We never really got to see how good Oklahoma was going to be in softball last season. The Sooners were 20-4 in 2020 prior to the cancellation of the season due to COVID. They finished the year ranked sixth in the final NFCA poll.
Now, with the 2021 season approaching, OU is once again considered to be the top team in the Big 12. Winners of the last eight regular season Big 12 championships, the Sooners were voted as the top team in the preseason poll for the ninth consecutive year on Thursday.
The Sooners received 34 points in this year’s poll and were followed by Texas with 33 and Oklahoma State with 26. OU received four of the seven possible first-place votes with UT garnering the other three.
| 2021 BIG 12 SOFTBALL PRESEASON POLL | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | Points |
| 1. | Oklahoma (4) | 34 |
| 2. | Texas (3) | 33 |
| 3. | Oklahoma State | 26 |
| 4. | Baylor | 21 |
| 5. | Texas Tech | 14 |
| 6. | Iowa State | 13 |
| 7. | Kansas | 6 |
Oklahoma returns five All-Big 12 selections from 2019. Returning first-team honorees include redshirt senior pitcher Giselle Juarez, senior utility player Jocelyn Alo and junior utility player Grace Green. Redshirt senior pitcher Shannon Saile earned second-team accolades two seasons ago, and infielder Grace Lyons joined Green on the All-Freshman Team. Green was tabbed Big 12 Freshman of the Year and head coach Patty Gasso was selected as the league’s Coach of the Year for the 12th time.
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