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Wednesday, May 7
Tampa, Fla.
9:00 a.m.
Tulsa
vs
UTSA
Photo by: Joshua Rogers
Tulsa Softball Heads to The American Championship in Tampa
5/6/2025 3:35:00 PM | Softball
TULSA, Okla. – The University of Tulsa softball team (20-32, 8-19 The American) heads to Tampa for the 2025 American Athletic Conference Championship on the campus of South Florida. Tulsa earned the eighth seed for the tournament and will face the ninth-seeded UTSA in the opening round, needing five wins to win the title.
TULSA SCHEDULE AND PATH
USF Softball Stadium
Wednesday, May 7 at 9:00 a.m. (CT) | #8 Tulsa vs. #9 UTSA
Wednesday, May 7 at 3:00 p.m. (CT) | Game 1 Winner vs. #5 Wichita State
Thursday, May 8 at 11 a.m. (CT) | Game 3 Winner vs. #4 North Texas
Friday, May 9 at 12 p.m. (CT) | Game 5 winner vs. #1 Florida Atlantic (ESPNU)
Saturday, May 10 at 11 a.m. (CT) | Championship Game (ESPN2)
HOW TO FOLLOW
All three games will air on ESPN+. Ryan Urquhart, Savanna Collins and Maria Trivelpiece will bring fans the action. Fans can also follow the games at Tulsa.StatBroadcast.com.
TULSA IN THE AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP
2025 is the 10th American Athletic Conference Softball Championship the Hurricane has played in, making the tournament in every year as a league member. Tulsa is 14-6 in tournament games, winning 3 AAC Championship titles.
Tulsa earned the eighth seed in the AAC Championship after going 8-19 in conference play this season.
Overall, the Hurricane has a 29-13 record in conference tournament play.
Tulsa is the only AAC school to hold their opponents scoreless in an AAC Championship, doing so in 2016 outscoring opponents 10-0 and 2017 taking out its opponents 7-0.
Tulsa won its three conference tournament titles in consecutive seasons, winning in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
TULSA vs. THE ROADRUNNERS
The Golden Hurricane is 14-10 all-time against UTSA, including a 6-5 record in neutral site games. The Roadrunners took the earlier season meeting in San Antonio two games to one, with Tulsa winning game two of the series, 2-1.
UTSA finished the regular season with a 21-33 record, 6-21 in The American play.
Freshman Sabrina Wick led the team with a .305 batting average. Sophomore catcher Kalee Rochinski finished the regular season sixth in the NCAA with 20 base runners caught stealing. Katia Reyes' seven home runs and 28 RBI were both team highs.
In the circle, another freshman in Ava Eldridge put in 90 innings of work, the most on the team, as another example of UTSA's young talent. She finished the season 8-9 with two complete games, two shutouts and two saves, striking out 43 and walking 70. Opponents hit 2.89 off her.
TULSA vs. THE SHOCKERS
If Tulsa manages to take down UTSA in Wednesday's opener, the Golden Hurricane will face the fifth-seeded Wichita State in the second round later that afternoon at a scheduled 4 p.m. first pitch.
Tulsa and Wichita State have met 72 previous times with the Shockers winning 41 and TU 31. WSU came to Tulsa and took two of three from the Hurricane at the Collins Family Softball Complex over Easter weekend. After dropping the first two of the series, TU bounced back to win the finale, thanks in part to home runs from Maci Cole, Annika Dill and Celeste Wood.
The Shockers closed the regular season with a 28-24 -1 record and was 15-11-1 in conference play.
Ryley Nihart was tabbed as The American Co-Freshman of the season after the pitcher had a season with 21 appearances and 17 starts. She had a team-low 3.08 ERA in 97.2 innings of work. The freshman was also a second team and all-freshman selection, joining fellow freshman Brookelyn Livanec in the latter.
Grad Senior Lauren Lucas earned first team honors and led the Shockers in batting, hitting .386 to go along with a team-leading 42 RBI and .500 on-base percentage. She also had 13 homers and 11 doubles, second-best on the team.
THE REGULAR SEASON
The Golden Hurricane finished the regular season 20-32, 8-19 in The American, heading into The American Championship. The Hurricane was swept by regular season champions Florida Atlantic in the last series of the regular season.
