The first weekend of April brings another slate of Big 12 softball series, but it also heightens the intensity ever so slightly. There’s just one month standing between now and the Big 12 Softball Tournament in Oklahoma City, and that means the games are getting more important by the day.
Ten teams are in action this weekend, giving us five series to dive into, and none of them are more significant than the one out in Tucson between No. 18 Oklahoma State and No. 12 Arizona.
Let’s take a look at what’s on deck for the weekend of April 4, 2025.
#18 Oklahoma State (23-8) at #12 Arizona (31-6)
Location: Hillenbrand Stadium | Tucson, Arizona
Game 1: Friday, April 4 | 8 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Game 2: Saturday, April 5 | 8 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Game 3: Sunday, April 6 | 2:00 pm CT (ESPN+)
After something of a rough patch, which included a 1-0 loss to Baylor and a four-run loss to Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State has stacked a few wins together and is starting to look like itself once again. However, they’re headed into what should be their toughest test of the regular season with a three-game series against Arizona.
The Wildcats have the best offense in the Big 12, and one of the five best offenses in the country, batting .368 as a team and scoring 7.97 runs per game. Ruby Meylan will be tested in this series, and the arms behind her could have a hard time keeping runs off the board. Will the Cowgirls’ offense have the juice to power them through to an upset on the road?
Utah (12-24) at #14 Texas Tech (28-9)
Location: Rocky Johnson Field | Lubbock, Texas
Game 1: Friday, April 4 | 2:00 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Game 2: Saturday, April 5 | 4:30 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Game 3: Sunday, April 6 | 12:00 pm CT (ESPN+)
Utah’s record suggests that this won’t be much of a series, but the Utes are 4-2 in their last six Big 12 games and have scored 12 or more runs in three of those victories. We’re getting to the point in the season when it’s important to keep an eye on how many inning pitchers are piling up, and even though NiJaree Canady seems to be limitless, she won’t be able to appear in every game the rest of the way.
Texas Tech is going to have tougher matchups down the road, especially with the Women’s College World Series rolls around. However, it’s series like this one that we’ll learn how dangerous they could really be once bracket play begins. Can they take care of business when they should?
Iowa State (17-15) at BYU (21-10)
Location: Miller Park Complex | Provo, Utah
Game 1: Thursday, April 3 | Iowa State 5, BYU 3
Game 2: Friday, April 4 | 4:00 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Game 3: Saturday, April 5 | 12:00 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Due to BYU’s inability to compete on Sundays, this series already has one game in the books, with Iowa State taking down the Cougars on Thursday by a score of 5-3. The Cyclones are 7-3 in Big 12 play thus far, which is good enough to put them second in the league standings. With one more win, they’ll tie their regular season record of conference wins, and it appears they’ve got a lot more to work for than that.
Meanwhile, BYU is now 5-5 in Big 12 play and has lost four of their last five games in conference play. Iowa State is playing with a ton of confidence right now, but I would’ve taken BYU to win the series ahead of time. Can they get even on Friday and take the series on Saturday, or will Iowa State continue it’s unlikely ascent toward the top of the Big 12 standings?
Other Series (Fri, Apr. 4 – Sun, Apr. 6)
Kansas (16-15) at Arizona State (24-13)
Game 1: Friday, April 4 | 8 pm CT
Game 2: Saturday, April 5 | 7 pm CT
Game 3: Sunday, April 6 | 3 pm CT
Baylor (15-21) at Houston (20-13)
Game 1: Friday, April 4 | 6 pm CT
Game 2: Saturday, April 5 | 2 pm CT
Game 3: Sunday, April 6 | Noon CT
