March 5, 2009
SOONER REWIND: SOONERS SWEEP TULSA, 5-3
The sixth-ranked University of Oklahoma softball team defeated the Tulsa Golden Hurricane for a second time this season with a 5-3 win on Wednesday evening. It marked the first series sweep for OU since the 2006 season. The Sooners got a 2-for-2 performance from junior Lindsey Vandever (Davenport, Okla). Vandever totaled two extra base hits - a two-run home run and an RBI double to left field. Vandever also drew one walk on the evening. Sophomore Wendy Trott (Fountain Valley, Calif.) recorded her second home run of the season in the fourth inning to put OU back on top and cap off a 2-for-3 night at the plate.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, March 6: Tennessee at Oklahoma | 6 p.m CST
Saturday, March 7: Northwestern vs. Tennessee | 11 a.m. CST
Saturday, March 7: Northwestern vs. Oklahoma | 1:30 p.m. CST
Saturday, March 7: Tennessee vs. Oklahoma | 4 p.m. CST
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS BEGINS SUNDAY AT 2 A.M. - SPRING FORWARD ONE HOUR
Sunday, March 8: Northwestern vs. Tennessee | 10 a.m. CDT
Sunday, March 8: Northwestern vs. Oklahoma | 1:30 p.m. CDT
FIRST MEETING BETWEEN TENNESSEE-OKLAHOMA
Friday night's contest is the first series meeting between the University of Tennessee and the University of Oklahoma. Against teams from the Volunteer State, OU is 4-0.
SOONERS/WILDCATS SERIES HISTORY
Series Record: Oklahoma leads 9-1
In Evanston: Never Met
In Norman: Oklahoma leads 1-0
At Neutral Sites: Oklahoma leads 8-1
Oklahoma's Series Streak: Won 6
First Meeting: March 21, 1978 (W 9-0 in Norman, Okla.)
Last Meeting: May 21, 2004 (W 8-0 in Tucson, Ariz.)
FIRST TIME SINCE 2000
When the Sooners face eighth-ranked Tennessee on Friday evening at the OU Softball Complex, it will be one of the toughest home contests in history. Oklahoma has faced its share of ranked opponents at home, but the Sooners haven’t faced a top 10 non-conference team in Norman since 2000. The last time OU faced a top 10 opponent was
against Big 12 rival Texas A&M in 2007. The Aggies were ranked second in the country and the Sooners split the weekend series. The last non-conference top 10 team was an eighth-ranked LSU team in 2000 (LSU won 3-0). A third-ranked Fresno State squad came to Norman for a two-game series in 1998. OU won both games, 4-2 and 8-7 (10 innings).
RICKETTS: 156 STRAIGHT AND COUNTING
Senior Samantha Ricketts (San Jose, Calif.) has started 156 consecutive games as a Sooner. The streak dates back to April 26, 2006 (vs. Oklahoma State). She has started all but 14 of those games at first base. She started the last 14 games of the 2006 season as the designated player.
KIRSTEN ALLEN'S START BEST SINCE JENNIFER STEWART
Freshman pitcher Kirsten Allen (Union, Ky.) is off to a 4-0 start. Allen is the first OU freshman pitcher to start 4-0 since Jennifer Stewart went 10-0 to begin the 1999 season. Stewart finished the season with a 22-6 record.
VANDEVER GOING YARD WITH RUNNERS ON BASE
Junior Lindsey Vandever (Davenport, Okla.) leads the team with five home runs on the year. More impressively, Vandever has brought in 16 RBI on those home runs - two grand slams (vs. Arizona State and vs. UAB) and two three-run shots (vs. Alabama and vs. Saint Louis) and a two-run blast (vs. Tulsa) . Vandever is hitting .533 (16-of-30) with runners in scoring position. Vandever advances at least one base runner 57.5 percent of the time when she is at the plate.
BACHMAN SEES FIRST ACTION OF SEASON
Freshman Samantha Bachman (Midwest City, Okla.) saw her first action of the season against Saint Louis. Bachman picked up the save, pitching 3.2 innings and allowing no runs and just one hit.
RICKETTS BECOMES CAREER RBI LEADER
With a solo home run against Cal Poly, senior Samantha Ricketts (San Jose, Calif.) became the Oklahoma all-time leader in runs batted in. She now has 203 in her career.
SALLIS LEADS OU AT CATHEDRAL CITY CLASSIC
Freshman Evan Sallis (Muskogee, Okla.) led the team during the Cathedral City Classic with a .429 batting average. She went 6-for-14 with two RBI and scored five runs.
