Joley Mitchell: 'I wanted it to be OU' vs. Texas in WCWS finals

Monday afternoon, Texas secured its spot in the Women’s College World Series finals by taking down Tennessee. That meant the Longhorns had to wait until later in the day to find out their opponent – either Oklahoma or Texas Tech.

Ultimately, NiJaree Canady and the Red Raiders took down the Sooners in walk-off fashion. That means for the first time since 2019, a team other than OU will win the national championship. It will be Texas vs. Texas Tech in the championship series, which gets underway Wednesday.

However, Longhorns infielder Joley Mitchell made it clear who she wanted to face for the championship. She wanted another shot at the rival Sooners.

“Personally, I wanted it to be OU,” Mitchell said during a Tuesday press conference. “I mean, if you want to be the man, you’ve got to beat the man. I’m happy either way regardless, and I want to win this thing, and I’m ready to go. I’m happy we have a challenge right in front of us with NiJa.

“Regardless, it was going to be a tough series. I wish it would have been OU, but it’s not. We’ve just got to focus on what’s in front of us.”

Oklahoma took down Texas in last year’s championship series, securing the Sooners’ fourth straight national championship. It also marked the second time in three years the Red River Rivalry served as the national championship after the Sooners defeated the Longhorns in 2022, as well. They looked to continue their unprecedented run, but Texas came out on top on Saturday, getting the 4-2 victory to stay in the winners’ bracket.

OU then headed to the elimination bracket, but defeated Oregon to stay alive. That set up the showdown with Canady and Texas Tech, and the two-time reigning National Pitcher of the Year stood strong. The Sooners didn’t score until a seventh-inning home run from Abigale Dayton, which tied the game.

Texas Tech didn’t back down, though, and loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh. That set up the game-winning sacrifice fly from Lauren Allred, which scored Mihyia Davis for the walk-off win. The Red Raiders sealed their first-ever spot in the championship series while Patty Gasso and the Sooners missed out for the first time since 2018.

Texas vs. Texas Tech will get underway this week in the WCWS championship series from Devon Park in Oklahoma City. Game 1 is set for Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.