Senior shortstop Maci Cole and senior first baseman Celeste Wood each picked up The American season honors. Cole was named to The American All-Conference First Team, while Wood earned second team honors. They are they 75th and 76th TU softball players to be named to all-conference teams.
Cole led the Golden Hurricane offense with a .322 batting average over the regular season. She drove in 27 runs, second to Wood's 31. Her 10 home runs paced the Hurricane, and she led TU in slugging percentage, .604, on-base percentage, .457, and walks, 33.
Wood finished the campaign with a .298 batting average, five doubles, a triple and six home runs. Injury has forced her out of the lineup.
As a team, TU batted .239 with 47 doubles, six triples, 27 home runs and 168 driven in. Tulsa collectively held a .335 on-base percentage and .348 slugging percentage.
In the circle, Maura Moore's 4.41 ERA was the team low. She held a 13-15 record with ten complete games and two shutouts. In 146 innings of work, Moore struck out 91 batters. Alexa Hopkins and Brinly Maples picked up the majority of the rest of the innings, tossing 80 and 88, respectively. Hopkins held a 5.69 ERA with 54 strikeouts, while Maples struck out 47 batters and had a 5.73 ERA.
SOFTBALL TO SPACE
Senior Maci Cole has accomplished a lot since she has stepped foot on the TU campus. Over her senior year, Cole has worked on a mechanical engineering project, which is part of a NASA initiative. On the field, Cole leads Tulsa to batting average (.322) and home runs (10).
During an 18-game hitting streak that ended in game one at UTSA, Cole slashed .472/.569/.962 with six doubles, a triple, six home runs and 17 driven in.
The hitting streak started in game two of the doubleheader with Western Carolina and covered (March 19) and ended April 25 at UTSA. It covered 15 conference games.
COLE TAKES A WALK
Senior infielder Maci Cole drew a team-leading 33 walks at the plate in the regular season, which was the second most in The American. Her 0.63 walks per game was fourth in the league and 97th in the NCAA.
FLASHING THE LEATHER
Maci Cole featured at the shortstop for the majority of the season while also playing games at third base, making 10 starts at the hot corner while Claira Skaggs has been injured. She has since moved back to short and has recorded a team-leading 110 assists this season, which ranks fifth in the conference and 56th in the NCAA. Her 2.12 assists per game is the fifth-best mark in The American and 101st in the nation.
MAGNIFICENT MAURA
Senior pitcher Maura Moore has been busy, throwing 146 innings, almost half of Tulsa's innings for the season and the most by any Tulsa pitcher. She finished fourth in The American for innings pitched and 83rd nationally. She led the conference in games started (31), third for complete games (10), ranking 4th and 123rd in the NCAA, respectively.
WOOD DRIVES THEM HOME
Senior Celeste Wood batted .298 this season, second best on the team, and led the Golden Hurricane with 31 RBIs. The first baseman, who slugging .489, was second the team with 12 extra-base hits, hitting five doubles, a triple and six home runs.
THE LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Hurricane is coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of the regular season champion FAU Owls. It was the seventh straight series loss in conference play for the Golden Hurricane to wrap up the regular season.
Tulsa scored its only two runs of the weekend in the first and second innings of game one. TU got a bases loaded walk to bring in Maci Cole in the first inning, and then Cole went deep with her 10th home run of the season in the second to cut the deficit to 5-2. FAU would go on to win 13-2 as Tulsa would not score again the remainder of the series.
Tulsa's pitching gave the Hurricane a chance in games two and three, but the offense could not get going, falling 5-0 and 6-0 in the final two games. Saturday's loss was highlighted by a perfect game from FAU's Jaden Martinez, the first for the program since 2002. She struck out just two batters in the contest while facing the minimum.
On Sunday, Tulsa celebrated the careers of four seniors. Paige Knight, Alexa Hopkins, Danielle Burns and Celeste Wood played their final game in front of the home crowd at the Collins Family Softball Complex.
Despite her injury, Wood got the starting nod in right field. After the first pitch, she was removed from the game to the cheers from the crowd and hugs from teammates.
