In their first in-conference series loss in over a decade, the Oklahoma Sooners are no longer the No. 1 team in the Softball America rankings.
This past weekend, the Sooners travelled south on I-35 to take on the Texas Longhorns in Austin. The weekend opened with promise as Oklahoma won the first contest, but they would only score two more runs over the course of two games to close out the series. Texas won two of the three matchups to win the series for the first time since 2009.
The losses were uncharacteristic for the Sooners. Their offense was non-existent against an incredible defense Texas hoists. Still, the way the rankings played out simply doesn’t make sense.
Sooners fall to No. 2 in Softball America rankings
In the latest rankings, which released on Monday, the Sooners fell to No. 2. Oddly enough, they weren’t jumped by Texas, the only team that’s proven to be capable of defeating the Sooners in a series. Instead, they were jumped by Duke, who is now No. 1 in the rankings.
The Sooners beat the Blue Devils on opening day. They proved to be the better team between the two. If Texas wasn’t the team to jump Oklahoma, it’s odd that Duke was.
Why were the Sooners jumped by Duke, not Texas?
“The Longhorns’ weekend was the most impressive weekend for any team this season. However, just last week the Longhorns were blanked twice by Lexi Kilfoyl and Oklahoma State, and Texas has three more losses this season than Oklahoma does. The Cowgirls also took care of a Houston team that also handed Texas a loss,” Softball America wrote in their updated rankings.
So, because Texas was defeated by Oklahoma State in a series before defeating Oklahoma in a series — they’re not the team to jump Oklahoma, though Duke is.
“While Oklahoma does have a win over Duke, that came on Opening Day, a day that was before we knew the star Claire Davidson would become and that Jala Wright would emerge as the team’s ace. Head-to-head is considered but teams can also drastically change between now and then,” Softball America wrote.
It seems Softball America is led to believe Duke has since progressed, with Oklahoma regressing and showing their colors more as of late. Sure, the rankings in Week 9 aren’t a big deal, but it seems Oklahoma is beginning to fall through the cracks as the powerhouse program it has been in recent years as they hunt for a fourth-straight National Championship.
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