The Big 12 coaches are high on the Arizona Wildcats. The conference released its preseason poll on Friday with UA projected to finish third in a strong league. Outfielders Dakota Kennedy and Regan Shockey were selected to the preseason all-conference team.

The Wildcats were picked to finish behind Oklahoma State and Texas Tech in the new 11-team league. Arizona finished 37-18-1 last year and advanced to the Stillwater Super Regional where new conference mate OSU swept the Wildcats out of the postseason.

Arizona lost just one player to the transfer portal while bringing in Softball America’s 10th-ranked class. The group of five players gave the Wildcats the highest-ranked Big 12 class this season. Three of the five were rated as four-star prospects by SA. The Wildcats also added former Washington C/UT Sydney Stewart, former Oregon State infielder Kiki Escobar, and former Iowa State pitcher Saya Swain from the transfer portal.

Oklahoma State advanced to the Women’s College World Series last year then reloaded with another big haul in the transfer portal. Arizona is very familiar with one of the biggest names, former Washington pitcher Ruby Meylan.

Texas Tech looked to be in trouble when former head coach Craig Snider left for an assistant coaching position at Tennessee. It appeared to be a major blow after a promising year, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

The Red Raiders made a huge hire by taking former Louisiana-Lafayette leader Gerry Glasco. Glasco brought some talent with him, but a huge assist from a donor helped him pull off the biggest coup of the off-season.

NiJaree Canady was lured away from Stanford after taking the Cardinal deep into the WCWS the past two years. The pitcher’s price came to over $1 million, according to published reports. Her signing took the Red Raiders from a team with the potential to make incremental improvements to one that has designs on a conference title and a trip to the WCWS.

The coaches’ votes indicate a large chasm between the top four teams and the rest of the league. The point totals after Baylor take a steep drop. There is another big gap after the seventh-ranked squad, and the last two teams trail the rest of the league by a considerable margin.

1. Oklahoma State Cowgirls (99 points, 9 first-place votes)
2. Texas Tech Red Raiders (90 points, 2 first-place votes)
3. Arizona Wildcats (81 points)
4. Baylor Bears (75 points)
5. BYU Cougars (54 points)
6. Utah Utes (52 points)
7. UCF Knights (51 points)
8. Arizona State Sun Devils (36 points)
9. Kansas Jayhawks (34 points)
10. Iowa State Cyclones (23 points)
11. Houston Cougars (10 points)

The preseason All-Big 12 team is dominated by Cowgirls. Six Oklahoma State players were honored.

Arizona was one of four teams with two players named to the team. The Wildcats were the only squad in the league whose selections were all unanimous picks by the coaches. Shockey was one of just two underclassmen to make the team.

In addition to Shockey and Kennedy, Baylor senior infielder Shaylon Govan, BYU junior Lily Owens, and TTU junior RHP Canady were voted to the team by all 11 coaches. The other selections were graduate outfielder Kelsey Hall (ASU), senior catcher/infielder Turiya Coleman (Baylor), senior outfielder Angelina Allen (ISU), senior pitcher/utility Katie Brooks (KU), outfielder Presley Limbaugh (KU), junior pitcher RyLee Crandall (OSU), graduate outfielder Megan Delgadillo (OSU), junior utility Tallen Edwards (OSU), sophomore infielder Karli Godwin (OSU), junior RPH Meylan (OSU), junior outfielder Claire Timm (OSU), junior outfielder Mihyia Davis (TTU), and senior outfielder Kaylah Nelsen (Utah).