College softball power rankings: Oklahoma asserts its dominance, Oklahoma State on the rise

Watch out for the Cowgirls: Speaking of gritty, Oklahoma State, led by workhorse in the circle Ruby Meylan, is on quite a hot streak. After upsetting Bedlam rival Oklahoma last week, the Cowgirls continued their rise in the rankings by shutting out Texas 5-0 and then sweeping Baylor. Meylan, as mentioned, has been OSU’s key to success, as she tossed gems against the Sooners and the Longhorns to announce her presence among the sport’s best arms. She has an eye-popping 193 2/3 innings pitched this season — which is nearing her 2025 total of 209 — while pitching to a 2.20 ERA and 1.04 WHIP and tallying 177 strikeouts.

Though Meylan is prone to give up a home run or two here and there, she has found another level lately, and here’s hoping she can keep the Cowgirls on this pace before her arm tires out. If so, Oklahoma State could be a team to keep an eye on in the postseason. Kenny Gajewski’s squad missed out on the WCWS last year for the first time since 2020, and it’s clear the Cowgirls want back in.

Some wild competition: There were a handful of nail-biters this weekend, especially in the ACC. After winning a series in upset fashion against Virginia Tech last week, Georgia Tech once again brought the fight against one of the top teams in the conference, Florida State. Though the Seminoles swept the Jackets, that doesn’t tell the whole story of the weekend. Notably, FSU ace Jazzy Francik threw a no-hitter to start the series, but Game 2 was an all-out brawl as the Seminoles eked out the 4-3 victory. The series finale took nine innings to decide a winner, as Isa Torres was held to 1-for-5 with a walk, and Jaysoni Beachum was also silenced at the plate.

Elsewhere in the ACC, the Duke-Clemson series saw the Blue Devils come out on top in a ranked matchup, but if you’re looking for more offensive fireworks, do yourself a favor and rewatch Game 2. The Tigers won an absolute slugfest, 13-11, as six balls left the park, and outfielder Kylee Johnson made some stunning plays at the wall all weekend.

In the SEC, it’s worth pointing out that while South Carolina (29-22) hasn’t necessarily had the season the Gamecocks may have expected, clinching a series victory over Texas A&M showed the softball world what they’re capable of. The Aggies have some offensive stars in Kennedy Powell and Mya Perez, and the fact that fewer than five runs were scored, combined by both teams, in all three games made this matchup absolutely thrilling.

Speaking of thrilling, the matchup between Alabama and Tennessee definitely delivered. The Crimson Tide’s offense dominated in Game 1 with a 12-0 mercy-rule victory behind a two-hitter in the circle from Jocelyn Briski, but the Vols’ Sage Mardjetko flirted with a no-hitter in Game 2 to even the series. In the rubber match, Tennessee finally got its bats going against Briski, putting together a four-run performance that would be more than enough for Karlyn Pickens, who came in relief for Erin Nuwerin in the third inning and kept the Tide quiet with 11 strikeouts to complete the series upset. This matchup was a showdown between two of the top pitching staffs in the country, and Game 1 seemed like quite an anomaly for what has been a three-headed monster in the circle for the Vols.

Last but not least: The final two AUSL Golden Tickets were presented this weekend to Oklahoma Gold Glove infielder Ailana Agbayani and Mississippi State ace Peja Goold, rounding out what’s sure to be an incredible class for this upcoming season. We’ll find out where the players who have received a Golden Ticket will be headed for their professional debuts on May 4. Many predicted Frahm would be one of the final players to be presented with the honor, but with her future in question, she was one of the many senior stars added to the AUSL’s player reserve pool.

The final week: While some teams are just waiting for the selection show, a good number of squads have one more weekend of the regular season. Some notable matchups include Arkansas-Texas, Florida-Georgia and Oregon-UCLA.

Just midded: South Carolina, Southeastern Louisiana

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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