DON'T RUN ON AMBER
Freshman Amber Turner is already showing off her talent behind the plate early in her Tulsa career. Turner caught 15 runners attempting to steal, which ranked second in the conference and 17th nationally. The catcher is also showing off her skills with the bat, fourth on the team with a .236 batting average. She also recorded four doubles, two triples, three home runs and drove 21 in, which ranked third on the team.
TULSA SCHEDULE AND PATH
USF Softball Stadium
Wednesday, May 7 at 9:00 a.m. (CT) | #8 Tulsa vs. #9 UTSA
Wednesday, May 7 at 3:00 p.m. (CT) | Game 1 Winner vs. #5 Wichita State
Thursday, May 8 at 11 a.m. (CT) | Game 3 Winner vs. #4 North Texas
Friday, May 9 at 12 p.m. (CT) | Game 5 winner vs. #1 Florida Atlantic (ESPNU)
Saturday, May 10 at 11 a.m. (CT) | Championship Game (ESPN2)
HOW TO FOLLOW
All three games will air on ESPN+. Ryan Urquhart, Savanna Collins and Maria Trivelpiece will bring fans the action. Fans can also follow the games at Tulsa.StatBroadcast.com.
TULSA IN THE AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP
2025 is the 10th American Athletic Conference Softball Championship the Hurricane has played in, making the tournament in every year as a league member. Tulsa is 14-6 in tournament games, winning 3 AAC Championship titles.
Tulsa earned the eighth seed in the AAC Championship after going 8-19 in conference play this season.
Overall, the Hurricane has a 29-13 record in conference tournament play.
Tulsa is the only AAC school to hold their opponents scoreless in an AAC Championship, doing so in 2016 outscoring opponents 10-0 and 2017 taking out its opponents 7-0.
Tulsa won its three conference tournament titles in consecutive seasons, winning in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
TULSA vs. THE ROADRUNNERS
The Golden Hurricane is 14-10 all-time against UTSA, including a 6-5 record in neutral site games. The Roadrunners took the earlier season meeting in San Antonio two games to one, with Tulsa winning game two of the series, 2-1.
UTSA finished the regular season with a 21-33 record, 6-21 in The American play.
Freshman Sabrina Wick led the team with a .305 batting average. Sophomore catcher Kalee Rochinski finished the regular season sixth in the NCAA with 20 base runners caught stealing. Katia Reyes' seven home runs and 28 RBI were both team highs.
In the circle, another freshman in Ava Eldridge put in 90 innings of work, the most on the team, as another example of UTSA's young talent. She finished the season 8-9 with two complete games, two shutouts and two saves, striking out 43 and walking 70. Opponents hit 2.89 off her.
TULSA vs. THE SHOCKERS
If Tulsa manages to take down UTSA in Wednesday's opener, the Golden Hurricane will face the fifth-seeded Wichita State in the second round later that afternoon at a scheduled 4 p.m. first pitch.
Tulsa and Wichita State have met 72 previous times with the Shockers winning 41 and TU 31. WSU came to Tulsa and took two of three from the Hurricane at the Collins Family Softball Complex over Easter weekend. After dropping the first two of the series, TU bounced back to win the finale, thanks in part to home runs from Maci Cole, Annika Dill and Celeste Wood.
The Shockers closed the regular season with a 28-24 -1 record and was 15-11-1 in conference play.
Ryley Nihart was tabbed as The American Co-Freshman of the season after the pitcher had a season with 21 appearances and 17 starts. She had a team-low 3.08 ERA in 97.2 innings of work. The freshman was also a second team and all-freshman selection, joining fellow freshman Brookelyn Livanec in the latter.
Grad Senior Lauren Lucas earned first team honors and led the Shockers in batting, hitting .386 to go along with a team-leading 42 RBI and .500 on-base percentage. She also had 13 homers and 11 doubles, second-best on the team.
THE REGULAR SEASON
The Golden Hurricane finished the regular season 20-32, 8-19 in The American, heading into The American Championship. The Hurricane was swept by regular season champions Florida Atlantic in the last series of the regular season.
Senior shortstop Maci Cole and senior first baseman Celeste Wood each picked up The American season honors. Cole was named to The American All-Conference First Team, while Wood earned second team honors. They are they 75th and 76th TU softball players to be named to all-conference teams.
