Tramel's ScissorTales: Big 12 softball fortified by Arizona State, Arizona & Utah
Berry TramelThe Oklahoman
@Wally12
When OU and Texas declared for the Southeastern Conference in July 2021, OSU softball seemed headed for an island.
Big 12 softball, bouyed by three marquee programs, would be down to one. The Cowgirls figured to dominate, but would that help come the postseason? Would that help in OSU’s mission to remain a Women’s College World Series regular?
We won’t have to find out.
Last week, the Big 12 added Arizona, Utah and Arizona State, all for the 2024 season.
Arizona, with eight NCAA championships, is a blueblood by any definition.
And then there's Utah, which made the 2023 WCWS field.
Arizona State, which won NCAA titles in 2008 and 2011, reached the WCWS as recently as 2018 and made a Super Regional in 2022.
Suddenly, Big 12 softball is not only stable, but deep at the top.
“I think it’s great,” OSU coach Kenny Gajewski said. “We want to be the most competitive conference we can be in, to prepare us for what the postseason brings.”
“We’re obviously losing two good programs, but we’re gaining, with the newest expansion, three really good teams. World-Series caliber teams.”
The Big 12 now has three of the top seven softball schools in terms of all-time WCWS appearances: Arizona (second, with 29), Arizona State (third, 19) and OSU (tied for fifth, 15).
Plus Utah. And Baylor, which has four WCWS appearances in the last 16 seasons. And Central Florida, which made a Super Regional in 2022. And Brigham Young, which had made 16 straight NCAA Tournaments before missing out on the last two.
“A lot of positives in this,” Gajewski said. “We’ll adjust. The biggest thing is we’re still relevant in a big way.”
Travel will be more difficult for OSU, which has been busing to all Big 12 games. The farthest trip has been Iowa State (545 miles). Now the Cowgirls must fly to two Arizona schools, two Utah schools and Orlando.
Another bummer: the conference will have 11 softball schools, meaning off weeks will be implemented into the league schedule.
A full round-robin schedule isn’t practical – it would require at least 11 weeks, meaning conference play would start in February. Doesn’t work for a league that has teams in Salt Lake City; Provo, Utah; Ames, Iowa; Lawrence, Kansas, and Stillwater.
An eight-game conference schedule, with games beginning in early March, is the likely result.
Small prices to pay for a conference that has been fortified.
“We just need to have enough (quality) teams that give us a legitimate league,” Gajewski said. “We’ve been the No. 2 or No. 3 RPI conference every year. That’s saying a lot. We don’t want to lose that.
“In the end, that has a lot of weight when they’re seeding in the postseason.”
Especially adding Arizona and Arizona State.
Arizona has played two seasons under coach Caitlin Lowe-Nagy, who succeeded the legendary Mike Candrea.
Arizona State is fighting the effects of constant coaching changes. Clint Myers coached the Sun Devils to two NCAA titles, but since he left for Auburn after the 2013 season, ASU is on its fifth coach. Trisha Ford was the most successful, going 212-89 from 2017-22, but she was hired away by Texas A&M.
Megan Bartlett coached the Sun Devils to a 22-26 record last season.
"Arizona State’s been down the last three or four years,” Gajewski said. “But they do have history and legacy. When you have that, it does create opportunity, like we have here at OSU. Arizona is the No. 1 or No. 2 program of all time.
“They both have the potential to be able to recruit and attract kids. Both those teams are still very relevant, they’re very good, and they’re both on the up.”
