For the better part of three seasons, the college softball world has been at the mercy of Oklahoma.
The two-time defending national champion Sooners have played 182 games over the last two-plus seasons, with 105 of those contests — 57.6 percent — being called under the NCAA’s run-ahead rule. It is perhaps the most devastating ruling in the sport, and one Oklahoma has exploited without mercy this season.
While the Sooners are hardly the only team to enact the mercy rule this year, they are the most likely candidates to force its usage at the 2023 Women’s College World Series.
In the event games are called early, here’s everything you need to know about NCAA softball’s mercy rule, as well as its usage and history in the Women’s College World Series:
MORE: When is the Women’s College World Series? Start date, TV schedule & more
College softball mercy rule, explained
If a team leads by eight or more runs after five or more innings, the home plate umpire may declare the run-ahead rule in favor of the leading team — otherwise known as the “mercy rule.”
If the visiting team reaches the eight-run limit in the fifth inning or thereafter, the home team must be given a chance to score enough runs to avoid getting run-ruled. Otherwise, the umpire may call the game…
