Sooners Hold No. 3 in Preseason Polls

NORMAN — The eight-time defending Big 12 champion Oklahoma softball team enters the 2020 season ranked third in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Preseason Coaches Poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Preseason Top 25, both of which were released Tuesday.

Oklahoma's No. 3 spot in the NFCA poll marks the 10th straight year the Sooners have started in the NFCA's top 10, good for the nation's longest active streak. OU has been ranked in the top five seven of the past eight years, the most over that stretch.

Overall, the Sooners rank third with 20 top-10 appearances in the NFCA preseason poll, trailing only Arizona (22) and UCLA (21).

Oklahoma, Michigan, UCLA and Washington are the only programs to be ranked in every NFCA preseason poll, which dates back to 1995. OU also extended its streak of being ranked every week in the 26-year existence of the NFCA's poll.

In the 2020 NFCA Preseason Poll, OU received 729 total points, along with four first-place votes, to rank No. 3 behind Washington (755) and Alabama (752). UCLA (716) and Arizona (695) round out the top five.

In the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll, the Sooners received 458 points, including five first-place votes. Alabama took first at 487, while Washington was second at 460. UCLA (445) and Arizona (405) hold fourth and fifth.

This marks the 13th straight season and 16th in the 18-year history of the ESPN.com/USA Today poll that Oklahoma is ranked in the preseason top 10. The ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll is voted on by coaching representatives of 11 Division I Conferences in the 10 USA Softball regions and by media members who consistently cover Division I softball across the country.

Oklahoma is scheduled to face eight ranked teams in 2020: No. 1/2 (NFCA/USA) Washington, No. 5/5 Arizona, No. 6/6 Texas, No. 13/13 Oklahoma State, No. 14/15 Northwestern, No. 15/16 Kentucky, No. 18/19 Texas Tech and No. 25/23 Wisconsin.

Additionally, 2020 opponents Baylor and Houston received votes in both polls.

The Sooners made their 13th appearance at the Women's College World Series in 2019, culminating in a 57-6 record and national runner-up finish. Oklahoma has won the past eight Big 12 regular season titles, finishing with a second consecutive 18-0 conference record in 2019.

OU returns two first-team All-Americans in senior pitcher Giselle Juarez and junior utility player Jocelyn Alo. Also returning is sophomore utility player Grace Green, a third-team All-America and all-region honoree.

The Sooners begin their 2020 campaign on Thursday, Feb. 6, as they take on Nevada at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Games will be available to watch on a subscription basis through FloSoftball.

Single-game tickets went on sale Tuesday morning, Jan. 28 at 10 a.m. CT. Tickets can be ordered online or by calling (405) 325-2424 or toll-free at (800) 456-GoOU.

For updates and more information on Oklahoma softball, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Softball) and like Oklahoma Softball on Facebook.

Players Mentioned

Jocelyn Alo

Grace Green

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics