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Texas softball coach Mike White: World Series should rotate from Oklahoma, but it won’t

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Does the location of the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City give the powerhouse Oklahoma program an edge seemingly every season? Absolutely, said Texas coach Mike White.

But will that ever change, at least while White still coaches college softball? Absolutely not, he added with a grin before his No. 1 Longhorns boarded a charter flight to Oklahoma City Tuesday morning to get ready for Thursday’s WCWS opener against Stanford.

More: After beating Texas A&M, who will Texas softball face in NCAA Women’s College World Series?

“I’d love to see it rotate eventually, but probably not in my tenure as a coach,” he said. “We get it, but it is a huge advantage obviously for Oklahoma.”

The Oklahoma campus in Norman is about 20 miles south of the recently renamed Devon Park, the host site of the WCWS that was formerly known as the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex. Oklahoma City has a relationship with the NCAA as well as USA Softball extending back decades, and the recently renewed contract between the NCAA, USA Softball and Oklahoma City will keep the WCWS in its current home until at least 2035.

White will make his seventh trip to the WCWS this week after leading Oregon to Oklahoma City five times and Texas once before, in 2022.

More: Texas softball outlasts the Aggies, sighs relief | Bohls

Why does the NCAA host the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma?

Oklahoma City has long been the epicenter of softball in the U.S. Originally known as the Amateur Softball Association, USA Softball relocated from New Jersey to Oklahoma City in 1966 and hosts international games and Olympic tryouts as well as the Big 12 Tournament, the WCWS and other local events.

The top-rate facilities first drew the NCAA in 1990, and the WCWS has been played outside of Oklahoma City just once since then, when Columbus, Ga., hosted the event in 1996 as a trial run for the Atlanta Olympics later that summer.

The WCWS spent its first six years in Omaha and two years in Sunnyvale, Calif., before settling in Oklahoma City.

The NCAA also likes the idea of having a permanent home for its sports that don’t generate the massive financial windfall of football and the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. Omaha, Neb., has served as the home of baseball’s College World Series for generations, and the NCAA Track and Field Championships will be held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., for the next four years.

More: No. 1 Texas softball survives Texas A&M. What awaits at the Women’s College World Series?

Are the facilities at Devon Park better than others in the country?

In a word, yes. The complex, which features four fields, first opened in 1987 but has undergone significant improvements over the years with heavy investment from USA Softball. The NCAA signed a contract with USA Softball and Oklahoma City in 2014 that ensured the WCWS would stay at the facility now known as Devon Park through 2035 if facility improvements met a certain standard.

Those standards have certainly been reached. In addition to pressbox and on-field improvements, upper-level seating has been expanded and the stadium now holds 13,000 fans, making it the largest softball-specific stadium in the U.S.

How much does having the WCWS in Oklahoma help the Sooners?

It certainly can’t hurt the Sooners when at least 10,000 of the fans in Devon Park are wearing crimson and cream. But Oklahoma’s rise to prominence didn’t begin until this century, and six of their seven titles have come in the past 12 years. From 2001-2011, the Sooners made five appearances at the WCWS and went just 3-10, which suggests home runs and other big plays matter more than home cooking.

This season, Oklahoma is seeded second at the WCWS behind Texas.

Still, should Oklahoma essentially get to serve as hosts regardless of the myriad reasons?

“Honestly, if you asked me? No,” Texas freshman infielder Kayden Henry said. “But at the same time, I just think with the team that we have, it’s going to be fun regardless. I’ve been told that it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Game one for Texas, Women’s College World Series

Thursday, 7 p.m. Texas (51-7) vs. Stanford (48-15)

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