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All eight Women’s College World Series rosters have freshmen playing big roles again this year.
Everyone wants experience on their team when it comes time to battle for a championship, but youth has its place. All eight Women’s College World Series rosters have freshmen playing big roles again this year. Who is stepping up for each team in their rookie seasons?
Kayden Henry, Outfielder, No. 1 Texas Longhorns
Kayden Henry made her mark starting 58 of the Longhorns’ 60 games. Fellow Texas freshman Katie Stewart hit more home runs this year, but Henry has a higher batting average and is having a stronger postseason overall. When freshman pitcher Teagan Kavan is added to the mix, the team looks like it could be dangerous for years to come.
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After the Longhorns lost game one of their super regional, Henry was crucial in helping them win the final two games to advance to Oklahoma City. She went 3 for 5 and scored three runs in the second game. She followed that by going 1 for 3 in the clincher.
Beginning with regionals, Henry has eight hits in 18 at-bats for a .444 average this postseason. She also had one walk, went 3 for 3 in stolen base attempts, and scored seven runs over the six games.
Ella Parker, Utility, No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners
Patty Gasso is not afraid of throwing her freshmen into the fire. It’s probably an easy decision when you have as many talented freshmen as she does. Ella Parker is one such talented freshman.
Parker has started 52 games for the Sooners this season. She made an appearance in the other eight.
In those 60 games, Parker has 12 home runs. That ties Stewart of Texas for ninth among freshmen and ranks 102nd overall this season.
Like Texas, the Sooners have another freshman making noise. Kasidi Pickering is making herself known, too. The pair will be among the best in the game for the next few years. Getting their first national title as freshmen would be a good start.
Keagan Rothrock, Pitcher, No. 4 Florida Gators
Ava Brown was the National Softball Gatorade Player of the Year last season. She’s carrying a heavy load for the Gators both in the circle and the batter’s box this season, but classmate and 2022 National Softball Gatorade Player of the Year Keagan Rothrock is pitching her arm off with an astounding 233.2 IP.
Rothrock’s innings workload is the most for any freshman in the country and ranks third among pitchers of all classes. It is first among pitchers in major conferences.
She has a 30-7 record in her 45 appearances. Going into the WCWS, her ERA sits at 2.43.
Rothrock had some challenges against Baylor in super regionals, but the Gators would not have been there without her. During regionals, she gave up a total of six hits in 13.1 IP. She ended with a 2.05 ERA over all six postseason games.
Karli Godwin, Infield, No. 5 Oklahoma State Cowgirls
Karli Godwin has some power. Her 0.25 home runs per game are tied for fifth among freshmen and 84th among hitters from all classes. She’s also tied for fifth in total home runs (15). That ties her for 49th among all hitters.
The Cowgirls have five players who average double-digit home runs. They might not need all that power considering how strong their pitching staff is, but it sure helps. Godwin ranks second on the team behind Caroline Wang with 17.
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It’s not all about home runs, either. Godwin leads OSU with 13 doubles. Once again, she’s one of five Cowgirls with double digits in the stat.
She’s also consistent. Godwin has a .334 batting average. That’s tied for second on the team among those with enough at-bats to qualify for national rankings.
The Cowgirls would like nothing more than to step out of the national shadow of Oklahoma and take their first NCAA title. Godwin will have a big say in whether that happens.
Kaitlyn Terry, Pitcher/Outfielder, No. 6 UCLA Bruins
The Bruins’ young pitching staff was led by sophomore Taylor Tinsley for most of the season. However, the load fell on the shoulders of freshman Kaitlyn Terry when Tinsley sat out for over two weeks late in Pac-12 play. From Apr. 26 through May 10, Terry threw all but five innings in seven games. That amounted to 46 straight innings.
That stretch of being a one-woman show meant Terry ended the year leading the Bruins with 171.2 IP. It’s a big reason she won Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, as she kept the UCLA ship afloat while the team secured the Pac-12 regular season championship with a very sparse pitching staff.
Terry did have her bumps against teams with a lot of power, but the Bruins always had her back with their bats. She enters the WCWS with a 3.04 ERA, which has been more than good enough.
Terry has the mental strength to avoid giving up runs even when she gives up hits. She surrendered seven hits to offensively talented Virginia Tech in the Los Angeles Regional, but the Hokies could only turn that into two runs.
She has thrown 16.2 innings in the Bruins’ five postseason games. That’s more than half of the 30 innings UCLA has played due to three run-rule victories. This freshman will have a big say in whether the Bruins can win their 13th NCAA title.
Ava Gall, Catcher, No. 8 Stanford Cardinal
Stanford is not known for hitting home runs. The Cardinal have just two players with double-digit home runs this season. One of them is freshman Ava Gall.
Gall hit 10 balls out of the park this year, tying Pickering for 14th among freshmen and 174th overall.
It’s been a tough go of it for the Cardinal to get to the WCWS this season. They had to play “if necessary” games in both the regionals and super regionals. That makes offense that much more critical to the team if it hopes to advance to the semifinals again this season.
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Gall will have a big say in whether that happens, but she will need to bump her numbers up if she’s going to do that. She hit just .182 (4 for 22) with one home run over the first two weekends of the postseason. She came through in the end, going 1 for 3 with an RBI in the clincher against LSU.
The Cardinal need all hands on deck if they are going to rise to the occasion against top-seeded Texas.
Amiah Burgess, Outfielder, No. 10 Duke Blue Devils
Duke only has two freshmen on its entire roster. One of them is making a big impact.
Amiah Burgess shifted between being a pinch hitter and playing left field for much of the season. Down the stretch, she became the everyday left fielder while senior star Claire Davidson moved to right for good. Burgess has started every game since Apr. 23 and has been a steady force during the postseason. That’s a testament to her importance to this team.
She hit .278 (5 for 18) with three walks and five RBI over the first two weekends of the tournament. Burgess does not hit a lot of home runs, but she had two triples in the team’s six regional and super regional games.
Jocelyn Briski, Pitcher, No. 14 Alabama Crimson Tide
Like Duke, Alabama only has two freshmen on its roster. Pitcher Jocelyn Briski is setting herself apart.
With the graduation of Montana Fouts after last season, the Crimson Tide needed someone to step up in the circle this year. Transfer Kayla Beaver has carried most of the innings, but Briski has been extremely important to the success of the team.
Briski has thrown 100 innings this season. Her 2.17 ERA ranks first among freshmen pitching at the WCWS, 14th among all freshmen pitchers, and 89th overall.
She has been in the circle for 22 innings this postseason including starting the deciding super regional game at Tennessee. She ended the early rounds with a 1.59 ERA, surrendering just five runs in five appearances.
