Oklahoma Tops Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll for 13th Consecutive Season

The following release information was issued by the Big 12 Conference and information and photo courtesy of the Big 12 Conference…

IRVING, Texas – Oklahoma, the three-time defending national champion, was voted a unanimous favorite in the 2024 Big 12 Softball Preseason Poll. League coaches voted in the poll and were not allowed to select their own team.

This is the 15th time in the last 16 years the Sooners have ranked in the top spot and the 12th season in a row, a Conference record. It marks the third consecutive season Oklahoma was selected as the unanimous pick.

The Crimson and Cream captured their seventh Women’s College World Series title last summer (2000, ’13, ’16, ’17, ’21, ’22, ’23) and have won a league-record 11 straight Big 12 regular season titles. OU enters 2024 on an NCAA record 53-game winning streak, including a 27-game winning streak in regular season league games.

Texas was voted second, its highest spot since 2021. The Longhorns have placed in the top three of the preseason ballot each year since 2011. UT has advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals in each of the last four completed seasons.

Oklahoma State followed in third, the fifth consecutive season the Cowgirls have been picked in the top three. OSU advanced to its fourth consecutive WCWS in 2023 and its 47 victories were the sixth-most in program history.

Baylor was selected fourth for the fourth season in a row. In 2023 the Bears finished with 40 wins for the first time since 2017.

UCF comes in at No. 5 while Texas Tech and BYU follow at No. 6 and No. 7. Kansas (No. 8), Iowa State (No. 9) and Houston (No. 10) round out the poll.

The Big 12 was the top-ranked RPI league in 2023 and was the only conference to have 57% of its teams finish with 40 or more wins. The league finished with a 64-26-1 (.709) record against other Power Five leagues last season and had a winning record against each of the other four conferences.

This year marks the debut of BYU, UCF and Houston in Big 12 softball. The Knights made the NCAA Tournament in 2023, while BYU won 35 games and competed in the National Invitational Softball Championship.

The season begins Feb. 8, with Big 12 play starting March 7 and concluding May 5. Teams will play each league opponent in a three-game series for a total of 27 Conference games for each school. The full league schedule can be found here.

The Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship returns to Oklahoma City’s USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium at OGE Energy Field, the home of the Women’s College World Series, from May 8-11. All 10 teams will compete in the single-elimination format with the top six finishing regular season teams receiving a first-round bye.

2024 Big 12 Softball Preseason Poll

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