Big 12 softball has officially begun, and after just one weekend, the standings look nothing like we’d come to expect.
Arizona and Oklahoma State entered conference play looking like the most consistent teams that the Big 12 had to offer. However, both the Wildcats and Cowgirls ended up dropping their series and starting the year off slow.
Here’s a quick roundup of the biggest things that stood out in the first weekend of Big 12 softball in 2025.
‘Zona Falls at Home to UCF
Arizona was scorching hot coming into this weekend, with a huge win over UCLA and an excellent showing against Texas and Stanford just a couple of weeks ago.
However, it was the visiting UCF Knights who took the series after picking up a 9-3 win on Friday and a 5-4 win on Saturday to secure a victory. The Wildcats did bounce back with a 10-1 (5 inn.) victory on Sunday to avoid the sweep, but they appear to have cooled off a bit after moving up to No. 7 in last week’s polls.
The ‘Cats will need to get some things figured out defensively, as six combined errors in the first two games cost them dearly. There’s so much season ahead of them, and a visit from Utah should provide an opportunity to get back on track.
Canady Proves Too Much for the Pokes
NiJaree Canady has once again proven to be the most dominant player in college softball, as her ability to completely strangle offenses showed up in a major way this weekend.
She started things off with a four-inning performance on Friday, allowing three hits with no walks and no runs in a 9-0 (5 inn.) run-rule victory. Then, in Game 2, Canady closed out the Pokes with the final three innings of a 2-0 win, that recorded a save for the veteran.
Oklahoma State’s Ruby Meylan was excellent in the series, but Katie Kutz and Kyra Aycock struggled in the first contest, giving up four earned runs each. Like Arizona, the Cowgirls did avoid the sweep with a 10-1 (5 inn.) victory on Sunday, so they do have that to build off of and did get two earned runs off of Canady in that win.
Topsy-Turvy Results Elsewhere Across the League
The results from the other Big 12 series this weekend were surprising, too, as we saw several outcomes that seemed to go against the grain. Arizona State picked up a series victory over BYU, and it was a nail-biter in all three games. The Sun Devils won the first game 1-0, lost the second game 6-5, and then prevailed 5-4 in eight innings on Saturday to secure the series.
Meanwhile, Kansas took advantage of a struggling Baylor squad and picked up a series win over the Bears. After dropping the first game, the Jayhawks rebounded with a win on Saturday and then an absolute beatdown in a 12-2 (6 inn.) run-rule victory on Sunday.
I thought Houston was going to bite me again after dropping their first game of the Iowa State series in extra innings, but they rebounded with a couple of gusty victories to take their first series of the season. There were no sweeps in the league this weekend, and there’s virtually no gap between first place and last place for another week.
