Oklahoma softball took care of business against Texas Tech on Sunday, jumping out to a 21-0 lead to claim a run-rule victory and complete the season series sweep.
The 36-0 Sooners have now set the NCAA record for wins to start the season. The win was also their 38th straight dating back to last season, positioning them just three wins shy of their longest-ever win streak, which was 41 games in 2019.
Arizona owns the longest win streak in NCAA softball history, with 47 in a row from 1996-97.
Of the 36 games the No. 1-ranked Sooners have played this season, they have won 30 by the run rule.
While neither the NCAA nor the school officially tracks such wins, according to SoonerStats, the most run rules Oklahoma has had in a season is 35 through 60 games, a percentage of 58.3, in 2021. That means that Oklahoma is currently shattering that record, with 83.3 percent of its victories coming by way of the run rule this season.
Oklahoma’s power hitters led the way Sunday, with a total of seven home runs, including two by Jocelyn Alo and a grand slam by Tiare Jennings. The Sooners scored 13 runs through the first two innings alone.
Alo now has 21 home runs this season, which leads the NCAA. The slugger previously broke the all-time NCAA home run record in softball and baseball, hitting the 102nd of her career on March 22. With 100 home runs so far this season, the Sooners are on pace to break the single-season home run record they set a year ago.
“The word we came into this weekend with was ‘smothering,’” senior infielder Grace Lyons said postgame. “We wanted our offense to be complete. We knew the wind would be a factor so we had to have a full offense this weekend and it totally showed.
“Everyone was on fire, top to bottom.”
Oklahoma next takes the field against No. 19 Texas on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.