Can anyone stop OU softball in the Big 12 tournament? Meet the contenders in OKC
Here's what you need to know about the seven teams vying for the Big 12 softball tournament title Thursday through Saturday at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City:
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No. 1 Oklahoma
Record: 49-1 overall, 18-0 Big 12
Leading off: Coach Patty Gasso and the top-ranked Sooners enter the postseason riding a 41-game winning streak, six wins shy of Arizona’s record set back in 1997. OU can pass the Wildcats in the NCAA Super Regionals.
Top batters: OU has four of the top five hitters in the Big 12 — Jayda Coleman (.439, 13 home runs, 40 runs batted in), Tiare Jennings (.430, 12 HRs, 52 RBI), Kinzie Hansen (.402, 10 HRs, 43 RBI) and Alyssa Brito (.401, 13 HRs, 47 RBI).
Top pitchers: OU also has three of the top 10 pitchers in the country in ERA with Nicole May (15-0, 0.55 ERA, 115 strikeouts in 88 ⅔ innings), Alex Storako (16-0, 0.77 ERA, 101 strikeouts in 90 ⅔ innings) and Jordy Bahl (15-1, 1.19 ERA, 138 strikeouts in 105 ⅔ innings).
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No. 2 Texas
Record: 40-12-1, 11-7
Leading off: Coach Mike White and the 10th-ranked Longhorns arrived in OKC on a three-game losing streak after getting swept by Baylor last weekend. Advancing to the Big 12 final on Saturday might be enough to put Texas in position for a top-eight seed. The Longhorns entered the week 11th in the NCAA’s RPI metric.
Top batters: Mia Scott (.393, 15 doubles, 49 runs scored) has 18 stolen bases in 22 attempts. Reese Atwood (.291, 39 RBI) is UT’s biggest power threat, hitting 11 of the team’s 46 home runs.
Top pitchers: Mac Morgan (15-3, 2.00 ERA, 69K in 126 innings) is coming off a rough weekend against Baylor (allowing seven runs in 7 ⅔ innings) that ended a monthlong streak without giving up a run.
More: Carlson: Texas coach Mike White is college softball's villain. The sport is better for it.
No. 3 Oklahoma State
Record: 41-13, 10-8
Leading off: After beating Iowa State on April 15, OSU was 39-3. Since then, the Cowgirls have gone 2-10. Still, coach Kenny Gajewski and Co. enter the Big 12 tournament ranked No. 8 in the country and are in a solid spot to host a regional and super regional.
Top batters: Rachel Becker leads the Big 12 with a .449 batting average and 19 doubles. Kiley Naomi is OSU’s top power threat with 10 homers, 15 doubles, 53 RBI and a .348 batting average.
Top pitchers: Ace Kelly Maxwell (14-5, 1.77 ERA, league-leading 193 strikeouts in 118 ⅓ innings) led the Cowgirls on a run to the Women’s College World Series semifinals last year. This year, she’s joined in the rotation by Alabama transfer Lexi Kilfoyl (12-5, 2.02 ERA, 112K, 114 ⅓ innings).
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No. 4 Baylor
Record: 39-15, 8-10
Leading off: Coach Glenn Moore and the Bears deserve the respect from the softball world since they’re the only team to beat OU this season, a 4-3 nonconference win back on Feb. 19. Last weekend’s sweep of Texas puts the 15th-ranked Bears in a decent spot at hosting a regional next weekend in Waco, Texas.
Top batters: Shaylon Govan (.380 batting average, 11 HRs, 50 RBI, 43 walks) walks a ton and hits a ton. McKenzie Wilson leads the Big 12 with 21 stolen bases in 23 attempts.
Top pitchers: Dariana Orme (14-8, 1.70 ERA, 126K, 148 IP) has been one of the league’s hidden gems the past two seasons.
No. 5 Iowa State
Record: 24-29, 6-12
Leading off: Give coach Jamie Pinkerton and the Cyclones props for not finishing in last place. Being the northernmost school in the Big 12 is a major challenge. Their upset win against OSU on April 16 started the Cowgirls’ tailspin down the stretch. At No. 76 in the RPI, Iowa State would need a miraculous run to the league title this weekend to make the NCAA Tournament.
Top batters: Malaysia Ochoa (.317, 12 HR, 32 RBI) is the only Cyclone regular hitting above .300 this season. Mikayla Ramos (.299, 6 HR, 24 RBI) falls just below that line.
Top pitchers: The Cyclones have three pitchers with more than 10 starts but none with more than 12. Ellie Spelhaug (7-8, 3.93 ERA in 99 ⅔ innings) has led the way down the stretch after starting the season in a relief role.
No. 6 Kansas
Record: 24-26, 5-13
Leading off: Coach Jennifer McFalls and the Jayhawks have three wins against ranked teams this season, but it will take three wins in OKC in order to make the NCAA Tournament.
Top batters: Lyric Moore (.307, 5 HRs, 24 RBI) is the lone Jayhawk starter hitting above .300.
Top pitchers: Kasey Hamilton (9-10, 3.71 ERA, 95 Ks, 124 ⅔ innings) picked up the win for Kansas in all three ranked victories this season against Baylor, Texas and Wichita State.
More: Get to know the 2023 Oklahoma State Cowgirls softball team and schedule
No. 7 Texas Tech
Record: 31-21, 5-13
Leading off: The Red Raiders are 63rd in the RPI, despite having a winning record. They were swept in late March at Texas, but two of those losses were by one run. A win against the Longhorns on Thursday and against third-seeded OSU on Friday could put Tech on the NCAA bubble.
Top batters: Ellie Bailey (.342, 43 RBI) is tied for 20th in the country with 16 home runs in 50 games this season. Makinzy Herzog is 15th in the Big 12 with a .367 average.
Top pitchers: Sage Hoover (14-3, 2.36 ERA, 101 Ks, 98 IP) and Kendall Fritz (11-7, 3.87 ERA, 77 Ks, 101 ⅓) have anchored the Red Raiders in the circle.
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Big 12 softball tournament schedule
At USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium
Thursday’s games (updated schedule due to forecasted inclement weather)
Game 1: No. 4 Baylor vs. No. 5 Iowa State, 10 a.m. (ESPN+)
Game 2: No. 2 Texas vs. No. 7 Texas Tech, 12:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 3: No. 3 Oklahoma St. vs. No. 6 Kansas, 3 p.m. (ESPN+)
Friday’s games
Game 4: Oklahoma vs. Game 1 winner, 1 p.m. (ESPNU)
Game 5: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 4 p.m. (ESPN+)
Saturday’s game
Game 6: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 2 p.m. (ESPN2)
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: 2023 Big 12 softball tournament: Teams, schedule, NCAA projections
