• Main
• Roster
• Coaches
• Schedule
• Statistics
• Archives

March 22, 2013

No. 1/1 OU (27-1) vs. No. 11/11 Louisville (25-4)
Friday	2 p.m. CT; 4:30 p.m. CT
Saturday	12 p.m. CT
Location	Norman, Okla. | Marita Hynes Field
Live Stats	Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Live Stream (All Games)	SoonerSports.TV
Game Info	OU Game Notes | Louisville Game Notes | Twitter | Tickets

The University of Oklahoma softball team, the nation's unanimous No. 1, returns home this weekend to face No. 11/11 Louisville in a three-game series at Marita Hynes Field.

Action starts on Saturday with a doubleheader at 2 p.m., while the series concludes on Sunday at 12 p.m. All three games will be streamed live on SoonerSports.TV.

Holding an 898-280-2 record at OU, Head Coach Patty Gasso is two wins away from 900 in her Sooners career.

SOONERS BECOME UNANIMOUS NO. 1 TEAM
One week after becoming the first consensus No. 1 team in school history, Oklahoma earned every first-place vote this week to sit atop college softball as the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation.

With a 27-1 record, the Sooners received all 31 first-place votes in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll for the second week in a row and all 20 votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25. Last week, OU had 18 of the 20 votes in the USA Softball Poll.

Oklahoma has now been ranked No. 1 by USA Softball for six straight weeks, while the NFCA has put the Sooners on top for two weeks in a row.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Louisvile (25-4) enters the weekend as the consensus No. 11 team in the country. The Cardinals, winners of 13 of their last 14, won 11 games in a row from March 1-15, but that streak was snapped with a 6-2 loss to Iowa on March 18.

During the winning streak, UL picked up wins over No. 11 LSU, No. 14 Michigan and No. 24 North Carolina. With a loss to No. 5 Texas, Louisville is 3-1 (.750) on the season against top-25 teams, tying with Texas and Virginia Tech for the second-best winning percentage in the nation in such games behind only Oklahoma's 9-1 mark (.900).

Louisville's team batting average ranks 10th in the nation at .344, while the team sits 18th in scoring with 6.65 runs per game. The pitching staff's ERA is 23rd at 1.71.

The Cardinals have six players in their lineup with batting averages above .300, led by Katie Keller (.484) and Alicja Wolny (.425). Keller also leads the team in runs (37), home runs (7), RBI (27), slugging (.860) and on-base percentage (.579).

CHAMBERLAIN, RICKETTS SWEEP BIG 12 AWARDS
Just like they did to open the 2013 season, sophomore Lauren Chamberlain and senior Keilani Ricketts have once again swept the Big 12 Player and Pitcher of the Week awards.

For Chamberlain, it's the fifth time she has been named Big 12 Player of the Week in her career, including the second time this season. Ricketts has been named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week 14 times as a Sooner, with three coming in 2013.

Between Ricketts and fellow senior Michelle Gascoigne, the Sooners have won four of the six weekly pitching honors handed out by the Big 12, while Chamberlain and sophomore Shelby Pendley have combined to win three of the six on the hitters' side. Of the 12 awards given out by the Big 12 this season, seven have gone to an Oklahoma player.

Chamberlain hit .556 with six runs scored, three home runs and six runs batted in. She recorded 14 total bases for a 1.556 slugging percentage, while nine walks helped boost her on-base percentage to .778. Chamberlain was also 1-1 in stolen bases and did not strike out.

In the circle, Ricketts did not allow a single run as she threw 17.0 shutout innings in three complete-game starts. She struck out 27, walked three and allowed only six hits to post an opponents' batting average of .103. Ricketts has now thrown four straight shutouts and her personal scoreless streak stands at 23 innings.

SHUTOUT STREAK AT SEVEN
Oklahoma has tied a school record by throwing seven consecutive shutouts. The current run matches a mark initially set March 8-15, 1997 and equaled Feb. 23-March 2, 2008.

The Sooners' current scoreless inning streak sits at 40, with their last run allowed coming in the fourth inning against Drake on March 8.

Earlier in the season the Sooners enjoyed a 35-inning scoreless streak from the third inning against Northwestern on Feb. 10 to the sixth inning against Notre Dame on Feb. 17.

