Some of the weekend’s best softball takes place in the mid-majors ranks, with top-level matchups between Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State in the Big West and Colorado State and UNLV in the Mountain West. The SEC also boasts some quality competition, while other highlighted matchups include a series with major implications on the Big Ten championship race and a Big 12 matchup that’s worth watching.
Auburn Tigers
After a series win over Tennessee in Knoxville last weekend, the Tigers will look to keep their winning ways going in a three-game set against South Carolina at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn. The Tigers are 8-4 in conference play and the series over Tennessee came at a perfect time, as the squad saw quality pitching from Ashlee Swindle and Chardonnay Harris, a welcome occurrence following Makayla Martin’s injury and as they continue to seek consistency in the circle.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Red Raiders pulled out a win in game two against Texas last weekend, walking off against the Longhorns to avoid a three-game sweep and pulling off perhaps the biggest win of the year to-date. The Red Raiders sit at 3-6 in conference play, with the back end of the conference schedule marking a bit of an easier road, beginning with this weekend’s matchup against Baylor. To say the Bears are scuffling this season might be an understatement, and the series in Waco could be a great opportunity for the Red Raiders to get things back on track and improve their Big 12 record.
Colorado State Rams
Last weekend’s series finale against San Jose State marked the Rams’ first loss of the 2019 conference season, moving the squad to 11-1 on the year in Mountain West play. The Rams own non-conference wins over Stanford, Oklahoma State, and Nebraska, and translated that success into the start of conference play. The Rams swept past Fresno State, New Mexico, and Utah State before earning the series win over San Jose State, and now enter the weekend for perhaps the biggest conference series of the year against UNLV. The pair of teams are each enjoying breakout seasons, both angling for NCAA tournament berths, and this series could have a major impact on postseason opportunities for each team.
Grand Canyon Antelopes
After splitting a two-game set with then-#1 Florida State earlier in the year, the Lopes will host another top-5 opponent in in-state compatriots Arizona in another set of games at GCU Softball Stadium. With a three-game set against the Wildcats on tap, the Lopes are in prime position to pull off another major upset against a high-ranked team. The Lopes’ see-saw of a season to this point includes wins over Utah, South Dakota, Iowa State, and a pair of victories over Ohio State, in addition to the Florida State victory, and if the team can pull off even a single win over a very good Arizona team, it would be stellar preparation for the hearty backend of the Lopes’ conference schedule.
Wisconsin Badgers
Since beginning their Big Ten season with a series loss to Illinois, the Badgers have reeled off an 8-game winning streak, including conference sweeps of Penn State and Iowa. The Badgers have scored forty-nine runs in six conference games during that span, while allowing just eight. A weekend series against Northwestern kicks off a rough two weeks of games that also includes a doubleheader against Minnesota and a home series versus Indiana. The Badgers boast a .505 hitter in Kayla Konwent – who also owns an OPS of 1.562 and eleven home runs – and a series win in Evanston would be a solid start to the latter half of the team’s conference season.
Missouri Tigers and Ole Miss Rebels
Perhaps the SEC’s two most surprisingly-successful teams, many didn’t know what to expect from the Tigers or the Rebels. Coming off of a subpar 2018 campaign that saw the season begin and end with controversy, the Tigers made a coaching change in the offseason and have blossomed under Larissa Anderson. The Tigers sit at .500 in conference play, with a series win over Georgia and a sweep of Kentucky to their credit. At Ole Miss, the 2017 SEC tournament champions have rebounded well from a so-so 2018 campaign of their own. Thanks in no small part to the emergence of Molly Jacobsen in the circle, the Rebels have already matched their conference win total from a season ago. As these two teams face one another, it will surely be quality ball between two upstart programs looking for staying power.
Southeast Missouri Redhawks
Quietly tied atop the Ohio Valley Conference standings, the Redhawks boast the best overall record of any team in the OVC at 30-9. The Redhawks own wins over South Dakota State, Arkansas, Missouri State, and a pair of victories over Kansas, with their only conference losses coming in doubleheader splits against Belmont and SIU-Edwardsville. The Redhawks will take on Austin Peay in a doubleheader on Monday at home, while Murray State – presently tied with SEMO at the top of the conference – will come to town for a pair of games on Sunday. Four wins in the weekend’s quartet of games could pay big dividends for the Redhawks.
Cal State Fullerton Titans
The series that most Big West softball fans look forward from the season’s start, the Titans will travel to Long Beach State to take on the 49ers in a three-game conference slate. The Titans sit at 5-1 in conference play, eleven games above the .500 mark overall. With a non-conference slate marked by wins over South Florida, Oregon, and Loyola Marymount, the Titans swept through a conference-opening series against UC Santa Barbara and won the series against CSU-Northridge, despite dropping the series opener. Despite a sub-.500 record, Long Beach State remains a quality team and the rivalry between these two teams makes it an anybody’s-game matchup whenever the teams face off. Luckily for fans of good softball, all three games in the series will be aired on the ESPN networks on television and online.
North Texas Mean Green
In Rodney DeLong’s first season at the helm, to say the Mean Green have been impressive this season would be an understatement. The Mean Green have already matched their win total from a season ago, and have yet to lose a conference series. Despite an inexplicable loss to Houston Baptist in midweek play earlier in the week, the Mean Green will travel to Bowling Green to take on Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers have enjoyed an upstart season of their own, but were stunted in a series loss to Marshall last week. North Texas already owns a series win over Louisiana Tech, and could move into undisputed first place with a series win over the Hilltoppers.
