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.