Oklahoma softball: Sooners face toughest test of season in Bedlam road series

The No.1-ranked Oklahoma softball team has not lost to a Big 12 opponent in 55 consecutive games and is shooting for its third straight season without a conference loss.

This weekend, the Sooners face probably their toughest test of the 2021 season when they take on Oklahoma State in Stillwater in a three-game Bedlam series that closes out the regular season.

Oklahoma goes into the weekend series with its in-state rival with an overall record of 40-1 and 14-0 in the conference. Oklahoma State, ranked No. 7 in the USA Softball/ESPN.com rankings, is right there with the Sooners, sporting a 14-1 Big 12 record and 39-6 overall.

OU’s only loss of the season came two weeks ago, after 33 consecutive wins to begin the season, in the first game of a doubleheader at then No. 24 Georgia. Since then, the Sooners are 7-0, with five of those run-rule victories and four by shutout. Over those seven games, Oklahoma has outscored its opponents by the combined score of 84-7.

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have played 160 games in the Bedlam softball series. The Sooners hold a 90-70 advantage in the all-time series, but the Cowgirls are 33-31 versus OU in games played in Stillwater.

The two teams had four common nonconference opponents (New Mexico, Houston, Tarleton State and Wichita State). Oklahoma was 6-0 against those teams; OSU was 5-2, losing to Houston and Wichita State. The Cowgirls’ lone Big 12 loss was 7-4 to Kansas in late March. OU swept its three games against Kansas, outscoring the Jayhawks 30-3.

By comparison, 30 of Oklahoma’s 40 wins this season have been by run-rule (leading y eight or more runs after five innings) and 21 have been shutouts. Oklahoma State has 12 wins by run-rule and 16 shutouts.

Here is a tale-of-the-tape comparison based on where the two teams rank nationally in various statistical categories (national rank in parentheses):

Oklahoma                            Oklahoma State

Batting average:  .                          .432 (1)                                 .324 (20)

Runs:                                                  477 (1)                                  282 (20)

Runs allowed:                                  56                                           93

Home runs:                                      115 (1)                                   65 (14)

On-base percentage:                   .518 (1)                                  .399 (22)

Slugging percentage:                   .824 (1)                                  .560 (13)

Earned run average:                     1.44 (7)                                  1.40 (5)

Fielding percentage:                    .988 (3)                                  .973 (32)

The statistics clearly favor the Sooners, but winning three games in three days against a very good team on its home field is an extremely tough task. If Oklahoma is able to sweep this series, which would give the nation’s top-ranked team 60 consecutive Big 12 series wins, it will be hard to argue that the Sooners aren’t the nation’s best team, at least through 44 games.