TAKING ON THE TOP 25
OU is 9-1 against top 25 teams at the time of the matchup with wins over Stanford (No. 20), Oregon (No. 6), Kentucky (No. 22), Washington (No. 16), Georgia (No. 16), Arizona (No. 19 and No. 14) and Florida State (No. 23). The Sooners are 1-1 against Nebraska when the Huskers (No. 25) are ranked.

Through March 20, the Sooners lead the nation in wins against top-25 teams (9) and winning percentage against top-25 teams (.900; min. 2 games), while they are tied in games played against ranked teams (10 with seven other teams).

The statistical breakdown between Oklahoma and its ranked opponents illustrates how dominant OU has been. OU won its first eight games of the year against top-25 teams, tying for the school's longest winning streak in such games. The record was initially set March 14-May 12, 2000.

It took 49 innings, but a ranked team finally scored against Oklahoma when No. 25 Nebraska plated three runs in the top of the fifth inning on March 2. At the time, OU was outscoring ranked teams 50-0. The run differential now sits at 61-4.

LEADING THE NATION
Oklahoma leads Division I in two categories, team ERA (0.67) and team winning percentage (.964). In addition, Lauren Chamberlain is ranked No. 1 in five categories, while Michelle Gascoigne has the top ERA.

5-0 AT JUDI GARMAN CLASSIC
OU was a perfect 5-0 at the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif., March 15-17, capping a 20-0 mark in road tourneys. The Sooners shut out their opponent in all five games, winning by a combined score of 33-0.

Oklahoma scored 7 runs over the first two innings en route to a 9-0, five-inning win against Pacific ... Michelle Gascoigne struck out 15 batters in a 3-0 victory over North Carolina State ... Lauren Chamberlain hit 2 home runs as OU beat No. 14/19 Arizona, 4-0 ... a 6-run first inning lifted the Sooners to a 8-0, five-inning win over Penn State ... Keilani Ricketts struck out 10 and allowed just 2 hits in the finale, a 9-0, five-inning defeat of host-Cal State Fullerton

PENDLEY'S HOT STRETCH
From Feb. 23 to March 15 (10 games), Shelby Pendley hit .727 (16-22) with a .818 on-base percentage and a 1.636 slugging percentage. She had 14 runs, 5 home runs, 5 doubles, 17 RBI, 11 walks and 0 strikeouts over that span and saw her season batting average climb from .262 to .422.

Feb. 23 vs. Florida State: 3-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B, 1 SB
March 1 vs. Houston: 1-1, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 BB
March 2 vs. Nebraska: 2-3, 1 R, 1 BB
March 2 vs. Nebraska: 1-1, 2 BB
March 3 vs. Houston: 1-2, 1 2B, 1 BB
March 8 vs. N. Colorado: 3-3, 2 R, 7 RBI, 1 2B, 2 HR, 1 BB
March 8 vs. Drake: 2-3, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B, 1 BB
March 9 vs. N. Colorado: 0-0, 3 R, 1 RBI, 3 BB
March 9 vs. Drake: 2-3, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR
March 15 vs. Pacific: 1-3, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 HR

SOONERS RUN-RULE NORTHERN COLORADO, DRAKE
Hosting Northern Colorado and Drake for four game, the Sooners made quick work of both teams as they won each game by run-rule. After beating UNC, 14-0, in five innings on Friday, OU then beat Drake, 10-2, in six innings. It was more of the same on Saturday as Oklahoma beat the Bears, 10-0, in five innings and the Bulldogs, 13-0, in five innings.

The wins marked the first time since March 11-12, 2006, that the Sooners scored 10 or more runs in four straight games, and not since March 6-12, 2011, had they won four in a row via run-rule. OU has never scored 10+ runs in five straight games.

The Sooners posted a slash line (AVG/OBP/SLG) of .435/.570/.967, while their opponents countered with a line of .137/.160/.233. OU hit 13 home runs on the weekend, compared to just 10 hits combined for UNC and DU.

An Oklahoma player enjoyed a multi-home run game in each of the four contests as Shelby Pendley did it on Friday against UNC, Lauren Chamberlain did it Friday night against Drake, Keilani Ricketts homered twice on Saturday against the Bears and Pendley did it again vs. DU.

SEASON-OPENING STREAK STOPPED
Before a 1-0 loss to No. 25 Nebraska on March 2, the Sooners enjoyed the second-longest unbeaten streak to start a season in school history at 17-0. Only a 23-0 run to open 2007 ranks better in school annals.

In its history, OU has started the season with a 10-0 mark or better six times, all of which have come under Patty Gasso.

