Every player and coach involved in the 2011 Women’s College World Series knew that the Pac-10 was the conference to beat. They also knew that the higher seeds are obviously the most favored. But what transpired yesterday in four games in Oklahoma City unfolded in the worst possible way for the four Big 12 schools participating in the eight team bracket in the 2011 NCAA Division I Softball Championship.
The teams that rolled were the favored teams, but with half of the field from the Big 12, the hopes were that some team could break through to the next round. Nothing is officially out yet, given that it takes double elimination in bracket play, but Missouri, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State all lost yesterday with Baylor as the only win – and that was even in a match-up of two Big 12 teams. Simply put, the favorites rolled and the Big 12 looked sour.
Today either Missouri or Oklahoma will go home after playing each other, since one of the teams will have their second loss and an early exit from the tourney. Oklahoma State and Baylor fight for their lives against Alabama and California respectively. Anything is possible in every game, but the Big 12’s first full step into the tournament was a crippling one for sure.