The 1972 Women's College World Series (WCWS) was contested among 16 college softball teams on May 18–21 in Omaha, Nebraska. This fourth WCWS was notable for the only appearance of a team from outside the United States, as the team from Tokyo–Nihon University of Japan proved to be a hit with both spectators and the other teams in the tournament.
Three-time defending champion John F. Kennedy College was excluded from the tournament by an organizational rule change the previous month. The new rule prohibited a team from appearing in the WCWS if it gave scholarships to any women athletes, not just softball players (JFK College openly awarded women's basketball scholarships).[1] JFK never returned to the WCWS, and the school closed just three years later.
The Arizona State Sun Devilettes defeated Tokyo–Nihon narrowly in the winners' bracket semi-final, 2–1, and split the tournament final, 0–1 and 8–5, with the if-necessary game requiring 11 innings.
The double elimination tournament included these teams:
| Team | Appearance | |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona State | 2nd | |
| Central Missouri State | 2nd | |
| Illinois State | 4th | |
| Kansas State Teachers College(now Emporia State) | 2nd | |
| Keene State College (NH) | 3rd | |
| Luther College (IA) | 3rd | |
| Minot State | 3rd | |
| Nebraska–Omaha | 4th | |
| Northern Colorado | 4th | |
| Purdue | 1st | |
| South Carolina | 1st | |
| South Dakota State | 2nd | |
| Southwest Missouri State | 4th | |
| Tokyo–Nihon University (Japan) | 1st | |
| Wayne State (NE) | 2nd | |
| Western Illinois | 2nd |
Source:[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
| Place | School | WCWS Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Arizona State | 5-1 |
| 2nd | Tokyo–Nihon | 5-2 |
| 3rd | Western Illinois | 5-2 |
| 4th | Illinois State | 4-2 |
| 5th | Northern Colorado | 2-2 |
| 6th | South Dakota State | 2-2 |
| 7th | Wayne State College | 2-2 |
| Central Missouri State College | 2-2 | |
| 9th | Keene State College | 1-2 |
| Nebraska–Omaha | 1-2 | |
| Luther College | 1-2 | |
| Southwest Missouri State | 1-2 | |
| 13th | South Carolina | 0-2 |
| Minot State College | 0-2 | |
| Kansas State Teachers College | 0-2 | |
| Purdue | 0-2 | |