James Madison softball clinches first College World Series berth originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

For the first time in program history, the James Madison University softball team will play in the Women’s College World Series.

JMU defeated Missouri 7-2 in the rubber match of the Columbia Super Regional on Sunday, in part thanks to a four-run seventh inning.

The Dukes will face off against the Oklahoma Sooners, the tournament’s overall No. 1 seed, next Thursday at noon in the opening game of the World Series. It will essentially be a home game for the Sooners. The tournament will be hosted in Oklahoma City just a short drive from Norman.

JMU’s road to the series was not an easy one. Missouri was the eighth-ranked team in the country, but to advance to face them, the Dukes first had to defeat both No. 9 Tennessee and No. 25 Liberty in the Knoxville Regional.

This will only be third time in history that two unseeded teams will appear in the same WCWS. The Dukes will be joined by unranked Georgia in Oklahoma City.

James Madison enters the final stage of the tournament with a stellar 39-2 record. Per a team press release, “JMU becomes the first school not from a power five conference to reach the Women’s College World Series since Louisiana achieved the feat back in 2014.”

Key players from the D.C. area are redshirt junior outfielder Michelle Sullivan (Ashburn, Va. / Briar Woods High) and freshman outfielder/utility Grace Lutz (Woodbridge, Va. / Hylton High)