ATHENS, Ga. — Based on how Texas A&M softball is playing, Aggie coach Trisha Ford couldn’t even let the cancellation of the SEC Tournament championship game due to rain dampen her enthusiasm for the NCAA postseason.
Entering the scheduled championship game against Oklahoma, the Aggies had broken all sorts of SEC records while rolling to a pair of run-rule wins, including a 14-2 shellacking of rival Texas in a tournament semifinal Friday. Through its two games in Athens, Ga., Texas A&M had set SEC Tournament records in runs (26) and RBIs (25), while the 12-run win over Texas is the largest margin of victory in the history of the SEC Tournament. The Aggies’ 14 runs against Texas were the most scored by a team in tournament history, improving their own record by two after a 12-4 win over South Carolina in the quarterfinals.
“I felt like last night’s game was a great game for us, and we can build on that for the NCAAs,” Ford said moments after officials for Texas A&M, Oklahoma and the SEC agreed to cancel the game.
Ford understood the decision, especially since the wet conditions created some extra risk for players on both teams.
“The field conditions and us being able to get home safely, it’s just one of those unfortunate things,” Ford said.
The Aggies and Oklahoma were declared co-champions by SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, who attended the event. It’s a first for both squads; Texas A&M hadn’t qualified for a conference title game since joining the SEC in 2012, and the Sooners are in their first SEC season after winning the past three Big 12 tournament titles.
The damp weather cancelled an anticipated matchup between two teams who have spent most of the season ranked in the top five in various polls. Second-seeded Texas A&M (45-9) ranks No. 1 in both the ESPN/USA Softball and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll while top-seeded Oklahoma (45-7) ranks second in both polls. The teams haven’t met as conference rivals since 2012, when Oklahoma won two of three games in a regular-season series in the Big 12. Since then, the Sooners have won all 10 meetings, with eight of those games coming in the NCAA Tournament.
Texas A&M also tops the latest NCAA’s RPI rankings and is all but assured of garnering a top-eight seed when the NCAA Tournament’s selection committee releases its tournament field Sunday.
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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas A&M softball: Coach Trisha Ford ready for NCAA Tournament after no SEC title game
Reporting by Thomas Jones, Austin American-Statesman / Austin American-Statesman
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
