2026 Big 12 Preview

Texas Tech, which has its eyes set on a national championship, headlines Big 12 softball. Oklahoma State looks to rebound. Arizona has a new-look bullpen. What other teams might make the NCAA Tournament? We talk about those questions in our Big 12 softball preview.

2026 Big 12 Softball Team Previews

Arizona
Arizona State
Baylor
BYU
Houston
Iowa State
Kansas
Oklahoma State
Texas Tech
UCF
Utah

Big 12 Player Superlatives

5 Big 12 Player of the Year Candidates

• Ilove’a Brittingham, UTL, BYU
• Rosie Davis, INF, Oklahoma State
• Taylor Pannell, INF, Texas Tech
• Sydney Stewart, C, Arizona
• Mia Williams, INF, Texas Tech

This feels the most open Player of the Year award around the Power Four conferences. Most of the Texas Tech lineup could be considered here, but they also might draw attention away from one another. Brittingham looks to build off her Freshman of the Year campaign. Davis has continued to ascend as a hitter. Stewart is the top bat in the Arizona lineup.

5 Big 12 Pitcher of the Year Candidates

• Jalen Adams, Arizona
• Kenzie Brown, Arizona State
• NiJaree Canady, Texas Tech
• Ruby Meylan, Oklahoma State
• Isabella Vega, UCF

Listen, I know it’s probably unlikely that the generational arm in Lubbock doesn’t win this award, but you never know, she might not throw an incredible amount of innings for some reason. Similar to last year, in any other season, this would be a very competitive award with All-Americans Brown and Meylan. Adams is a more than capable arm and Vega looks to build off a strong first season in the circle.

5 Big 12 Freshman of the Year Candidates

• Jayelle Austin, OF, Oklahoma State
• Payton Crank, OF, Utah
• Rylie Holder, RHP, Arizona
• Kaygen Marshall, UTL, Baylor
• Sina Talataina, INF, Arizona

A good portion of the Big 12 isn’t expected to start a ton of freshmen, but there are plenty of candidates outside of these five names as well. Holder could be the best freshman pitcher and a key part of Arizona’s success. Talataina has game-changing power and that could lead to double-digit blasts in Tucson. Austin has turned heads in Stillwater and should be an Opening Day starter. Crank and Marshall appear set to be players who start in the middle of their teams’ lineup.

5 Big Ten Underrated Impact Transfers

• Chloe Barber, RHP, Kansas
• Kaya Booker, OF, Oklahoma State
• Kaylee Pond, OF, Arizona State
• Sa’Mya Jones, INF, Baylor
• Anna Reimers, RHP, Utah

Barber did not have a great year at Wichita State, but she has great stuff and that was evident as a freshman. She has the chance to make the Kansas pitching staff really good. Booker is an unknown Oklahoma State transfer piece, but she had a great fall for the Cowgirls. Pond and Reimers are both Cal transfers heading to different former Pac-12 teams. Pond has always been a solid player and appears to stabilize center field in Tempe. Reimers isn’t going to have an insane stat line, but he offers a veteran arm for Utah that it really needed. Jones, a former top recruit at LSU, has all the potential to become a big name at Baylor.

1 Player from Each Big 12 Team That Could Take a Step Forward

• Sarah Wright, RHP, Arizona
• Tiare Ho-Ching, INF, Arizona State
• Sadie Ross, RHP, Baylor
• Hailey Shuler, RHP/UTL, BYU
• Makenna Mitchell, INF, Houston
• Reagan Bartholomew, INF, Iowa State
• Kaelee Washington, RHP, Kansas
• Madison Hofman, RHP, Oklahoma State
• Haley Toney, INF, Texas Tech
• Beth Damon, C, UCF
• Shonty Passi, INF, Utah

5 Things I Want to Know about the Big 12

1. Will Oklahoma State bounce back? For the first time since the 2019 season, the Cowgirls didn’t make it to the Women’s College World Series. It never clicked all together for Oklahoma State, that’s despite what Kenny Gajewski said before the season, it was his most talented team. In our preseason conversation with the Oklahoma State head coach, he admitted that that was a mistake and left the door open for a letdown. The dynamic leading into the season has been tougher, but in a good way for Oklahoma State. They return core pieces in the lineup with a freshman class ready to make an immediate impact. Ruby Meylan will be the ace in the circle and a healthy, more confident RyLee Crandall looks to cap her senior year.

2. Does Arizona have enough in the circle to make another Women’s College World Series push? The Wildcats hosted their first regional since 2021 before losing to Ole Miss. Nevertheless, the Wildcats return a strong lineup despite a few key losses. It’s the pitching staff, which has been Arizona’s Achilles heel of late, that has more questions. Aside from Sarah Wright’s 4.1 innings, Arizona doesn’t return anything from the circle. The addition of Iowa transfer Jalen Adams, whom I seem to be higher on than most, was huge and should provide a stable foundation. There’s a lot of optimism about Rylie Holder, but a freshman can still go through plenty of growing pains. Wright and Indiana transfer Jenae Berry are talented sophomores who round out the staff. The growth of the underclassmen pitchers probably influences where Arizona’s season goes.

3. Will the Arizona State offense be more explosive? Many will ask if the Sun Devils have enough behind Kenzie Brown in the circle. However, everyone’s lives in the bullpen would get easier if the Arizona State lineup produced more. The Sun Devils ranked in the bottom half of the conference in scoring and home runs during Big 12 play, but this roster is the deepest since Megan Bartlett took over in Tempe. Will the injection of transfers Emily Schepp, Katie Chester, who hasn’t made her Sun Devil debut after an injury last season, Ryan Brown, Millie Roberts, Kaylee Pond, Yazzy Avila and Brooklyn Ulrich change that?

4. Can UCF compete at the top? UCF is and has been a very good team. The Knights, who were pretty young last season, had a whirlwind of highs and lows last season. The trio of sophomores: Isabella Vega, Izzy Mertes and Beth Damon all have star power potential to bolster a solid foundation of veterans. Cindy Ball-Malone churns out quality arms year in and year out. If the Knights remain consistent throughout the season, can they compete to position themselves to host a regional? I think the chances are higher than one might think at first glance.

5. Which team that missed the postseason last year makes the NCAA Tournament? BYU was one of the first four teams left out of the Field of 64. The Cougars should be healthier this season with Kaysen Korth and  Ilove’a Brittingham headline each side for BYU. Iowa State by the eye test looked the part of an NCAA Tournament team with a third-place finish in the conference, but couldn’t overcome a rough start to the season. The Cyclones have plenty of players returning, including Jessie Clemons. Baylor had plenty of injuries and a plan in the circle that fell through. Glen Moore’s team is young but there’s plenty of upside there. Kansas has a strong senior class, while Utah and Houston have freshman classes ready to be difference makers.

Softball America Preseason Player Rankings
Softball America 2026 Freshman Watch List
Softball America Preseason Top 25
SEC Preview
ACC Preview
Big Ten Preview
Mid-Major Preview