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Oklahoma softball back at No. 1 after show of force in Southern California desert

By Chip Rouse

Oklahoma's Kinzie Hansen (9) celebrates after hitting a three-run home run in the fifth inning of the championship series in the Women's College World Series between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Texas Longhorns at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Thursday, June 9, 2022. Oklahoma won the second game 10-5 to sweep Texas for the NCAA softball title.Wcws
Oklahoma's Kinzie Hansen (9) celebrates after hitting a three-run home run in the fifth inning of the championship series in the Women's College World Series between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Texas Longhorns at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Thursday, June 9, 2022. Oklahoma won the second game 10-5 to sweep Texas for the NCAA softball title.Wcws /
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Oklahoma softball is back at No. 1 in the country after a short one-week absence following a dominant performance in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic over the weekend.

The Sooners (13-1) finished off business in the Palm Springs area with a pair of eight-run shutouts, four run-rule wins and a 10-3 win that went the full seven innings. The capper of the weekend, though, was a 14-0 shellacking of No. 1 UCLA.

Oklahoma pounded out 20 hits, including six home runs, while holding the typically potent Bruin offense to just three hits, all singles.

The dominating weekend performance reearned the top spot in the national rankings for two-time defending national champion Sooners. OU is No. 1 again in both major polls this week, replacing the Bruins (17-1), who fall just one spot to No. 2, where they were to start the season.

In addition to reclaiming the No. 1 rankings, Oklahoma starting pitcher Alex Storako, a transfer from Michigan, is the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week. The right-hander picked up her fourth win of the season without a loss, going five complete innings and allowing no runs on three hits and striking out five without issuing a walk.

Two other Big 12 teams are ranked in the top 25 this week. The Sooners closest conference pursuer is No. 3 Oklahoma State (13-1). Texas ranks 11th and Baylor, which handed OU its one loss this season, is No. 19.

Ten teams from the SEC are ranked in the top 25 this week, four in the top 10, providing an indication of the increased level of competition Oklahoma will face when it moves to the SEC for the 2025 spring season. The Sooners have won 10 consecutive Big 12 championships in softball.

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