OKLAHOMA CITY -- Texas A&M has never won the Big 12 softball tournament, yet the most important thing for the Aggies this weekend is making sure they haven't lost what they already had.

Fifth-ranked A&M has put itself in great position for the NCAA Tournament. A&M won the Big 12 regular-season title with a 17-1 record -- a school record for league victories. The Aggies rebounded from a 6-5 loss at Oklahoma State with a seven-game winning streak, outscoring the opposition 51-7.

But A&M hasn't played since April 30, and regaining their on-field momentum is paramount on the Aggies' to-do list this weekend at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, perhaps even more so than winning the tournament championship.

"The last thing a coach wants is her team that's hot taking a nine-day break," A&M head coach Jo Evans said. "So to me, that's a concern."

Two years ago, the Aggies had an 11-day layoff before the league tournament, and things didn't go well. Fourth-seeded A&M lost its first game to fifth-seeded Oklahoma 13-6 in the last time the conference used a double-elimination format. The Aggies rebounded to beat Texas but were eliminated by Missouri.

That team had been inconsistent throughout league play and lost its last two regular-season games.

This year's team has lost two straight games just once all season.

"It's all about momentum," Evans said. "We've had to take nine days off from playing games. We had no choice in that."

The rest of the Big 12 is hoping the layoff slows down A&M. The Aggies (46-7) also have an RPI of No. 5 according to the NCAA. The RPI is used in helping determine seedings for the NCAA Tournament.

A key to reaching the Women's College World Series is earning a top eight seed. A&M was seeded fourth last year when the Aggies reached the WCWS for the first time in 19 years.

A&M again is virtually assured of a top eight seed, even if the Aggies don't win a game at the Big 12 tournament. A&M had a solid showing in nonconference games, including a 7-2 record against Top 25 teams. Both losses were by one run.

A&M has been solid in pitching, hitting and defense despite the loss of two-time All-American Amanda Scarborough, who was the Big 12's player of the year as a freshman in 2005 and the league's pitcher of the year last year.

Senior right-hander Megan Gibson (30-1, 1.08 earned run average) is a finalist for national player of the year, and freshman Rhiannon Kliesing (12-4, 1.31 ERA) has developed into a solid starter.

The Aggies are hitting .307 with seven starters at .293 or higher. Third baseman Jamie Hinshaw (.374, 5 HRs, 29 RBIs) has teamed up with Gibson (.358, 13 HRs, 45 RBIs) to fill a void left by Scarborough, who was a lifetime .355 hitter. A&M has six other starters with at least 20 RBIs.

A&M is also fielding .984 with only 24 errors.

Evans is hopeful the Big 12 tournament will be an extension of the regular season.

The other teams have different agendas.

Oklahoma (43-11, 16-2) might need to win the tournament to earn a top eight seed. The Sooners have the nation's 10th-best RPI. Several other teams need the tournament's championship for the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament to continue their season.

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NOTES -- A&M split games last year when the tournament switched to a single-elimination format for the first time. A&M beat Nebraska 3-1, but the fourth-seeded Aggies were upset by eighth-seeded Texas Tech 4-3. ... A&M made the title game in 2000 but lost to Nebraska. ... A quartet of former Brazos Valley standouts will be on opposing teams this weekend. Baylor sophomore catcher Courtney Oberg is hitting .264 with 22 RBIs. OU senior pitcher Lauren Eckermann is 13-4. UT junior catcher Kacie Gaskin is hitting .297 with 5 HRs and 15 RBIs and UT junior third baseman Crystal Saenz is hitting .192 with 3 HRs and 15 RBIs. Gaskin and Oberg are from A&M Consolidated. Saenz is from Bryan, and Eckermann is from Brenham. A&M sophomore reserve outfielder Bailey Schroeder, who is from Consol, is hitting .375.

• Robert Cessna's e-mail address is robert.cessna@theeagle.com.

TEXAS A&M SOFTBALL

TEXAS A&M VS. IOWA STATE

WHEN/WHERE: 1:30 p.m. Saturday at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City

RECORDS: A&M (46-7), Iowa State (29-28)

RADIO: KZNE, 1150 AM

NEXT: If the Aggies win, they will face the Oklahoma State-Texas winner at 7 p.m. Saturday. If they win both games, the Aggies will play in the championship game Sunday at noon