Cole led the Golden Hurricane offense with a .322 batting average over the regular season. She drove in 27 runs, second to Wood's 31. Her 10 home runs paced the Hurricane, and she led TU in slugging percentage, .604, on-base percentage, .457, and walks, 33.
Wood finished the campaign with a .298 batting average, five doubles, a triple and six home runs. Injury has forced her out of the lineup.
As a team, TU batted .239 with 47 doubles, six triples, 27 home runs and 168 driven in. Tulsa collectively held a .335 on-base percentage and .348 slugging percentage.
In the circle, Maura Moore's 4.41 ERA was the team low. She held a 13-15 record with ten complete games and two shutouts. In 146 innings of work, Moore struck out 91 batters. Alexa Hopkins and Brinly Maples picked up the majority of the rest of the innings, tossing 80 and 88, respectively. Hopkins held a 5.69 ERA with 54 strikeouts, while Maples struck out 47 batters and had a 5.73 ERA.
SOFTBALL TO SPACE
Senior Maci Cole has accomplished a lot since she has stepped foot on the TU campus. Over her senior year, Cole has worked on a mechanical engineering project, which is part of a NASA initiative. On the field, Cole leads Tulsa to batting average (.322) and home runs (10).
During an 18-game hitting streak that ended in game one at UTSA, Cole slashed .472/.569/.962 with six doubles, a triple, six home runs and 17 driven in.
The hitting streak started in game two of the doubleheader with Western Carolina and covered (March 19) and ended April 25 at UTSA. It covered 15 conference games.
COLE TAKES A WALK
Senior infielder Maci Cole drew a team-leading 33 walks at the plate in the regular season, which was the second most in The American. Her 0.63 walks per game was fourth in the league and 97th in the NCAA.
FLASHING THE LEATHER
Maci Cole featured at the shortstop for the majority of the season while also playing games at third base, making 10 starts at the hot corner while Claira Skaggs has been injured. She has since moved back to short and has recorded a team-leading 110 assists this season, which ranks fifth in the conference and 56th in the NCAA. Her 2.12 assists per game is the fifth-best mark in The American and 101st in the nation.
MAGNIFICENT MAURA
Senior pitcher Maura Moore has been busy, throwing 146 innings, almost half of Tulsa's innings for the season and the most by any Tulsa pitcher. She finished fourth in The American for innings pitched and 83rd nationally. She led the conference in games started (31), third for complete games (10), ranking 4th and 123rd in the NCAA, respectively.
WOOD DRIVES THEM HOME
Senior Celeste Wood batted .298 this season, second best on the team, and led the Golden Hurricane with 31 RBIs. The first baseman, who slugging .489, was second the team with 12 extra-base hits, hitting five doubles, a triple and six home runs.
THE LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Hurricane is coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of the regular season champion FAU Owls. It was the seventh straight series loss in conference play for the Golden Hurricane to wrap up the regular season.
Tulsa scored its only two runs of the weekend in the first and second innings of game one. TU got a bases loaded walk to bring in Maci Cole in the first inning, and then Cole went deep with her 10th home run of the season in the second to cut the deficit to 5-2. FAU would go on to win 13-2 as Tulsa would not score again the remainder of the series.
Tulsa's pitching gave the Hurricane a chance in games two and three, but the offense could not get going, falling 5-0 and 6-0 in the final two games. Saturday's loss was highlighted by a perfect game from FAU's Jaden Martinez, the first for the program since 2002. She struck out just two batters in the contest while facing the minimum.
On Sunday, Tulsa celebrated the careers of four seniors. Paige Knight, Alexa Hopkins, Danielle Burns and Celeste Wood played their final game in front of the home crowd at the Collins Family Softball Complex.
Despite her injury, Wood got the starting nod in right field. After the first pitch, she was removed from the game to the cheers from the crowd and hugs from teammates.
DON'T RUN ON AMBER
Freshman Amber Turner is already showing off her talent behind the plate early in her Tulsa career. Turner caught 15 runners attempting to steal, which ranked second in the conference and 17th nationally. The catcher is also showing off her skills with the bat, fourth on the team with a .236 batting average. She also recorded four doubles, two triples, three home runs and drove 21 in, which ranked third on the team.
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