Oklahoma State brought a perfect 9-0 Big 12 record and No. 7 and 8 national rankings in the two major polls to Lubbock today to face a struggling Texas Tech squad in a doubleheader. Somehow, though, the Cowgirls managed to leave their bats back in Stillwater, falling to the Red Raiders 6-0 and 4-1. The sweep lifts Texas Tech to a 5-8 conference mark and 33-12 overall record; it also gives the Raiders a pair of "quality wins" that could help in their bid to make the NCAA tournament for the first time in nine years. I stopped by for the early innings of Game 1 and had my departure hastened by a brief, but intensifying, rain fall. Before I left, I took the following pictures. In the first photo, OSU's Megan Castle, last week's offensive Player of the Week in the conference, steps in to hit against the Raiders' Ashly Jacobs. As shown in the next shot, Oklahoma State threatened early a couple times in Game 1, here getting a runner to third, but the Cowgirls ...

The Big 12 conference has had a number of great teams in recent years, the following of which have made the NCAA Women's College World Series: Missouri (2009), Texas A&M (2008, 2007), Baylor (2007), Texas (2006, 2005, 2003), and Oklahoma (2003). However, the team at the top of the 2010 conference standings, thus far, is none of the above. In first place, with a 7-0 record, is Oklahoma State ( schedule ). The Cowgirls have swept two-game series from Baylor, Mizzou, and Iowa State, and taken one from Oklahoma (OSU and OU are splitting their games this year between Stillwater, played on April 7, and Norman, April 28). Further, Oklahoma State has entered the Top 10 in the national polls after a 12-year absence. Rounding out the recent good news for the Cowgirls, senior right-fielder Megan Castle was just named Big 12 offensive Player of the Week .

No. 1 Washington swept No. 2/3 Arizona over the weekend.

The Washington Huskies will put their consensus No. 1 ranking in the two major polls on the line this weekend (single games Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) when Arizona comes up to Seattle. The Wildcats are ready to take over at the top if things work out well for them, as U of A is No. 2 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll and No. 3 (behind Michigan) in the NFCA/USA Today balloting. Additional information is available from news releases issued by UW and UA . The Washington release showcases Arizona's strengths: As always, [the Wildcats] boast one of the country's most powerful offenses, scoring a nation-best 8.36 runs per game. UA is led by USA Softball Player of the Year candidate Brittany Lastrapes, who is one of the best hitters in the country, batting .443 with 12 home runs, 43 RBI and 41 runs scored. Freshman Brigette Del Ponte has added some serious pop, blasting a team-high 15 home runs and driving in 55 runs to lead the Pac-10. The Wildcats, who were thin on pitching la...

The Pac 10's two marquee series this weekend went to Washington, who took two of three from UCLA, and Arizona, who did likewise against ASU. LSU, which had compiled a 24-game winning streak heading into this weekend (albeit largely against unranked opposition), got a rude awakening, being swept by Florida.