The Oklahoma Sooners softball team is gearing up for another season. They have won a total of 12 Big 12 Championships, including eight in a row. Their streak is technically still intact given that the season was cancelled due to COVID-19 in 2020. Prior to the cancellation, the Sooners were 20-4 and winners of seven-straight games.
The Sooners softball team is ready to make another run at their fifth National Championship. They finished as runner ups in 2019. The expectations are right where they should be with the championship culture around campus. The USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll has been released for the preseason rankings. Oklahoma is the highest-ranked of any of the Big 12 schools.
🚨 #Big12SB in the @USATODAY/@NFCAorg Top 25 Preseason Coaches Poll ⤵️
4⃣ @OU_Softball
6⃣ @TexasSoftball
1⃣1⃣ @CowgirlSB
2⃣2⃣ @BaylorSoftball— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) January 26, 2021
Oklahoma is also well represented in the 2021 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List.
Giselle Juarez, Jocelyn Alo, and Nicole Mendes were all named to the watch list that is comprised of 50 softball players around the country. Juarez holds a career ERA of 1.45 and she is looking to climb even further in the Sooners’ history books.
Last year Alo hit eight home runs with 21 RBI’s while batting .427 for the Sooners. She returns for another year of eligibility due to the NCAA’s ruling to allow the extra year due to the season that was lost with the cancellation.
Mendes also returns for a fifth year at Oklahoma. She appeared in just six games and hit two home runs with four RBI’s in six plate appearances. The Sooners will begin their season soon, as we await the official schedule to be released for the 2021 campaign.