NCAA softball’s Super Regionals continue this weekend

The GIST: Memorial Day Weekend means grilled food, summer whites, and softball Super Regionals. By Sunday night, the eight-team Women’s College World Series will be set. So spicy, not even the new season of Bridgerton can tear you away.

• No. 2–seed Oklahoma kicked things off last night with a brutal 11–3 run-rule beatdown of No. 15 Florida State, then No. 6 UCLA followed suit by smacking around No. 11 Georgia 8–0. Fingers crossed those series are more competitive in Game 2 so we can have a Game 3.

No. 10 Duke Blue Devils vs. No. 7 Missouri Tigers, 2 p.m. ET (ESPN2): Both squads were projected to have the toughest paths to Super Regionals. That turned out to be true for Mizzou, who just survived thanks to a ninth-inning walk-off run, but Duke sailed through without a hitch. This one has upset written all over it.

No. 14 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. No. 3 Tennessee Volunteers, 4 p.m. ET (ESPN2): If you love pitchers duels, this all–SEC matchup is must-see TV. Their late-April regular-season series was nothing but shutouts, but both squads are coming in hot — especially the Vols, who outscored their Regional opponents 21–0. Sheesh.

No. 16 Texas A&M Aggies vs. No. 1 Texas Longhorns, 6 p.m. ET (ESPN2): Sure, Texas may be the heavy favorite here, but who doesn’t love a Lone Star State showdown between two teams who will soon be conference rivals again? Not even Glinda and Elphaba can match this rivalry.

No. 9 LSU Tigers vs. No. 8–seed Stanford Cardinal, 10 p.m. ET (ESPNU): This is likely the weekend’s most evenly-matched series as both have been Top-10 mainstays all season long. But the Card has two not-so-secret weapons: home-field advantage and NiJaree Canady, the nation’s best pitcher by a stunningly wide margin. LFG.