1972 Women's College World Series

Softball tournament The 1972 Women's College World Series (WCWS) was contested among 16 college softball teams on May 18–21 in Omaha, Nebraska. This fourth WCWS was notable for the only appearance of a team from outside the United States, as the team from Tokyo–Nihon University of Japan proved to be a hit with both spectators and the other teams in the tournament. Three-time defending champion John F. Kennedy College was excluded from the tournament by an organizational rule change the previous month. The new rule prohibited a team from appearing in the WCWS if it gave scholarships to any women athletes, not just softball players (JFK College openly awarded women's basketball scholarships).A Series Of Their Own: History Of The Women's College World Series William Plummer Larry C. Floyd 2013 Turnkey Communications Inc. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States 978-0-9893007-0-4 JFK never returned to the WCWS, and the school closed just three years later. The Arizona State Sun Devilettes defeated Tokyo–Nihon narrowly in the winners' bracket semi-final, 2–1, and split the tournament final, 0–1 and 8–5, with the if-necessary game requiring 11 innings. Teams The double elimination tournament included these teams: TeamAppearanceArizona State2ndCentral Missouri State2ndIllinois State4thKansas State Teachers College (now Emporia State)2ndKeene State College (NH)3rdLuther College (IA)3rdMinot State3rdNebraska–Omaha4thNorthern Colorado4thPurdue1stSouth Carolina1stSouth Dakota State2ndSouthwest Missouri State4thTokyo–Nihon University (Japan)1stWayne State (NE)2ndWestern Illinois2nd Bracket no 2 Tokyo–Nihon 4 Central Missouri State College 0 Illinois State 8 Kansas State Teachers College 0 South Dakota State 3 Luther College 2 Keene State College 10 Purdue 3 Southwest Missouri State 7 Nebraska–Omaha 2 Northern Colorado 5 South Carolina 2 Arizona State 11 Minot State College 0 Western Illinois 12 Wayne State College 4 Tokyo–Nihon 3 Illinois State 2 South Dakota State 5 Keene State College 0 Southwest Missouri State 2 Northern Colorado 4 Arizona State 3 Western Illinois 0 Tokyo–Nihon 6 South Dakota State 0 Northern Colorado 1 Arizona State 11 Tokyo–Nihon 1 Arizona State 2 Arizona State 0 8(11) Tokyo–Nihon 1 5 Central Missouri State College 8 Kansas State Teachers College 4 Luther College 6 Purdue 1 Nebraska–Omaha 6 South Carolina 0 Minot State College 6 Wayne State College 10 Central Missouri State College 9 Southwest Missouri State 3 Luther College 2 Western Illinois 7 Nebraska–Omaha 1 Illinois State 4 Wayne State College 15 Keene State College 0 Central Missouri State College 4 Western Illinois 9 Illinois State 10 Wayne State College 0 Western Illinois 8 South Dakota State 3 Illinois State 11 Northern Colorado 4 Western Illinois 2 Illinois State 1no-hitter by Illinois State pitcher, Margie Wright; lost Western Illinois 0 Tokyo–Nihon 4 Source:May 21, 1972 Omaha World-Herald Omaha, Nebraska https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/newspapers/image/v2:1106B5BBD4B623A8@GB3NEWS-1394FA346010DB6B@2441459-1394F62C5A8DA058@61-139550FA77B36E10@?search_terms=softball 11-C Arizona State Clips Tokyo, Gains Finals Larry Devine 2017-03-31May 22, 1972 Omaha World-Herald Omaha, Nebraska https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/newspapers/image/v2:1106B5BBD4B623A8@GB3NEWS-1383411BB290C85E@2441460-13833C02701999FC@18-1384E9001808FFF8@?search_terms=softball 19 Arizona State Wins Gals CWS Larry Devine 2017-03-31May 20, 1972 Omaha World-Herald Omaha, Nebraska https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/newspapers/image/v2:1106B5BBD4B623A8@GB3NEWS-1394FA14DA750DF8@2441458-13833A86E2CF0CEE@25-139550AD3429BAB0@?search_terms=softball 26 Paula Leads ASU's Wins Larry Devine 2017-03-31May 19, 1972 Omaha World-Herald Omaha, Nebraska https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/newspapers/image/v2:1106B5BBD4B623A8@GB3NEWS-1383411ADCA4F02F@2441457-137C54C7F9B1267C@33-1384E891D4EE0C28@?search_terms=softball 34 Tokyo Gals Stock Up on Ice Cream, Victories Larry Devine 2017-03-31May 19, 1972 Omaha World-Herald Omaha, Nebraska A Taste of Dust 33 https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/newspapers/image/v2:1106B5BBD4B623A8@GB3NEWS-1383411ADCA4F02F@2441457-13833BAB059FB50C@32-1384E888866E8BA0@?search_terms=softball 2017-03-31May 18, 1972 Omaha World-Herald Omaha, Nebraska 44 Softball Gals Vie Tonight https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/newspapers/image/v2:1106B5BBD4B623A8@GB3NEWS-1394FA11739EEA9E@2441456-13833A868197FEDF@42-13954F6C1456CD68@?search_terms=softball 2017-03-31 Ranking Place School WCWS Record 1st Arizona State5-1 2nd Tokyo–Nihon5-2 3rd Western Illinois5-2 4th Illinois State4-2 5th Northern Colorado2-2 6th South Dakota State2-27th Wayne State College2-2 Central Missouri State College2-29th Keene State College1-2 Nebraska–Omaha1-2 Luther College1-2 Southwest Missouri State1-213th South Carolina0-2 Minot State College0-2 Kansas State Teachers College0-2 Purdue0-2 See also AIAW Champions#Fastpitch Softball References Category:Women's College World Series Soft Women's College World Series Women's College World Series Women's College World Series Category:Women's sports in Nebraska Category:20th century in Omaha, Nebraska Category:College sports tournaments in Nebraska