The Big 12 is crazy! Here’s what we can say for sure. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas are all strong competitors to make an appearance in the Women’s College World Series. Beyond those thee, the #4 spot literally could be a flavor of the week type situation. I had been so high on Baylor previously, but the Bears have now lost four in a row and are sitting at 1-5 in conference play.
This week’s it’s Kansas taking a big leap up to the #4 spot. The Jayhawks were in the #9 spot a week ago, but now they join the Sooners, Cowboys, and Longhorns as the only team not to have a losing record in conference play.
2024 Heartland Sports Big 12 Softball Power Rankings, Week 7
| Ranking | Record | Last Week’s Ranking |
| 1. Oklahoma | 27-1 | #1 |
| 2. Texas | 24-3 | #2 |
| 3. Oklahoma State | 24-3 | #3 |
| 4. Kansas | 19-7-1 | #9 |
| 5. Texas Tech | 21-8 | #4 |
| 6. Houston | 18-9 | #8 |
| 7. UCF | 14-11 | #7 |
| 8. Iowa State | 11-15 | #10 |
| 9. Baylor | 16-8 | #5 |
| 10. BYU | 16-9 | #6 |
Notes
- My top three remained solid from last week to this week, but after that, we have movement with six other teams.
- Oklahoma remains as the only Big 12 team not to have a loss in conference play.
How Oklahoma Compares Against The Big 12
Batting
Oklahoma was the only team in the Big 12 to see it’s collective batting average go up after last week. Everyone else’s either remained steady or dropped.
| RANK | TEAM | AVG | G |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TEXAS | .401 | 27 |
| 2 | OKLAHOMA | .394 | 28 |
| 3 | BYU | .335 | 25 |
| 4 | OKLAHOMA STATE | .331 | 27 |
| 5 | HOUSTON | .324 | 27 |
| 6 | TEXAS TECH | .312 | 29 |
| 7 | UCF | .307 | 25 |
| 8 | IOWA STATE | .292 | 26 |
| 9 | KANSAS | .282 | 22 |
| 10 | BAYLOR | .279 | 24 |
Worth Noting: Oklahoma hit 12 home runs last week. The Sooners lead the Big 12 in home runs with 56. The next closest to the program is Texas with 41 home runs.
Best on the Team: Tiare Jennings is batting .423 on the season and is tied for the most home runs in the Big 12 with 10.
Pitching
The Sooners are back on top as the team in the Big 12 with the best ERA.
| RANK | TEAM | ERA |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | OKLAHOMA | 1.26 |
| 2 | TEXAS | 1.38 |
| 3. | OKLAHOMA STATE | 1.62 |
| 4 | BAYLOR | 1.97 |
| 5 | KANSAS | 2.18 |
| 6 | UCF | 3.04 |
| 7 | TEXAS TECH | 4.18 |
| 8 | HOUSTON | 4.68 |
| 9 | BYU | 4.79 |
| 10 | IOWA STATE | 6.01 |
Worth Noting: The Sooners have four pitchers ranked in the Top 10 of the Big 12, in ERA. Kierston Deal is #4 in the conference, Kelly Maxwell is #5, Karlie Keeney is #7, Nicole May is #9.
Best on the Team: Kierston Deal leads Oklahoma’s pitching staff with a 1.25 ERA. Her record on the season is 6-0 and she’s fanned 30 batters.
Fielding
Oklahoma’s fielding percentage dropped a little from last week. They’re still the top defensive team in the conference but UCF is really pushing them.
| RANK | TEAM | FLD% |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | OKLAHOMA | 0.985 |
| 2 | UCF | 0.983 |
| 3 | OKLAHOMA STATE | 0.980 |
| 4 | HOUSTON | 0.973 |
| 5 | TEXAS TECH | 0.973 |
| 6 | BAYLOR | 0.970 |
| 7 | KANSAS | 0.967 |
| 8 | BYU | 0.963 |
| 9 | IOWA STATE | 0.962 |
| 10 | TEXAS | 0.959 |
Worth Noting: The Sooners have committed the fewest errors in the Big 12 with ten.
Best on the Team: Riley Ludlam is one of just eight players in the conference to have a perfect fielding percentage.
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