Former Oakdale High School softball standout Grace Green has achieved a dream: she was part of a National Championship softball team. In June, Oklahoma University won the Women’s College NCAA World Series over Florida State.
“It truly was a dream come true,” Green said. “When I was a little girl, I dreamed about being in the dog pile following a championship win. So, when we recorded the final out, we all ran out there and we got in the dog pile. It was a moment I will never forget.”
Green and the Sooners defeated Florida State two-out-of-three games. The road to the championship was not an easy one, however. In 2019, Oklahoma University fell to UCLA in the title game. Then the 2020 season was taken away due to the pandemic.
“It was hard, I mean losing to UCLA in 2019 then having to wait over a year just to play again to try and get back to that stage was brutal,” Green admitted.
During the pandemic Green stayed in shape by using medicine balls, weights and throwing a ball around with her dad, Daniel Green.
“My dad would pitch to me, which was really cool because we have not been able to do that together since I was a little girl. So that was special.”
The team got back to playing in February of 2021; where they won their first 36 games (including tournament play). They went 56-4 on the year and a perfect 21-0 at home. In the postseason, Oklahoma University defeated Morgan State 19-0 in five innings. They then played Wichita State in the NCAA Norman Regional. They defeated the Shockers 7-5, 24-7. The team then entered the Women’s College World Series against James Madison. It was a big of a rude awakening, as James Madison University upset the Sooners 4-3 in eight innings.
“That was tough. Losing off the bat like that was an eye opener. Not that we were overlooking them, because they are very talented. The thing that got us through was the Bible. We read the ‘Battle of Jericho’ and it talks about the Israelites march for six days and seven times on the seventh day,” explained Green. “We knew that we would have to play strong for seven days. So, on the bus we would chant ‘Seven Days! Seven Days! It really helped connect us.”
The girls regrouped and knocked off Georgia, UCLA, James Madison and Florida State in that seven-day span.
Green also reflected on her teammates and coaches that helped make her season memorable.
“Our team was full of talented players, and not just seniors, but even the younger players like the freshmen that helped us reach our goal,” she noted.
Green graduated from Oakdale High School in 2018 where she was named All-League three times. Due to the pandemic Green will be labeled “Super Junior” for softball next year and enters her senior year in the classroom. In 2021 Green’s batting average was .373 and she had 19 hits, 25 RBI and hit four home runs.
