The Big 12 Softball Tournament field is officially set, and the Arizona Wildcats find themselves in a familiar—and fiery—position: a first-round showdown with in-state rival Arizona State. After a tough weekend in Utah that saw the Wildcats slip from second to third in the conference standings, they’ll now face the Sun Devils in a matchup that promises plenty of intensity.
It was a weekend that couldn’t have gone much worse for Arizona. Traveling to Salt Lake City, the Wildcats needed to match Oklahoma State’s win total to hold onto second place. But the Utes, fighting for their tournament lives, proved to be a stubborn opponent, and Arizona’s path to a higher seed took a detour.
The tournament format has changed this season, adding even more drama to the opening day. In past years, the Big 12 included all its teams, with the bottom seeds playing play-in games. Now, with only eight teams in the field, every squad steps onto the diamond on Thursday, May 7. No byes, no easy paths—just straight-up, win-or-go-home softball.
Here’s a look at the first-round matchups (all times MST):
• Game 1: No. 5 Kansas Jayhawks (34-18, 14-10) vs. No. 4 UCF Knights (38-15-1, 14-9-1) at 9 a.m.
• Game 2: No. 8 Baylor Bears (28-25, 10-14) vs. No. 1 Texas Tech Red Raiders (50-5, 21-3) at 11:30 a.m.
• Game 3: No. 7 Utah Utes (35-19-1, 10-13-1) vs. No. 2 Oklahoma State Cowgirls (37-14, 16-8) at 3 p.m.
• Game 4: No. 6 Arizona State Sun Devils (38-16, 11-13) vs. No. 3 Arizona Wildcats (35-15, 16-8) at 5:30 p.m.
The winners of Games 1 and 2 will meet in the semifinals on Friday, while the winners of Games 3 and 4 square off on the other side. The two semifinal victors then clash for the championship on Saturday at 9 a.m., broadcast live on ESPN. All tournament games leading up to the final will be streamed on ESPN+.
For Arizona, this is a chance to turn a disappointing weekend into a statement run. But first, they’ll have to get past a Sun Devils team that knows exactly how to raise the stakes in a rivalry game. Whether you’re gearing up for game day or just love the thrill of tournament softball, this weekend is shaping up to be one for the books.