Oklahoma Softball: OU Making What Could Be a Last Trip Out of Sooner State in 2017

While the Sooner baseball team has been victim to seven losses in its last eight games, the Oklahoma softball squad is enjoying the fruits of being on the other end of the spectrum, winners of 18 of their last 19 games.

The Sooners won their first 10 conference games this season before falling to No. 13 Baylor 4-3 in the first game of a doubleheader last Sunday. That represented Oklahoma’s best conference start in the 21-history of the Big 12.

Oklahoma is at Texas Tech this weekend, bringing with it a 21-game road winning streak, including 11 wins this season. OU has not lost a true road game for over a year. The Sooners put together a 31-game win streak last season on their way to a third national championship as winners of the Women’s College World Series.

The Sooners have been dominant in their all-time series with the Red Raiders of Texas Tech, posting a 49-7 overall record. OU has won 13 consecutive games over the Red Raiders and 15 of the last 16 and is 19-1 when the two teams play in Lubbock, as they are this weekend.

The Sooners and Red Raiders have played eight common opponents this season. including four Big 12 teams (Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas and Texas). OU was 15-1 against the eight common opponents; Texas Tech went 6-12 against the same teams and was 4-8 against the common Big 12 teams.

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Oklahoma’s .875 winning percentage over Texas Tech in softball is the best by the Sooners against any team they have played at least 30 times.

If the cards keep falling right and the Sooners are able to close out the regular season by winning their sixth consecutive Big 12 championship, the trip to Texas this weekend may be their final one outside of the Sooner State.

That assumes, of course, that Norman earns an NCAA regional tournament and also becomes one of the eight Super Regional sites that will determine the eight teams that go on to this year’s Women’s College World Series, which is played in Oklahoma City.

A big reason for OU’s success this season is the pitching staff, led by a pair of Paiges (juniors Paige Parker and Paige Lowary), which is enjoying its best season in the circle since the Sooners’ 2013 championship season. Every pitcher on the Sooner pitching staff has an earned run average of 1.96 or better, and in conference games that number goes down to 1.45.

Oklahoma and LSU are the only teams in the country this season boasting three pitchers who have thrown a minimum of 77 innings and have ERAs of 1.96 or better.

The Sooners are in a battle with Oklahoma State and Baylor for this season’s Big 12 title. The Sooners and in-state rival Oklahoma State are currently tied at the top of the conference standings with identical 11-1 records. Baylor, which OU took two of three from last weekend, is two games back.

Oklahoma State and Baylor face off this weekend in Waco, Texas, and next weekend, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State go at each other in Bedlam in a three-game series that will most likely determine the conference champion.