Around College softball

College softball is in its final month of play and the competition is starting to heat up. Here’s what’s going on and what to know as the regular season wraps up.

SEC Dominance

Historically, the Pac-12 had been the most dominant conference in college softball. With the Pac-12 collapsing prior to this season, the SEC has taken over the reins as the top conference in softball.

Twelve of the 15 teams in the SEC are ranked in the top-25 of the ESPN/USA Softball poll, holding nine of the top-15 spots.

Topping the SEC is Texas A&M, who’s ranked No. 1 overall for the first time in program history. The Aggies have won their last 12 games, most recently sweeping then-No. 6 LSU last weekend.

Texas A&M hasn’t made a Women’s College World Series appearance since 2017 and hasn’t won a title since 1987.

Oklahoma, Texas and Florida reached the semi-finals of last year's WCWS, with the Sooners and Longhorns meeting in the national championship game. The SEC hasn’t taken home a title in softball since the Gators went back-to-back in 2014 and 2015, but this year presents as good of an opportunity as any.

Will Oklahoma be dethroned?

The Sooners have claimed the crown six times since 2016, including in each of the last four seasons.

Oklahoma’s welcome to the SEC hasn’t been an easy one. The Sooners are 36-5 with a 10-5 conference record and dropped their last two conference series to Tennessee and Alabama. On paper this is a good record, but doesn’t compare to how dominant Oklahoma’s been the past few seasons.

Last season the Sooners lost five games through the entirety of the regular season and that number was even less in previous years, most notably just one defeat in 2023.

This year has seen lots more parity than the past, and Oklahoma will have a lot more work to do to defend the throne. While the Sooners don’t face Texas A&M, their final two series will be against No. 3 Texas and No. 7 Florida.

Big Ten bats

While the SEC has been the superior conference for college softball this season, the Big Ten has some of the most potent offenses in the nation.

Six of the nation's top 15 batting averages belong to Big Ten teams, including three in the top 10. Leading the pack is Indiana with a .384 batting average.

The Hoosiers also lead the nation with 2.18 doubles per game and a .472 on-base percentage.

Ohio State and Nebraska have hit the most home runs in the nation, with the Buckeyes launching a staggering 109 long balls this season and the Cornhuskers hitting the second most at 84.

The Buckeyes lead the nation in RBI per game with 8.18 and follow Indiana in on-base percentage at .461. UCLA averages the nation's second highest RBI per game with 7.69.

The Big Ten is home to the nation's best home run hitter in UCLA’s Megan Grant, who’s hit 22.

Pickens heat

Tennessee ace Karlyn Pickens made history in the Vols 3-2 win over Arkansas when she threw a 78.2 mph pitch – the fastest recorded pitch in college softball history. This is the equivalent to a 105 mph pitch thrown in college baseball.

Pickens had recently tied the previous record of 77 mph which was set by former Lady Vols legend Monica Abbott.

Pickens and the Tennessee pitching staff own the nation's lowest ERA at 1.69.

Gianna Dowling is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email gmd5738@psu.edu.