Oklahoma Softball: Six things to keep in mind the on eve of Big 12 Softball Championship

Winners of 24 of its last 25 games and its sixth consecutive Big 12 regular-season championship, Oklahoma softball shifts into another gear and all-out defense of its Women’s College World Series title.

First up on that 2017 postseason journey is the Big 12 Championship, which returns this weekend after a seven-year hiatus. The Sooners are actually the reigning Big 12 postseason tournament champions, having captured the title the last time the league championship was played, in 2010.

Texas won the regular-season crown in the 2010 season, but OU defeated Missouri 9-0 to win the Big 12 Championship tournament. Missouri won the regular-season title in 2011. The Sooners have won the regular-season conference championship every year since.

In Oklahoma’s six consecutive championship seasons in softball, the Sooners have compiled a combined record if 98-13 in Big 12 play, a winning percentage of .882. They are 315-52 (.858) overall in the last six seasons.

OU begins play in this year’s six-team conference championship with a pair of games on Friday. The Sooners play an afternoon game with No. 4 seed Texas, and return to action in the final game of the day, a late evening contest against No. 6 Texas Tech.

Oklahoma swept both teams during the regular season, but had a tougher time against the Longhorns. Both series were played on the road. The Sooners outscored the Longhorns 12-3 over three games. The combined score in the series at Texas Tech was 30-5, with OU reaching double digits in two of the games.

Baylor, which finished second to the Sooners in the regular season, but four full games back in the standings, is the No. 2 seed in the championship. The Bears are in Pool B along with No. 3 Oklahoma State and surprising No. 5 Iowa State. The Cyclones, winners of eight of the last 10 games, are the hottest team next to Oklahoma coming into the conference championship.

Next: Sooner softball getting set for Big 12 Championship two-peat

Here are five things to keep in mind on the eve of the Big 12 Softball Championship:

• This is the fifth time in the 16-year history of the Big 12 Softball Championship that Oklahoma has been seeded No. 1. Yet the Sooners have come away with the postseason championship just once as the No. 1 seed. They finished second the other three times. OU’s overall record as the top seed in the conference championship is 9-5.
• The Sooners have more wins (39) and a higher winning percentage (39-18, .684) than any other Big 12 team in the Big 12 Softball Championship. Oklahoma’s four tournament championships (4), however, are tied with the Texas Longhorns.
• In addition to OU’s four titles in the Big 12 Championship, the Sooners have finished second four other times and have made it into the semifinals five times.
• OU is 37-24 all-time against Red River rival Texas in softball, although the Sooners have won the last 10 meetings with the Longhorns and 13 of the past 14. The Sooners are 52-7 in the all-time series with Texas Tech, Oklahoma’s highest winning percentage (.881) against any Big 12 team.
• Oklahoma is averaging 6.64 runs per game this season. That ranks sixth in NCAA Division I. The Sooners don’t give up many runs on the defensive end. Their staff ERA of 1.62 is the best in the Big 12 and No. 11 in the country. OU’s run differential disparity is eye-popping. The Sooners have outscored their opponents 365-100 this season. In the first two innings alone, OU has scored 135 runs to 26 by its opponents.
• Oklahoma has scored in the first inning in 30 of its 55 games in 2017. When that happens, the Sooners are 27-3. When OU leads after the fourth inning, the Sooners are 38-2 this season.