From Eggeling to Devon: Oklahoma City’s U-18 Women's Softball World Cup journey
The WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup Finals 2025 will bring the world’s best young players back to Oklahoma City, USA, from 27 September to 1 October, marking the third time the sport’s premier youth event takes place in the World Softball Capital. For Oklahoma, it’s more than another tournament - it’s the continuation of a story that began nearly four decades ago.
Oklahoma City was first chosen to host the WBSC Junior Women’s Softball World Championship in 1987, after the first two editions of the new tournament were played in Edmonton (1981) and Fargo, North Dakota (1985). Those early events were staged simultaneously with the WBSC Junior Men’s Softball World Championship, but 1987 marked a turning point - it was the first Junior Women’s Softball World Championship played exclusively by female teams.
One of the most iconic softball stadiums in the world, the-then ASA Hall of Fame Stadium - now Devon Park - was supposed to be inaugurated with the III Junior Women's Softball World Championship on 10 July 1987. But the summer weather had other plans. Construction delays due to rain forced the organisers to shift the event to Wheeler Park’s Eggeling Stadium.
“Our only disappointment is not to have the new stadium,” then ISF President and ASA executive director Don Porter admitted after the event. “It would have been nice to play the Junior World Championship there. Parking is better and seating would have been more comfortable for the people who had reserved tickets.”
If the stadium wasn’t ready, the players certainly were. Michele Granger, a 17-year-old left-handed pitcher for USA, delivered one of the most dominant performances the sport has ever seen. She went 7-0 with 97 strikeouts (numbers that remain tournament records to this day) in 56.1 innings, a record at the time as well.
In the final, Granger spun a one-hit, 17-strikeout gem as USA edged China 1-0 in 12 innings before 7,800 fans, a record Eggeling Stadium crowd. Shortstop Julie Smith singled home the only run of the game as USA beat defending champions China for an incredible third time in three days. In those three matchups, Granger gave up only two hits in 26 innings.
What could have been remembered as a disappointment instead became the launchpad for both a legend and Oklahoma City’s enduring role in international softball.
According to local newspapers, the 10-day tournament attracted an estimated 52,000 spectators, out-drawing the previous editions in Fargo, N.D., and Edmonton, Alberta. "Quite frankly I was amazed at the crowds we attracted," Porter said. "It was just tremendous to see that kind of support."
Devon Park finally opened doors on 26 September for the ASA Sooner State Shoot-Out, won by Oklahoma State the day after behind a no-hitter from USA legend Michelle Smith - she was only two walks away from a perfect game. The first international game at the Hall of Fame Stadium had to wait until 1 October 1987, with the inaugural Men's International Slow Pitch Softball Championships.
It would take 28 years for the event to return. By then, the Hall of Fame Stadium - now Devon Park - was a fully established cathedral of the game. The 11th edition of the WBSC Junior Women’s Softball World Championship in 2015 brought 15 teams to Oklahoma, with USA powering to gold.
The final was a show of strength: Jenna Lilley, Alyssa Palomino, and Sydney Romero all homered in an 8-1 victory over Japan. Another record fell that summer, as Puerto Rico’s Meghan King pitched 60.2 innings, surpassing Granger’s longstanding workload record.
The 2015 edition also featured a new generation of stars destined for the Olympic stage, including Bubba Nickles (USA), Kelsey Harshman and Emma Entzminger (Canada), and Erika Piancastelli and Marta Gasparotto (Italy), who represented their countries in Tokyo 2020.
2025: The Next Chapter
Now, in 2025, the World Cup Finals return to Oklahoma City once again, completing a trilogy that spans nearly 40 years. Devon Park, one of the sport’s most iconic venues, will welcome the world’s top U-18 women’s national teams for five days of championship action.
From Eggeling to Devon, from Granger’s strikeouts to Romero’s home runs, Oklahoma City has been the backdrop for some of the most unforgettable chapters in youth softball history. And the story is far from over.
When the first pitch is thrown later this month, it won’t just be the start of another World Cup Final - it will be the continuation of a legacy that has helped shape softball’s past, present, and future.