Baylor, Texas Rise in ESPN Softball Top 25 Poll
The Big 12 proved to be the best softball conference in the country last season, claiming three of the final four spots in the national semifinals and both Oklahoma and Texas advancing to play in the WCWS Championship Series.
Now, in 2023, it appears that the conference might once again be at the pinnacle of the sport as Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have been at or near the top of every poll this season, plus Texas is hanging around the top 10 again.
There might be four teams from the Big 12 to watch out for this season though, as Baylor has shown up in big games and come out victorious more often than not. In the latest ESPN Softball Top 25, the Bears are up to No. 19 from No. 22 after sweeping No. 6 Tennessee (30-5) in a two-game series. Baylor (30-9) will take on Texas Tech this weekend in hopes of getting its conference record above .500.
Texas (33-8-1) moved up two spots from No. 10 to No. 8 in this week’s rankings after dominating Iowa State in Ames. The Longhorns look potent offensively this season and their young pitching staff has the arms to carry them deep in the postseason.
After a shocking loss to Wichita State, Oklahoma State (35-3) fell from No. 2 to No. 3 in this week’s poll, with UCLA taking the two-spot. The Cowgirls did respond well to the loss though, sweeping Kansas in a three-game series.
Oklahoma (36-1) retained the No. 1 spot in this week’s rankings, earning all 25 votes for the eighth time in nine weeks. The Sooners have the week off in Big 12 play, but are on the road to face No. 12 LSU (33-7) in Baton Rouge.
Here’s a look at the entire ESPN Softball Top 25 Poll from Week 9.
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS RANKING |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma (25) | 36-1 | 625 | 1 |
| 2 | UCLA | 36-4 | 589 | 3 |
| 3 | Oklahoma State | 35-3 | 579 | 2 |
| 4 | Florida State | 32-7 | 543 | 6 |
| 5 | Stanford | 31-6 | 503 | 7 |
| 6 | Tennessee | 30-5 | 497 | 5 |
| 7 | Clemson | 37-4 | 457 | 4 |
| 8 | Texas | 33-8-1 | 451 | 10 |
| 9 | Georgia | 31-8 | 417 | 8 |
| 10 | Washington | 29-8 | 411 | T-11 |
| 11 | Arkansas | 28-11 | 362 | 9 |
| 12 | LSU | 33-7 | 329 | T-11 |
| 13 | Duke | 30-8 | 312 | 13 |
| 14 | Alabama | 28-12 | 282 | 14 |
| 15 | Florida | 28-10 | 251 | 18 |
| 16 | Kentucky | 24-10-1 | 234 | 15 |
| 17 | Virginia Tech | 31-9 | 219 | 17 |
| 18 | Oregon | 25-11 | 202 | 16 |
| 19 | Baylor | 30-9 | 195 | 22 |
| 20 | Northwestern | 24-9 | 171 | 20 |
| 21 | Texas A&M | 24-13 | 131 | 19 |
| 22 | Utah | 24-8 | 117 | 24 |
| 23 | Wichita State | 34-7 | 88 | 25 |
| 24 | Auburn | 29-12 | 60 | 23 |
| 25 | Louisiana | 30-10 | 53 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Arizona (18), Arizona State (11), Indiana (7), California (4), Missouri (4), UCF (4), Central Arkansas (1)
