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Oklahoma softball: Bedlam sets up as marquee showdown in Stillwater

By Chip Rouse

Karli Petty (14) slides into second as the Oklahoma Sooners face the Oklahoma State Cowgirls in the Big 12 Softball Championship at USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City on Saturday, May 14, 2022.Osu Ou 18
Karli Petty (14) slides into second as the Oklahoma Sooners face the Oklahoma State Cowgirls in the Big 12 Softball Championship at USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City on Saturday, May 14, 2022.Osu Ou 18 /
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A month ago, the Oklahoma softball showdown with Oklahoma State this weekend appeared that it could be a one-two matchup of nationally ranked teams and for the Big 12 regular-season championship.

The week of April 3, Oklahoma State sat right behind the top-ranked Sooners in the ESPN.com/USA Softball national rankings. And the Cowgirls were still at No. 3 in the rankings when they suffered a 3-2 home loss to Iowa State on April 16, their fourth of the 2023 season with 39 victories.

The loss to Iowa State, however, led to a surprising five-game tailspin as OSU suffered a follow-up loss, again at home, to Wichita State and was swept in a three-game series against then-No. 7 Texas. Four of those recent losses, it should be noted, were by two or fewer runs and three by a single run.

The Cowgirls have lost twice more since then, both in the past week, and come into the Bedlam game with Oklahoma with a record of 41-10 overall and 10-5 in the conference. But Oklahoma State is no less dangerous and, especially, against the Sooners, its biggest rival.

Oklahoma leads the overall series with its in-state rival 99-72, but the Sooners are just 35-34 against Oklahoma State in Stillwater, which is the site for the series this weekend.

The Sooners come into the weekend Bedlam series riding a 38-game winning streak. Meanwhile, Oklahoma State has lost seven of its last nine outings.

The last time these two teams met, in May a year ago in Oklahoma City in the Big 12 Championship game, Oklahoma State won 4-3 in eight innings. That was only OU’s second loss of the season. Prior to that game Oklahoma had won 26 of the last 27 games against OSU.

What fans should know about Bedlam softball this weekend

  • The game on Friday night will be televised on ESPN2 at 6 p.m. CT. Saturday afternoon’s contest will be carried on ESPN at 4 p.m., and on Sunday the game will be available on ESPN+ at 2 p.m.
  • Three OU players in this series — pitcher Jordy Bahl, outfielder Jayda Coleman and second baseman Tiare Jennings — are top-10 finalists for the USA Softball 2023 National Player of the Year.
  • Oklahoma is 17-0 this season against ranked opponents.
  • The Sooners’ current 39-game winning streak is the longest active streak in Division 1 softball. It is tied for the fifth longest in NCAA history and the third longest in OU softball history.
  • Here is the tale of the tape in how these two teams compare statistically:

                                    OU            OSU 

Scoring                     8.3            6.4

Batting avg.           .374          .329

HRs                           89             45

On-base %             .466          .419

Slugging %             .681          .504

ERA                         0.78         1.94

Shutouts                29             19

Fielding %             .987           .980

  • Oklahoma leads NCAA Division I softball in all of the above categories.
  • The Sooners are outscoring their opponents 391 to 37 this season.
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