphis 1
- Chattanooga 2 Memphis 1 – Memphis eliminated
- Alabama 11 Chattanooga 1 – Chattanooga eliminated
Alabama qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-0.
Stanford Regional
- Stanford 3 Pacific 0
- Fresno State 1 Nebraska 0
- Nebraska 11 Pacific 1 – Pacific eliminated
- Stanford 3 Fresno State 1
- Nebraska 5 Fresno State 0 – Fresno State eliminated
- Stanford 4 Nebraska 1 – Nebraska eliminated
Stanford qualifies for the Super Regional, 3-0.
Tempe Super Regional
- Arizona State 3 Texas A&M 2
- Arizona State 4 Texas A&M 2
Arizona State qualifies for the WCWS, 2-0.
Tucson Super Regional
- Oklahoma 6 Arizona 0
- Oklahoma 5 Arizona 2
Oklahoma qualifies for the WCWS, 2-0.
Columbia Super Regional
- Missouri 4 Washington 0
- Missouri 6 Washington 3
Missouri qualifies for the WCWS, 2-0.
Gainesville Station Super Regional
- Florida 9 Oregon 1
- Florida 7 Oregon 0
Florida qualifies for the WCWS, 2-0.
Stillwater Super Regional
- Oklahoma State 3 Houston 0
- Houston 1 Oklahoma State 0
- Oklahoma State 6 Houston 5
Oklahoma State qualifies for the WCWS, 2-1.
Athens Super Regional
- Baylor 5 Georgia 1
- Georgia 14 Baylor 2
- Baylor 9 Georgia 2
Baylor qualifies for the WCWS, 2-1.
Berkeley Super Regional
- California 1 Kentucky 0
- Kentucky 8 California 0
- California 9 Kentucky 0
California qualifies for the WCWS, 2-1.
Tuscaloosa Super Regional
- Stanford 5 Alabama 2
- Alabama 10 Stanford 0
- Alabama 1 Stanford 0
Alabama qualifies for the WCWS, 2-1.
REGULAR SEASON INFORMATION
- Honda Sports Award – Kelsey Bruder, Florida (.387, 19 HR, 71 RBI)
- USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year – Ashley Hansen, Stanford (.495, 9 HR, 45 RBI)
ALL-AMERICAN FIRST TEAM
P – Dallas Escobedo, Arizona State
P – Jolene Henderson, California
P – Chelsea Thomas, Missouri
C – Kaylyn Castillo, Arizona State
1B – Megan Bush, Florida
2B – Lauren Gibson, Tennessee
3B – Amanda Chidester, Michigan
SS – Ashley Hansen, Stanford
OF – Kayla Braud, Alabama
OF – Brittany Lastrapes, Arizona
OF – Kelsey Bruder, Florida
UTIL – Jaclyn Traina, Alabama
UTIL – Andrea Harrison, UCLA
AL – Katelyn Boyd, Arizona State
AL – Kelsi Dunne, Alabama
AL – Adrienne Monka, Northwestern
AL – Keilani Ricketts, Oklahoma
AL – Brittany Schutte, Florida
ALL-AMERICAN SECOND TEAM
P – Blaire Luna, Texas
P – Kenzie Fowler, Arizona
P – Hannah Rogers, Florida
C – Jessica Shults, Oklahoma
1B – Hoku Nohara, New Mexico State
2B – Ashley Lane, Michigan
3B – Brigette Del Ponte, Arizona
SS – Kelsi Weseman, Georgia Tech
OF – Raven Chavanne, Tennessee
OF – Ashley Fleming, Missouri
OF – Megan Wiggins, Georgia
UTIL – Melissa Dumezich, Texas A&M
UTIL – Nikia Williams, Washington
AL – Whitney Canion, Baylor
AL – Alisa Goler, Georgia
AL – Whitney Larsen, Alabama
AL – Jenn Salling, Washington
AL – Jordan Taylor, Michigan
ALL-AMERICAN THIRD TEAM
P – Jen Mineau, Fordham
P – Ellen Renfroe, Tennessee
P – Sara Plourde, UMass
C – Taylor Edwards, Nebraska
1B – Gabriele Bridges, Louisiana-Lafayette
2B – Aja Paculba, Florida
3B – Heather Johnson, Notre Dame
SS – Dani Leal, Baylor
OF – Bree Evans, Michigan
OF – Jamia Reid, California
OF – Rhea Taylor, Missouri
UTIL – Aimee Creger, Tulsa
UTIL – Dani Miller, Notre Dame
AL – Lindsey Hansen, Michigan State
AL – Brittany Mack, LSU
AL – Michelle Moultrie, Florida
AL – Christi Orgeron, Louisiana-Lafayette
AL – Danielle Zymkowitz, Illinois