OU Softball: For the First Time in Two Years, Oklahoma Falls From No. 1 Ranking

The Sooners had been No. 1 for 29 straight polls and can reclaim the top spot this week as they face undefeated UCLA in the Mary Nutter Classic.

John E. Hoover|

OU Softball: For the First Time in Two Years, Oklahoma Falls From No. 1 Ranking

Oklahoma has fallen.

The Sooners’ 4-3 loss to Baylor in Waco on Sunday dropped them out of the No. 1 spot in this week’s college softball polls — the first time in two years OU has not occupied the top spot.

Patty Gasso’s two-time defending national champ lost just three games last year and was ranked No. 1 wire-to-wire.

But this week the Sooners (8-1) dropped to No. 2 in the Softball America Top 25, No. 2 in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25, and No. 2 in the D1Softball Top 25.

The team that took over Oklahoma’s spot atop all three polls: Undefeated UCLA, which improved to 12-0 and received 29 of the 32 first-place votes in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25.

The Sooners had been ranked No. 1 for 29 consecutive polls.

It’s the first time since Week 2 of the 2021 season that Oklahoma hasn’t been ranked No. 1. The Sooners were No. 4 to begin the 2021 preseason, stayed at No. 4 after the opening weekend, then climbed to No. 2 after starting 7-0 before taking over the top spot in Week 3 — and not relinquishing it until now.

Oklahoma has a chance to reclaim the top spot this weekend at the Mary Nutter Classic in Cathedral City, CA.

The Sooners play Cal State Fullerton and Texas A&M on Friday, Utah and Loyola Marymount on Saturday, and then clash with the No. 1-ranked Bruins on Sunday in a 11:30 a.m. showdown.

All games can be seen on FloSoftball.com.

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Published Feb 21, 2023

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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