The first weekend of Big 12 play provided a glimpse into just how wild the conference race is going to be in 2025.
We thought Arizona was a nose ahead of the rest of the league and should be able to dispatch UCF. We thought Oklahoma State was playing much better softball than Texas Tech and should have an edge in their series. We thought Baylor would have a chance to get back on track and finally become the team everyone expected them to be.
Yet, after three games, we have some crazy shakeup in the Big 12 softball power rankings. Let’s take a look at the latest standings.
1. Texas Tech Red Raiders (Last Week: 3)
Record: 20-7 (2-1 Big 12)
Texas Tech was playing up-and-down softball ahead of their series with Oklahoma State, but it appears they found a groove at the right time and picked up a series win over the Cowgirls. NiJaree Canady is still the most dominant arm in softball, and when the Red Raiders offense is clicking, they’re tough to stop.
2. UCF Knights (Last Week: 4)
Record: 19-8-1 (2-1 Big 12)
Talk about surprising. UCF not only got the best of a good Arizona team, but they traveled across the country and did so in Tucson. The Knights might be a problem if their offense can continue to score points, as Kaitlyn Felton continues to be impressive in the circle.
3. Arizona Wildcats (Last Week: 2)
Record: 23-4 (1-2 Big 12)
If I had to pick a team to win the Big 12, it would’ve been Arizona this time last week. Now, it’s not like they’ve fallen off the cliff, but at this point, I would have to go with NiJaree Canady and the Red Raiders. The rebound on Sunday does show that this team has some fight, but they can’t wait that late in a series to show it.
4. Oklahoma State Cowgirls (Last Week: 2)
Record: 16-6 (1-2 Big 12)
Like Arizona, it was promising to see Oklahoma State come back with a run-rule victory on Sunday, but why did it take so long for them to get their pitching rotation figured out? The Cowgirls need to rebound from this series and put it behind them. There’s better ball ahead for this squad.
5. Arizona State Sun Devils (Last Week: 7)
Record: 17-7 (2-1 Big 12)
The Sun Devils are quietly putting together an impressive start to their season and are sitting among the top teams in the Big 12 after a series win over BYU. They’ll need to sustain the momentum and stack some series wins together first, but this could be a squad that plays more than the spoiler role if they keep it up.
6. Houston Cougars (Last Week: 6)
Record: 16-7 (2-1 Big 12)
The Houston Cougars have made me eat crow so far this season, and I’ll be happy to continue doing so if they keep climbing the ladder. This weekend, they took care of business against Iowa State, and that counts for something.
7. BYU Cougars (Last Week: 5)
Record: 15-6 (1-2 Big 12)
I fully expected the Cougars to take down Arizona State this past weekend. Instead, they dropped the most competitive series of the weekend. Don’t sleep on this team because I have them at seven. They’re capable of making a postseason run.
8. Kansas Jayhawks (Last Week: 9)
Record: 12-8 (2-1 Big 12)
Kansas took advantage of a Baylor team that is playing poorly right now, and that’s certainly worth a bump in this week’s rankings. However, I’m not sure how high the ceiling is for this team in 2025.
9. Baylor Bears (Last Week: 8)
Record: 11-13 (1-2 Big 12)
Baylor has been the most disappointing team in the Big 12 so far, and it’s really not close. This team was ranked and supposed to be among the league’s top three squads.
10. Iowa State Cyclones (Last Week: 10)
Record: 10-11 (1-2 Big 12)
Iowa State is going to struggle to keep up this season, but they’ll pull off a couple of games that they probably shouldn’t.
11. Utah Utes (Last Week: 11)
Record (8-19)
Utah just hasn’t gotten off to a great start, and I don’t see it improving much as we get deeper into conference play.
