Oklahoma, the two-time defending national champions, has been named the favorite in the 2023 Big 12 softball preseason poll. Conference head coaches voted in the poll and were not allowed to select their own team.

This marks the 14^th occasion in the last 15 years the Sooners have been chosen in the top spot and the 11^th consecutive season, a league record. The preseason favorite has won the regular season title each completed season since 2013.

OU is the unanimous favorite for the ninth time under the Conference’s current seven-team configuration. The Crimson and Cream captured their sixth Women’s College World Series title last summer (2000, ’13, ’16, ’17, ’21, ’22) and have won 10 consecutive Big 12 regular season titles.

Oklahoma State was voted second, marking back-to-back years in the No. 2 spot for the Cowgirls. OSU won its first-ever Big 12 softball title last season, capturing the Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship in an eight-inning classic over OU. Oklahoma State advanced to the semifinals of the 2022 WCWS, the program’s third-consecutive trip to Oklahoma City.

Texas comes in picked to finish third, marking the 13^th year in a row the Longhorns have been picked in the top three of the poll. In 2022 UT became the first unseeded and first team in Longhorn history to reach the WCWS Championship series.

Baylor was selected in fourth place for the third straight season while Iowa State is fifth for a second straight season. Texas Tech and Kansas follow at No. 6 and No. 7.

This marks the first time in Big 12 history the preseason poll’s team order has been identical in back-to-back years.

The Conference advanced a nation-high 42.9% of its teams to the WCWS and tied for first among leagues with the number of teams to make it to Oklahoma City. It was the highest percentage of teams the Big 12 has ever placed into the WCWS and the most teams since 2011.

The 2022 season was the first time since 2015 that a conference placed three teams into the semifinals of the WCWS and was the most Big 12 teams to make the final four in a single year.

Oklahoma (No. 1), Oklahoma State (No. 3) and Texas (No. 14) were announced in the 2023 D1Softball Preseason Top 25 rankings. The 42.9% of the league’s teams in the top 14 marks the highest percentage of any conference.

The season gets underway Feb. 9 with non-conference games while league play begins March 24. The 2023 Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship returns to USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City on May 11-13.

The second-ever Big 12 Softball Preseason Team will be announced Jan. 19 at 10 a.m. CT. Follow Big12Sports.com and the league’s social media platforms for the reveal of the team.
 

2023 Big 12 Softball Preseason Poll
1. OU (6)	36 points
2. OSU (1)	29 points
3. UT	28 points
4. BU	20 points
5. ISU	16 points
6. TTU	12 points
7. KU	6 points

() indicates first-place votes
Note: The first preseason poll was conducted prior to the 1999-2000 season