Big 12 has 25% of Top 16 in Latest ESPN Softball Top 25

Posted on May 10, 2023

The final ESPN/USA Collegiate Softball Top 25 of the regular season has been released and the Big 12 is well-represented as conference tournaments kickoff around the nation.

After Baylor got the brooms out against Texas, the Bears are the biggest risers of the week, moving from No. 21 all the way to No. 16. Even without Dari Orme, Baylor handled the Longhorns behind two gems from RyLee Crandall, putting them squarely in the conversation to host a Regional in the NCAA Tournament.

After getting swept by Baylor, Texas fell just two spots from No. 5 to No. 7 in this week’s poll. In what has been a pretty dominant season to this point, voters likely see this as more of a blip on the radar for Texas rather than an issue to be worried about.

Oklahoma State also dropped two spots after a sweep at the hands of Oklahoma, falling from No. 6 to No. 8. The Cowgirls need to hit the reset button, and fast, because they’ve lost 10 of 12 heading into the Big 12 Championship. An early exit there, and OSU could be in danger of losing a top-eight seed.

The ever-steady Oklahoma Sooners remained the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation this week after finishing the Big 12 regular season with a perfect 18-0 record. OU has now won 41-straight games, tying its program record for consecutive wins.

Here’s a look at the entire poll, courtesy of ESPN and USA Softball.

RANK	TEAM	RECORD	POINTS	PREVIOUS RANKING
1	Oklahoma (25)	49-1	625	1
2	UCLA	50-4	599	2
3	Florida State	47-8	574	3
4	Tennessee	41-8	544	4
5	Washington	37-11	490	9
6	Stanford	39-12	460	7
7	Texas	40-12-1	450	5
8	Oklahoma State	41-13	435	6
9	Duke	43-9	418	11
10	Clemson	45-8	401	8
11	Georgia	39-12	388	10
12	Arkansas	38-16	326	12
13	Alabama	38-17	321	14
14	LSU	40-14	309	16
15	Auburn	39-16	282	15
16	Baylor	39-15	239	21
17	Utah	34-13	234	20
18	Oregon	35-14	207	13
19	Northwestern	35-11	206	18
20	Wichita State	43-9	148	19
21	Florida	35-19	133	17
22	Virginia Tech	36-17	111	22
23	Texas A&M	33-18	71	23
24	Louisiana	43-13	64	24
25	Central Arkansas	39-9	43	25