Hitting the middle of January means that the 2024 college softball season is just a few weeks away. Not only are Patty Gasso and the Sooners going for an unprecedented fourth-consecutive national championship, they’re actually entering the season as the favorites to do so. Tuesday’s release of the D1 Softball Preseason Top 25, is just the latest poll in which Oklahoma sits atop.
After finishing 2023 with a 61-1, and taking home their third consecutive national title, OU hits the diamond in 2024 with power hitters Jayda Coleman, Kinzie Hansen, and Tiare Jennings still in the heart of what should be the nation’s most dangerous lineup. They replaced Jordy Bahl, who returned home to Nebraska, with All-American, and Oklahoma State transfer, ace Kelly Maxwell and still have a loaded bullpen with the likes of Nicole May, Karlie Keeney (Liberty), and Paytn Monticelli (Wisconsin).
Running through the Big 12 won’t be easy, though. Conference play will include BYU, Houston, and UCF in 2024. That will make for nine conference series, instead six, and three conference opponents will start the season ranked in the Top 25. That makes four Big 12 schools, out of ten teams, that will start the season ranked.
Behind Oklahoma, Texas will begin the 2024 campaign as the next highest ranked team. The Longhorns finished second in the conference in 2023, with a 45-15-1 record, and posted a 31-5 record at home. Despite losing Maxwell, Oklahoma State is just outside of the Top 10. The Cowgirls are checking in at #12 in the D1 Poll, and Baylor rounds out the ranked teams from the Big 12 at #16.
The Big 12, Pac 12, S.E.C. and A.C.C. are all well represented in the Preseason Top 10. However, the Big 12 is the only conference with two teams ranked in the Top 5. That’s a pretty solid indicator of just how strong this conference could be in 2024.
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