OU No. 6 in ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll

Jan. 24, 2012

NORMAN, Okla. — Less than one week after being picked second in the Big 12 by the league's coaches, Oklahoma was picked sixth in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 pre-season poll on Tuesday. The Sooners, fresh off their sixth trip to the Women's College World Series, accumulated 406 points in the poll, just five behind the 411 points of the top Big 12's top team in the poll, No. 5 Missouri.

Tuesday's announcement marked the second straight year and the third time in four years that the Sooners opened the year with the No. 6 ranking in the ESPN.com/USA Softball pre-season poll. In the poll's nine-year existence, Oklahoma has been ranked in the pre-season's top 10 seven times.

Oklahoma Head Coach Patty Gasso has put together yet another challenging schedule in 2012 as the Sooners will face 11 teams ranked in the top 25 including four in the top 10. Oklahoma opens the season on Feb. 10 against Cal-State Bakersfield in the Sportco Kick-Off Classic in Las Vegas. The first home game at the OU Softball Complex is slated for March 2 against LSU.

Last year's Oklahoma team finished the year ranked No. 7 in the final ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 after its sixth trip to the WCWS. The Sooners return the majority of that 2011 squad this year along with a group of six talented newcomers. Five members of the Oklahoma squad saw international action this offseason as Keilani Ricketts, Jessica Shults, Destinee Martinez and Lauren Chamberlain all suited up for the United States while Georgia Casey competed for the Australian Junior National Team.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

OU No. 6 in ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll

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