The Arizona softball team will have an early start for its first WCWS game in nine years Thursday.
No. 6-seeded UA (47-12) will face No. 3 Washington (50-7) in the first game of the day at 9 a.m. Tucson time on ESPN at the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
No. 2 UCLA will play No. 7 Minnesota at 11:30 a.m. Thursday. No. 1 Oklahoma will face No. 8 Alabama and No. 5 Florida will play No. 13 Oklahoma State in the two night games that day.
For its second game, UA will play either UCLA or Minnesota on Friday or Saturday depending on the result of Thursday's games.
UA qualified for its first WCWS since 2010 by sweeping No. 11 Ole Miss in the Super Regionals, winning 5-2 on Friday and 9-1 on Saturday at Hillenbrand Stadium.
The Wildcats were swept by Washington from May 3-5 at Hillenbrand. Washington tied for the Pac-12 title with UCLA in the regular season, with UA finishing in third place, a game back.
