Sooners Unanimous Favorite in NFCA Preseason Poll

NORMAN — Oklahoma was chosen as the unanimous No. 1 in the 2022 USA Today/NFCA Division I Preseason Coaches Poll, the NFCA announced the poll Tuesday.

Oklahoma's No. 1 spot in the NFCA poll marks the third time the Sooners enter a season in the top spot (2017, '18) and just the second time OU has been the unanimous choice in the coaches poll, joining the 2017 squad.

OU received 800 total points and all 32 first-place votes to lead No. 2 Alabama (758) and No. 3 UCLA (700). Florida State and Oklahoma State rounded out the top five.

The full NFCA poll can be seen here.

Additionally, it's the 11th 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 nine of the past 10 years, the most over that stretch.

Overall, the Sooners rank third with 22 top-10 appearances in the NFCA preseason poll, trailing only Arizona (24) and UCLA (23).

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 the only program ranked every week in the 28-year existence of the NFCA's poll.

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.

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.