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Oklahoma softball: No. 1 Sooners can clinch 11th straight Big 12 title this weekend

By Chip Rouse

Oklahoma's Jayda Coleman (24) watches after hitting a home run in the first inning of a college softball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Auburn Tigers at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Saturday, March 18, 2023.Ou Softball Vs Auburn
Oklahoma's Jayda Coleman (24) watches after hitting a home run in the first inning of a college softball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Auburn Tigers at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Saturday, March 18, 2023.Ou Softball Vs Auburn /
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The nation’s top-ranked Oklahoma softball team hosts Kansas for a three-game series this weekend in what will be the Sooners final regular-season appearance at home this season.

In addition to being senior weekend, Oklahoma can clinch at least a share of the Big 12 regular-season championship with two wins and can clinch its 11th consecutive Big 12 crown with a series sweep over the Jayhawks (22-21, 4-8).

The Sooners (42-1, 12-0) have not given up a run in the last two Big 12 series (Texas Tech) and Baylor) only nine runs in 12 conference games this season. OU has swept all four Big 12 series. A fifth series sweep this weekend would give the Sooners an unprecedented 15 conference titles in the 27-year history of the Big 12.

Although winning the Big 12 outright is very much within their grasp this weekend, head coach Patty Gasso insists it is just a step along the way to what the Sooners are really after.

“We just want to win,” Gasso told The Oklahoman this week. “Our mission to to go undefeated (the rest of the way). That’s what they want. So if we clinch it here, that’s not going to be super meaningful to them. They want to do it the right way and see it completely through.”

Oklahoma avenged its lone loss of the season last weekend, sweeping the three-game series at Baylor. Baylor had beaten OU 4-3 on Feb. 19 in an early season nonconference tournament. The Sooners have not lost more than one conference game in a season since 2015.

OU is 12-0 in the Big 12 currently. The Sooners have one conference series remaining after this weekend against Kansas. They finish the 2023 regular season next weekend in a Bedlam rivalry at Oklahoma State.

The two-time defending national champion Sooners were expected to play two midweek games, at Wichita State and Kansas, this week, but both of those contests were cancelled due to poor weather conditions.

Here are five things fans need to know about the OU-Kansas series

  • The series opener between the Sooners and Kansas has been moved up to 1 p.m. CT on Friday from the original 6 p.m. start due to the expectation of inclement weather in the Norman area.
  • Oklahoma has a nation-best 26 shutouts this season and has won 21 of its 43 games by run rule.
  • The Sooners have outscored their opponents this season by the combined score of 355-35 and are 17-0 against teams ranked in the nation’s top-25.
  • OU owns a 75-44 overall record against the Kansas Jayhawks and is 39-14 when the game(s) are played in Norman.
  • Four Sooner super seniors — Grace Green, Haley Lee, Alex Storako and Grace Lyons — will be honored in a ceremony following the conclusion of the game on Sunday.
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