The 1973 Women's College World Series was contested among 16 teams on May 17-20 in Omaha, Nebraska. It was the first series held under the auspices of the AIAW, which had recently been established by the Division of Girls' and Women's Sports (DGWS) for the purpose of conducting national championships.
Arizona State won its second consecutive WCWS championship, splitting the final two games with Illinois State, including the marathon final game that went 16 innings. Margie Wright pitched all 16 innings in that game for the Redbirds as they narrowly fell to Arizona State, 4-3. On the day of that final, Wright hurled 30 innings in three games. Ironically, for pitching too many innings in one day, a three-woman Illinois sports commission suspended her from pitching in any game in her upcoming senior season and also banned the softball team from post-season play in 1974.
Teams The double-elimination tournament included these teams: TeamAppearanceArizona State3rdBall State1stIowa State2ndIllinois State5thKansas1stMichigan State1stNebraska–Omaha5thNorth Dakota State1stNorthern Colorado5thNorthern Iowa1stSouth Carolina2ndSouth Dakota State3rdSouthwest Missouri State5thWayne State (NE)3rdWeber State1stWestern Illinois3rd
Bracket
Source:
Ranking Place School WCWS Record 1st Arizona State5-1 2nd Illinois State5-2 3rd Southwest Missouri State4-2 4th Western Illinois4-2 5th Northern Colorado3-2 6th Kansas2-27th Northern Iowa2-2 Nebraska–Omaha2-29th South Dakota State1-2 Weber State College1-2 Michigan State1-2 Wayne State College1-213th Iowa State0-2 Ball State0-2 South Carolina0-2 North Dakota State0-2
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References