Mississippi State Softball has a chance to make even more history this season.
The Bulldogs are the 16th new team to make the Women’s College World Series since 2006. Arkansas clinched its first WCWS on Saturday, a day before MSU earned its biggest win in program history against Oklahoma on Sunday.
No team in the last 20 years has won the WCWS in their first appearance. Only one team, 2025 Texas Tech, has reached the WCWS finals in that span. Six have left OKC without winning a game.
Only three teams have ever won the WCWS in their first try. The first two, UCLA and Texas A&M, were the champions of the first two WCWS in 1982 and 1983. Both teams had established national success and won championships in the era of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW).
The last team to win the WCWS in its first try was Oklahoma in 2000. The Sooners ran the table, going 4-0 in the WCWS and earning their first national championship.
“I think it’s kind of poetic that now after we beat them (Oklahoma), we’re the team that gets to come for the first time,” MSU head coach Samantha Ricketts said. “For us, it’s going to continue to be focusing on Mississippi State softball, and why not us.”
Here is a look at how first-time WCWS teams have fared.
2025: Texas Tech (4-2), Ole Miss (0-2)
Texas Tech will face State Thursday in its second-straight and second-ever WCWS. The Red Raiders had an almost dream debut in the 2025 WCWS, taking down Ole Miss, UCLA and Oklahoma before falling a game short in the WCWS finals against Texas.
Ole Miss’ first appearance wasn’t as successful. The Rebels fell to Texas Tech in Game 1 and Oregon in Game 2, leaving Oklahoma City 0-2.
2024: Duke (0-2)
The Blue Devils were the lone newcomer to the WCWS in 2024. Their historic season ended winless in OKC, falling to eventual national champion Oklahoma and Alabama.
2021: James Madison (2-2)
The Dukes stole the hearts of softball fans in 2021, becoming the first non-Power 5 school to reach the WCWS since 2014. Their improbable run reached its peak in Game 1 of the WCWS, when JMU took down Oklahoma 4-3. They were a win away from reaching the WCWS finals, but Oklahoma got revenge in two straight games en route to its first of four straight championships.
2019: Minnesota (0-2)
The Golden Gophers earned their first-ever WCWS appearance in 2019, but couldn’t notch a win. Minnesota fell to two future conference foes in UCLA and Washington.
2015: Auburn (2-2)
Auburn dropped its first-ever game in the WCWS, but rallied to win two straight in the losers bracket. The Tigers’ season came to an end against Florida in a heartbreaking, nine-inning 3-2 loss.
2014: Kentucky (1-2)
Kentucky took its first game of the WCWS against Louisiana-Lafayette but dropped to 1-1 with a loss against Alabama. The Wildcats looked well on their way to a win in an elimination game against Baylor, leading the Bears 7-0 through five innings, but the Bears clawed back and eliminated Kentucky 8-7 in eight innings.
2012: South Florida (0-2)
The Bulls upset in-state rival Gators in the regional round, and hosted Hofstra in the supers before clinching their first WCWS appearance. USF left OKC without a win, dropping games to LSU and Oklahoma.
2010: Hawaii (1-2)
The Rainbow Warriors first and only WCWS appearance came in 2010. They got off to a hot start with a 3-2 win over Missouri. Hawaii lost its next two against UCLA and Arizona en route to elimination.
2009: Georgia (3-2)
Georgia was a win away from reaching the WCWS finals in its first appearance. The Bulldogs lost their first game against Washington before rattling off three straight victories, and forcing a game against Washington for the right to play for a championship.
2008: Florida (3-2), Virginia Tech (0-2)
The two fresh faces in 2008 met in the first elimination game of the world series. Florida knocked out Virginia Tech and rode the momentum for two more wins. The Gators fell a game short of the WCWS finals in heartbreaking fashion, losing to Texas A&M 1-0 in nine innings.
2007: Baylor (1-2)
Baylor fell to eventual national champion Arizona in its first game. The Bears picked up a win against Texas A&M before being eliminated by Northwestern.
2006: Oregon State (0-2)
The Beavers had a program-best year but fell flat in the WCWS, going 0-2.
Jake is the Mississippi State athletics reporter for The Dispatch.
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