WALK THE LINE
After setting the OU single season record for walks drawn last season (45), junior Amber Flores (Calexico, Calif.) is well on her way to breaking that record this season. In five games at the Cathedral City Classic, Flores drew eight walks and in 19 games this season, she is averaging one walk per game.
FRESHMAN GETS CALL AGAINST TOP-RANKED ALABAMA
Freshman Allee Allen (Buena Park, Calif.) got the nod for Oklahoma against top-ranked Alabama at the Cathedral City Classic. It was Allen's first start against a top 25 program. Despite dropping the game 4-3, Allen (6-1) went six and one-third innings. Alabama scored the winning run with one out in the bottom of the seventh.
GASSO NEARING MILESTONE WINS MARK
Already Oklahoma's all-time winningest softball coach, Patty Gasso is one win shy of her 700th career win at the school (699-227-2). Gasso now has 860 career victories (861-286-2).
MATHIS, RICKETTS TAKEN IN NPF DRAFT
Pitcher D.J. Mathis (East Alton, Ill.) and infielder Samantha Ricketts (San Jose, Calif.) were selected by the Akron Racers in the 2009 National Pro Fastpitch Senior Draft. Mathis went second overall, while Ricketts was the second pick in the third round, going 12th overall. Oklahoma was one of four schools with two players taken. Oklahoma has now had 13 players drafted to the NPF league since its inaugural draft prior to the 2004 season. The 2009 draftees join Sooner alums Savannah Long, Susan Ogden, Lauren Eckermann, Norrelle Dickson, Heather Scaglione, Kami Keiter, Christina Enea, Erin Evans, Christy Ring, Leah Gulla and Kristin Vesely who were all drafted by the league.
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OU Fast Fact
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Tennessee is the first top 10 non-conference opponent to play at the OU Softball Complex since the Sooners swept third-ranked Fresno State in a two-game series in 1998.
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FLORES EARNS BIG 12, NATIONAL AWARDS
For her MVP performance at the Hawai'i Paradise Classic, junior shortstop Amber Flores (Calexico, Calif) was named Big 12 Player of the Week, Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I Player of the Week and Co-Player of the Week by USA Softball on Tuesday, Feb. 10. It is the first time an OU softball athlete has earned both national honors in the same week. Flores hit .643 over a five-game span. Flores was 9-for-14 with nine runs scored and drove in 15 runs. Of her nine hits, two were doubles and three were home runs. Flores posted a slugging percentage of 1.429 and an on-base percentage of .737. She totaled 20 bases on the weekend, along with three walks and two hit-by-pitches. In OU's 18-0 win over UAB, Flores tied the OU school record with eight RBI in a single game. In the first inning, she drove in two runs on a double and later in the inning, cleared the bases with her three-run shot. She added a second three-run home run later in the contest.
OPENING STATEMENT
Freshman DP Katie Norris (Stillwater, Okla.) set the tone for her 2009 season at the Hawai'i Paradise Classic. Norris hit .462 with six hits and three runs scored. Norris drove in four runs and hit a double and a home run on the weekend.
DOBBS GETS FIRST CAREER HOME RUN
Dani Dobbs' (Moore, Okla.) three-run blast against UAB was the sophomore's first career home run. Dobbs was named to the Hawai'i Paradise Classic all-tournament team after hitting .571 and posting a 1.143 slugging percentage.
FLORES, RICKETTS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
A pair of University of Oklahoma softball athletes have been named Preseason All-Americans by ESPN. Junior Amber Flores (Calexico, Calif.) earned first team honors, while senior Samantha Ricketts (San Jose, Calif.) was named to the second team. Writer Graham Hays says of Flores, "Whether at second base, outfield or designated player, Flores makes herself a lineup cornerstone with one of the best bats in the game. Both patient enough in her own approach and feared enough by opponents to draw a program single-season record 45 walks last season, she still did enough with the pitches she saw to hit .381 with 15 home runs. Only a junior, it's scary to think how good Flores could be."
MATHIS, RICKETTS NAMED TO POY WATCH LIST
Oklahoma seniors D.J. Mathis (East Alton, Ill.) and Samantha Ricketts (San Jose, Calif.) have been named to the 2009 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List. Both are All-Americans and Ricketts was a top three finalist in 2007.
RICKETTS NAMED TEAM CAPTAIN
Senior Samantha Ricketts (San Jose, Calif.) was elected team captain for the 2009 season. The team selected the captain based on characteristics such as work ethic, positive attitude and consistency both on and off the field.
OKLAHOMA, ARIZONA RANKED IN EVERY NFCA POLL
The Sooners have been ranked in the NFCA poll since its inception, which spans 197 weeks. Oklahoma and Arizona are the only programs who have been ranked every week the poll has been released.
