Oklahoma has two regular-season softball series remaining -- at home against Georgia this weekend and at Texas A&M the week after -- and they are both versus opponents ranked in or just outside of the top-10 nationally.
The two weekends prior to this, the Sooners faced No. 4 Texas and No. 6 Arkansas and went 2-1 against both of those top-10 teams. If OU's closing SEC schedule doesn't answer the concern by some that the Sooners' 2026 schedule has been less challenging than some of the country's other top teams, I truly don't know what does.
The No. 1 Sooners (43-6, 15-3) have been on a record-setting pace in several offensive categories this season, and this is almost certain to be another history-making weekend.
With three home runs on Tuesday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Oklahoma tied its own NCAA record for home runs in a season. The Sooners are currently sitting at 161 and have homered in 46 of 49 games. The next Sooner home run will set a new college softball record, and with as many as 20 games left to play when you consider the postseason, the number is sure to go much higher.
No. 11 Georgia (34-13, 10-8) is coming off a difficult home series against Texas, losing two of three games. Prior to that, however, the Bulldogs had won four of five SEC series. Their series wins were against Arkansas, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Missouri.
OU and Georgia have met just eight times on the softball diamond and have split the eight games. This weekend will be the first time the two teams have faced each other as members of the SEC. Oklahoma defeated Georgia 8-0 in the 2021 Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, but this is the first time the Dawgs will play in Norman.
Both Oklahoma and Georgia are strong hitting teams, although the Sooners wield considerably more power throughout the lineup, including almost three times the number of home runs (161 to 63). Pitching numbers for both teams ranks in the middle of the conference, and both teams are among the best in college softball defensively, tied for third nationally in fielding percentage.
Friday night's series opener at Love's Field in Norman is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT and will be streamed on SEC Network+. The game on Saturday is at 1:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2. It was announced on Thursday that ESPNU will televise the series finale on Sunday, and the game time for that game was moved to 12:30.
Read more: SEC Power Rankings: Conference depth continues to cause chaos and force movement
What to know about Georgia
Georgia and Oklahoma are two of the three best hitting teams in the SEC. The Sooners lead the conference with a .405 team batting average, but the Bulldogs are ranked third, batting .358 and averaging 7.2 runs per game. Those numbers drop to .315 and 5.2, respectively, against SEC opponents.
Four Georgia starters are batting .400 or better this season, led by senior outfielder Natalie Ray at .441 and senior infielder Tyler Ellison with an average of .419 and a team-best on-base percentage of .532. Graduate student and leadoff hitter Keirstin Roose is the power broker in the lineup with 13 home runs. No other Bulldog has reached double-digits in the home run department.
Georgia's hottest hitter of late is Bailey Lindemuth. The sophomore third basemen is hitting .365 in conference play with 19 hits, three home runs and 19 RBI. In the last five games, she has hit at a .538 clip.
Junior left-hander Randi Roelling and sophomore right-hander Addisen Fisher are the two workhorses in the circle for Georgia. Roelling is 14-6 in 20 starts with an ERA of 1.30 and 102 strikeouts in 104.0 innings. Fisher owns a record of 10-4 with a 1.27 ERA in 13 starts and 50 strikeouts in 74.0 innings.
What to know about Oklahoma
According to the D1 Softball RPI Report, Oklahoma's strength of schedule ranks 34th nationally despite a No. 6 RPI ranking and 13 of 18 Quad 1 wins, the best of any team in the top 25.
Oklahoma has eight starters hitting .400 or better, with freshman Kai Minor hitting a team-best .451 through 47 games. The Sooners are hitting .405 as a team, which currently matches the all-time program high set by the 2021 Oklahoma team.
The Sooners lead the nation with a record-tying 161 home runs and have the nation leader in that category in freshman catcher Kendall Wells with 34. Four other Oklahoma players are approaching 20 home runs this season. Sophomore Gabbie Garcia has 19, senior Isabela Emerling and junior Ella Parker both have 18, and junior Kasidi Pickering is at 16. The Sooners have hit more home runs this season than 41 other Division-I teams have in total runs scored.
If you are an Oklahoma softball opponent this season, you need to be mindful of the Sooners in the fourth inning. Oklahoma has outscored opponents 112-9 in the fourth frame.
Prediction
Georgia has not been swept in a series this season. That changes this weekend. Oklahoma completes the sweep over the Dawgs, giving the Sooners their third series sweep of the season and seventh straight SEC series win.
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