Big 12 Softball Weekend Preview: Behemoth Bedlam Series in Norman with Regular Season Title on the Line
We have reached the final weekend of the Big 12 softball regular season and there are still two teams eligible to call themselves regular-season Big 12 Champions.
As luck would have it (or insightful scheduling by the conference), those two teams start a three-game series on Thursday night in Norman as No. 1 Oklahoma hosts No. 7 Oklahoma State.
Both teams come into the matchup with identical 14-1 conference records, so whoever takes home the series takes home the Big 12 trophy as well. Oklahoma will try and make it their 10th straight regular-season title, while Oklahoma State will try to win it’s second, and third, game against the Sooner since 2011.
There are two more matchups in Big 12 play this weekend, as Texas will face Baylor in a split series and Iowa State gets set to host Kansas. Both of these series will start on Friday, with the first game of Texas/Baylor being played in Waco, and the final two games will be played in Austin.
Texas Tech wrapped up its regular season last weekend agaisnt Texas, and was swept in that series, leaving them with a 22-26 (5-13) record, and also led to the firing of their entire coaching staff, including head softball coach Sami Ward. They will go into the Big 12 Tournament playing under interim head coach Brooke Reed, who serves as Texas Tech’s Director of Softball Operations.
Here is what each team has on the docket going into the weekend.
#1 OKLAHOMA; 45-1 (14-1)
This weekend, the Sooners will face their toughest opponent since playing UCLA in their fourth game of the season. The Oklahoma State Cowgirls have one of the best defenses in the country, holding the nation’s fourth-ranked team fielding percentage (0.982) and ninth-ranked ERA (1.78). The Sooners are a juggernaut, no doubt, but this Oklahoma State team deserves credit for being one as well. Make sure to tune in for this series, because it will likely be one of the best of the season.
| OPPONENT | DATE | TIME | LOCATION | NETWORK |
| #7 Oklahoma State | May 5 (Thu) | 7:00 p.m. CT | Norman, OK | TV: ESPN |
| #7 Oklahoma State | May 6 (Fri) | 6:00 p.m. CT | Norman, OK | TV: ESPN2 |
| #7 Oklahoma State | May 7 (Sat) | 4:00 p.m. CT | Norman, OK | TV: ESPNU |
#7 OKLAHOMA STATE; 38-9 (14-1)
Oklahoma State is coming off a tough weekend in Tallahassee, where they lost back-to-back games since February 19 in the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational. The Cowgirls had a chance to win both games but came up just short, losing 2-1 in nine innings on Thursday, and 2-1 on Friday. Now, OSU will need show they have a short memory as they gear up for Oklahoma. The Sooners have been dominant this season, winning 34 of the their 46 contests by run rule, but Oklahoma State isn’t a team to back down from the challenge. This series will be electric, and one that you won’t want to miss.
| OPPONENT | DATE | TIME | LOCATION | NETWORK |
| #1 Oklahoma | May 5 (Thu) | 7:00 p.m. CT | Norman, OK | TV: ESPN |
| #1 Oklahoma | May 6 (Fri) | 6:00 p.m. CT | Norman, OK | TV: ESPN2 |
| #1 Oklahoma | May 7 (Sat) | 4:00 p.m. CT | Norman, OK | TV: ESPNU |
#14 TEXAS; 35-15-1 (10-5)
The Longhorns have secured the three-seed in next week’s Big 12 Tournament and will face the six-seed, either Iowa State or Texas Tech, in the first round on Thursday. Nonetheless, they need to take care of business against the Bears to ensure that Austin will be selected as a regional site. Sweep the Bears and make the Championship Game next week. That should be the Longhorns short-term goal.
| OPPONENT | DATE | TIME | LOCATION | NETWORK |
| Baylor | May 6 (Fri) | 6:30 p.m. CT | Waco, TX | TV: ESPN+ |
| Baylor | May 7 (Sat) | 1:00 p.m. CT | Austin, TX | TV: |
| Baylor | May 8 (Sun) | 1:00 p.m. CT | Austin, TX | TV: |
BAYLOR; 27-21 (5-10)
Losing two of three to the Cyclones last week likely cost Baylor a shot at making the postseason NCAA tournament, and now the Bears would need a Cinderella style run in OKC next week. On top of that, BU will need to win this weekend’s series as well. Baylor appears to be in a tough spot going into the last weekend of the season, and will need a miracle to go further than next weekend.
| OPPONENT | DATE | TIME | LOCATION | NETWORK |
| #14 Texas | May 6 (Fri) | 6:30 p.m. CT | Waco, TX | TV: ESPN+ |
| #14 Texas | May 7 (Sat) | 1:00 p.m. CT | Austin, TX | TV: |
| #14 Texas | May 8 (Sun) | 1:00 p.m. CT | Austin, TX | TV: |
IOWA STATE; 25-25 (4-11)
Iowa State’s season had consisted of hills and valleys, and all of that up-and-down has led them to a .500 record. Now, they can end the regular season on a high-note if they can win their weekend series with Kansas. If they can sweep the Jayhawks, then Iowa State will have a great chance of being the five-seed and avoiding Texas in the first round of next week’s tournament.
| OPPONENT | DATE | TIME | LOCATION | NETWORK |
| Kansas | May 6 (Fri) | 4:00 p.m. CT | Ames, IA | TV: ESPN+ |
| Kansas | May 7 (Sat) | 1:00 p.m. CT | Ames, IA | TV: ESPN+ |
| Kansas | May 8 (Sun) | 12:00 p.m. CT | Ames, IA | TV: ESPN+ |
KANSAS; 15-31 (2-13)
Kansas is locked in as the seven-seed in next week’s tournament, regardless of what happens with their series agaisnt Iowa State. Unfortunately, that means that KU will face the loser of the Bedlam series this weekend in the first round, likely leading them to an early exit in OKC.
| OPPONENT | DATE | TIME | LOCATION | NETWORK |
| Iowa State | May 6 (Fri) | 4:00 p.m. CT | Ames, IA | TV: ESPN+ |
| Iowa State | May 7 (Sat) | 1:00 p.m. CT | Ames, IA | TV: ESPN+ |
| Iowa State | May 8 (Sun) | 12:00 p.m. CT | Ames, IA | TV: ESPN+ |
