OU Unanimous No. 1 in USA Softball Preseason Poll

NORMAN — The Oklahoma softball team enters the 2022 season as the unanimous No. 1 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Preseason Top 25, USA Softball announced Tuesday.

The Sooners received 625 points and all 25 first-place votes to hold the top spot coming off the program's fifth national title in 2021.

Alabama was voted second with 591 points, while UCLA was third at 549. Oklahoma State (547) and Florida (501) round out the top five. The full top 25 can be seen here.

This marks the third time in program history that the Sooners enter the season as the top-ranked team, joining the 2017 and '18 squads.

Additionally, it is the 15th straight season and 18th in the 20-year history of the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll that Oklahoma is ranked in the preseason top 10. The 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.

The 2022 team returns 2021 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Jocelyn Alo, along with four other All-Americans in Jayda Coleman, 2021 NFCA Freshman of the Year Tiare Jennings, Kinzie Hansen and Grace Lyons.

The Sooners were recently selected as the Big 12 preseason favorite, marking the 10th straight year and 13th in the last 14 seasons that OU has topped the conference's preseason poll.

The Sooners open the 2022 season Feb. 10 in Santa Barbara, Calif., vs. UC-Santa Barbara.

Season ticket renewals for the 2022 season are available now at SoonerSports.com. A limited quantity of single-game tickets for home games will go on sale Feb. 8 at 10 a.m. CT.

For any additional questions about 2022 OU softball tickets, please contact the OU Athletics Ticket Office during normal business hours – Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 800-456-4668 or via email at OUTickets@ou.edu.

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