Too many Sooner softball storylines already required after winning three of four in Tucson
In collegiate softball, not unlike collegiate baseball, you have to pick your poll.
Or polls.
The ESPN/USA Softball poll is voted upon by “coaching representatives” and media. The NFCA Coaches poll is voted upon by 31 different coaches. D1Softball.com’s top 25 gets a lot of play, too, though it’s only voted upon by the site’s staff, the number of voters a mystery.
Oklahoma opened its softball season, playing four games beginning Thursday in Tucson, the first a single contest against Arizona State and the next three against Arizona.
The Sooners won three of four.
And though there’s little context to begin any season, there are at least the polls and the Sooners entered ranked No. 3 in each mentioned above, Arizona State received votes in all three and Arizona entered ranked 18th by USA Softball, 17th by the NFCA and No. 21 by D1Softball.
Cue the results:
• Thursday: OU 2, Arizona State 1
• Friday: Arizona 11, OU 6
• Saturday: OU 21, Arizona 3
• Sunday: OU 5, Arizona 4
The scores alone illustrate the conundrum of drawing just one conclusion from OU’s weekend, for there were comebacks, offensive explosions, hitting up and down the lineup and curious pitching, though Audrey Lowry, in her own way, stepped forward.
I’ll try not to write forever — and in my bones I detest “takeaway” columns — but this time there’s no other way to go.
Get ready.
