Oklahoma Softball Weekend Preview | Big 12 Championship

Upsets and near misses ruled Day One of the Big 12 Tournament in Oklahoma City. #5 Iowa State knocked off #4 Baylor, #2 Texas snuck past #7 Texas Tech in extras, and #3 Oklahoma State was trailing #6 Kansas when play was suspended Thursday night due to inclement weather. Now it’s Oklahoma’s turn to jump into the mix. The Sooners will face Iowa State today with a berth in tomorrow’s championship game on the line.

Championship Schedule

DateOpponentTimeTVResult
May 12Oklahoma State vs. Kansas (Continued from Thursday)10:00 AMESPN+
May 12Oklahoma vs. Iowa State1:00 PMESPNU
May 12Texas vs. Oklahoma State/Kansas4:00 PMESPN+
May 13Big 12 Championship Game2:00 PMESPN2

Tuning In

All games will be broadcast within the ESPN family and the OU games can also be heard via 107.7 The Franchise in Oklahoma or nationwide on The Varsity Network app with Chris Plank on the call.

What We Learned Last Weekend

Oklahoma is never out of the fight! The Sooners trailed OSU 2-0 heading into the final frame of Bedlam’s Game 2 on Saturday. A seventh inning rally saw OU take the series by stunning the Cowgirls with a 4-2 victory. Oklahoma would go on to sweep the series.

Notes & Storylines

  • Oklahoma earned the No. 1 seed at the Big 12 championship after winning the conference regular season title.
  • OU is currently on a nation-best 41-game win streak.
  • Oklahoma’s 2023 regular season Big 12 title was its 11th consecutive and 15th overall.
  • The Sooners are 20-0 in ranked matchups on the season.
  • OU is outscoring its opponents by a combined score of 408-43 on the season.
  • As a team, OU is batting a nation-best .368 with 91 home runs.
  • OU outscored conference foes 124-17 while hitting 34 home runs and surrendering just six.

At The Big 12 Tournament

  • The Sooners have claimed four of the last five Big 12 Championship titles and seven of the 19 in league history.
  • OU is 50-19 all-time at the Big 12 Softball Championship and have lost just once dating back to 2009.
  • Oklahoma won its fourth consecutive Big 12 Championship crown in OKC in 2021, run-ruling Oklahoma State by a final of 10-2 in six innings.
  • OU is 136-50 at USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex under head coach Patty Gasso, including a 57-10 mark since 2016.

Heavy Hitters

  • Oklahoma State’s Rachel Becker leads the Big 12 with a .449 batting average. She has scored 52 runs on the season and knocked in 23 RBIs.
  • Jayda Coleman paces a powerful Oklahoma line up. The Big 12 Player of the Year is batting .439 and is tied with Alyssa Brito for second the conference in home runs with 13.
  • Mia Scott is batting at an average of .390 for Texas. She has 32 RBIs on the season and has scored 49 runs.
  • Iowa State’s Milaysia Ochoa is batting .323 with 33 RBIs and 44 runs scored.
  • Peyton Renzi leads Kansas in batting with a .320 average.

From The Circle

  • Oklahoma’s Nicole May leads all Big 12 pitchers with an ERA of just 0.55. She has a 15-0 record on the season and 115 strikeouts.
  • Kelly Maxwell has been stellar from the circle for Oklahoma State. Her 1.77 ERA is the fourth lowest in the Big 12 but her 193 strikeouts lead the conference.
  • Citlaly Gutierrez leads the Texas staff with a 1.82 ERA. She is 12-4 on the season with 66 strikeouts.
  • KU’s Lizzy Ludwig has a 2.53 ERA with 40 strikeouts.
  • Karlie Charles leads Iowa State’s pitching staff with a 3.35 ERA.

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