The last time these two teams played each other was in an elimination game at the 2021 Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City. And the first pitch wasn't thrown until almost midnight.

When the No. 4 Florida State softball team takes on No. 6 Oklahoma State this week for a two-game non-conference series, it will be in Tallahassee. And it will be during normal business hours.

The Seminoles, who won that early-morning showdown a season ago, and the Cowgirls will play at 7 p.m. on Thursday and 6 p.m. on Friday.

"We always play an out-of-conference foe in our off-weekend in the ACC," FSU head coach Lonni Alameda said. "The one thing is it's a Top 10 matchup RPI, or however you look at the rankings. They're a great program. We played them last year at the World Series. We'll go there and play them next year. So, I just think the more chances we get to play this level of competition, the better for us."

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Alameda has made a habit of scheduling these types of series for that very reason: To get her team some stiff competition, some College World Series type of competition, before heading into the postseason.

She said the improvement of the ACC -- right now, the league has four ranked teams, led by No. 2 Virginia Tech -- has helped with getting her team prepared for regional and super regional play.

But a matchup like this, against a team from another part of the country, is something she always wants to try to sprinkle into her schedules. Because it can give them a taste of a postseason series. Or a championship battle in Oklahoma City.

"That's why we've always done that," Alameda said. "If you look over our schedules over the years, we've done (Arizona) there and here. We've done Oregon there and here. We tried Texas in the 2020 season and got canceled on that one. You just want to get outside of your comfort zone a little bit.

"But the nice thing about that is we're getting that challenge in the ACC now. ... So, something we had to hunt early on we don't have to much anymore for RPI games. It's still nice to have."

Right now, the Seminoles (43-5) are No. 5 in the latest college softball RPI rankings. Oklahoma State (38-7) is currently No. 8. Both squads are striving for a Top 8 national seed so they can host a potential Super Regional in their own park.

And who knows?

Maybe these two games will be a preview of another showdown in Oklahoma City.

Only this time there's no chance they'll be playing until after 2 a.m., like a season ago when a long rain delay forced the teams to play an elimination game after midnight.

After hearing criticism from fans and media, the NCAA has added an extra off-day into its schedule for the Women's College World Series.

"I think we had a voice at that point," Alameda said of the change. "Years before, Michigan went through it. Kentucky went through it. We played two long games when we were there in '18. But I think finally there was a point where there was a voice. And people were listening.

"We didn't have a choice. We had to play the game. And then everyone told us we shouldn't be playing the game, but we have to play the game. And it just got legs."

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