No. 1 Oklahoma (42-2, 16-1) begins postseason play on Friday in the 2021 Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship in Oklahoma City.
The format of the Big 12’s softball postseason tournament is much different than the baseball or basketball iterations, as the league only has six teams in softball as opposed to nine or the full ten. The teams are divided into two three-team “pools” comprised of the No. 1, No. 4 and No. 6 seeds and the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 5 seeds.
Everyone plays two games on Friday in a round robin format amongst their pool, with the two pool winners facing off in the championship game on Saturday afternoon. So, the No. 1 seed Sooners will match up with No. 4 Baylor (27-18, 8-9) first followed by No. 6 Texas Tech (19-25, 3-15) later on in the evening.
Oklahoma is trying to win this tournament for a fourth straight season to make it another clean sweep after claiming the regular season crown on Sunday for the ninth consecutive year. After receiving a plethora of Big 12 honors earlier this week, the Sooners are looking to cap off a dominant year in the league with three wins this weekend heading in the NCAA Tournament.
Oklahoma played both the Bears and the Red Raiders just a few weeks ago in late April sweeping a doubleheader against Baylor in Waco and sweeping a three-game series against Texas Tech in Norman. They combined to win those five games against their two Friday opponents by a total margin of 58-1 – shutting out the Raiders in all three contests.
For the Sooners first two matchups of the conference tournament, here is everything you need to know:
Game 1 – Baylor
WHEN: 2:00 p.m. CT
WHERE: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Hall of Fame Stadium)
HOW TO WATCH: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
HOW TO LISTEN: Sooner Sports Radio Network – The Franchise 2 103.3 FM/1560 AM; Tune In Radio App (Chris Plank)
Game 2 – Texas Tech
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. CT
WHERE: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Hall of Fame Stadium)
HOW TO WATCH: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
HOW TO LISTEN: Sooner Sports Radio Network – The Franchise 2 103.3 FM/1560 AM; Tune In Radio App (Chris Plank)