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OU Softball: Oklahoma Earns No. 1 Ranking in D1 Softball Preseason Poll

With softball season approaching, D1 Softball released its preseason rankings on Tuesday, placing the Sooners atop the list.

Randall Sweet

OU Softball: Oklahoma Earns No. 1 Ranking in D1 Softball Preseason Poll
OU Softball: Oklahoma Earns No. 1 Ranking in D1 Softball Preseason Poll /
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After finishing off its third consecutive national championship season, the Oklahoma softball team once again looks poised to be the most dominant team in the country.

Last week, Softball America released its preseason rankings, slotting the Sooners in the top spot. On Tuesday, D1 Softball debuted its 2024 preseason poll, also ranking Patty Gasso's squad as the No. 1 team in the country. 

After dropping a game against Baylor in 2023, the Sooners finished the year with 53 consecutive wins and will bring back key players like outfielder Rylie Boone, infielder Cydney Sanders, catcher Kinzie Hansen, pitcher Nicole May, second baseman Tiare Jennings, center fielder Jayda Coleman and utility players Alynah Torres and Alyssa Brito. 

In addition to all the returning talent on OU's roster, Gasso once again brought in a handful of promising veterans through the transfer portal. 

After losing superstar pitcher Jordy Bahl to the transfer portal and fellow starter Alex Storako to graduation following the 2023 Women's College World Series, Oklahoma reloaded by bringing in former Oklahoma State standout Kelly Maxwell, former Liberty pitcher Karlie Keeney and former Wisconsin right-hander Paytn Monticelli. 

Gasso also added former Furman catcher Riley Ludlam, who performed well during the Sooners' fall Battle Series. 

Oklahoma will once again have a tough conference schedule, as the Texas Longhorns come in at No. 5 on D1 Softball's preseason poll with Oklahoma State landing at No. 12. 

Bahl and Nebraska are ranked just behind the Cowgirls at No. 13. Baylor is the only other Big 12 team ranked in the Top 25, coming in at No. 16.

In addition to three ranked conference opponents, the Sooners will meet No. 8 Duke on Feb. 8 at the Puerto Vallarta College Classic and No. 10 Washington at the same event on Feb. 9.

Gasso and company will square off against No. 23 San Diego State on Feb. 24 at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in California and will also meet No. 21 Louisiana twice at Love's Field on March 2-3. 

Oklahoma's season kicks off on Feb. 8 when OU takes on Utah Valley at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge.

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Randall Sweet
RANDALL SWEET

Randall is a recruiting analyst and staff writer at AllSooners focusing primarily on OU Football and the recruiting trail. Working as a journalist, Randall has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and high school sports across the state. A 2022 University of Oklahoma graduate, Randall hails from Lubbock, TX. While in college, Sweet wrote for the OU Daily in addition to working with Sooner Sports Pad and OU Nightly. Following his time at OU, Sweet served as the Communications Coordinator at Visit Oklahoma City before leaving to join the team at AllSooners. The West Texas native has bylines in the Norman Transcript and is a Staff Writer for Inside the Thunder. Randall holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK. 

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