Under Gasso, OU has 22 winning streaks of at least 10 games including three of at least 23 and seven of at least 15 wins.

DOMINANT DUO
Oklahoma's 1-2 punch of Keilani Ricketts and Michelle Gascoigne has been dominant in 2013. While Ricketts is 14-0 and Gascoigne is 11-1, each has an ERA under 0.72 and is holding an opponents' batting average under .138. Ricketts has thrown 11 shutouts, Gascoigne has thrown six and the pair combined on another.

Gascoigne is averaging 13.0 strikeouts per seven innings and a 11.1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, while Ricketts' marks in those categories stand at 10.6 and 7.0, respectively.

Ricketts has tallied eight 10+ strikeout games this year, and now has 71 for her career. Likewise, Gascoigne has 7 this season and 21 in her career.

NEARLY NO-NOS
In 11 games this season, Oklahoma pitchers Keilani Ricketts, Michelle Gascoigne, Taylor Dewbery and Georgia Casey have helped carry a no-hitter into at least the fourth inning. Ricketts was able to finish the job twice, recording back-to-back no-hitters to start the season.

5-0 AT MARY NUTTER CLASSIC
Oklahoma posted a 5-0 record at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, including three wins over top-25 teams. OU scored a pair of 5-0 wins to take down No. 16 Georgia and No. 19 Arizona.

After a 5-2 win over UC Santa Barbara, the Sooners scratched out a 2-0 win against Nebraska before defeating No. 23 Florida State, 6-0.

In allowing just two earned runs in 35.0 innings, the Sooners sported a 0.40 earned run average.

SHULTS MAKES HISTORY
Locked in a pitchers' duel, senior Jessica Shults used a historic blast to propel Oklahoma to a 5-0 win over No. 19 Arizona on Feb. 21 at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.

The solo blast in the fifth inning of a 1-0 game was her third of the year and the 57th of her career, setting a Big 12 and school record for career home runs. It broke a tie with Texas' Megan Gibson and former Sooner Amber Flores who both hit 56 homers in their respective careers.

CONNECT FOUR
Oklahoma opened the Campbell/Cartier Classic with four straight shutouts, defeating UC Riverside, 7-0, San Diego State, 4-0, Kentucky, 11-0, in five innings and Washington, 2-0.

It was the first time since March 9-13, 2011 that the Sooners threw four straight shutouts. Going back to the final 4 innings of the Northwestern contest on Feb. 10, the Sooners' run reached 35 innings without
allowing a run before Notre Dame scored in the sixth inning on Feb. 17.

On the weekend, the Sooners gave up just three earned runs in 35.0 innings of work, good for a 0.60 earned run average.

RICKETTS THROWS BACK-TO-BACK NO-HITTERS
Keilani Ricketts started the 2013 season with no-hitters against No. 21 Stanford and No. 5 Oregon.

In a 6-0 win over the Cardinal, she struck out 14 batters and yielded just five baserunners. In fact, no balls put in play reached the outfield. Ricketts then threw her second no-hitter in as many games as she shut down the Ducks, 12-0, in five innings. In earning career win No. 100, she allowed just two baserunners and struck out 10 batters.

Ricketts now has three career no-hitters, becoming the fifth pitcher in OU history to reach that figure. Ricketts also joins Lauren Eckermann as the only Sooners to throw no-hitters on consecutive days. Eckermann accomplished the feat on March 3-4, 2007 against Temple and Wichita State, respectively.

CHAMBERLAIN DOMINATES ON OPENING WEEKEND
Putting sophomore slugger Lauren Chamberlain into the leadoff position paid immediate dividends for the Sooner offense.

At the Kajikawa Classic, Chamberlain was 7-11 (.636) with 12 runs, 4 home runs, 12 RBI, 6 walks and 3 hit by pitch. She had a .800 on-base percentage and 1.727 slugging percentage.

Chamberlain reached base in her first 10 plate appearances, going 5-5 with four walks and a hit by pitch before striking out in her third plate appearance against Oregon. Of her five hits, four were home runs.

1. Stanford: HBP, HR, IBB, 1B
2. Oregon State: HR, BB, BB, HR
3. Oregon: BB, HR, KS, 2B
4. New Mexico: HBP, 1B, F7, BB
5. Northwestern: BB, HBP, 1B, F8, ROE

Between hits, walks, hit by pitches and a reach on error, Chamberlain reached safely in 18 of her first 21 plate appearances to start the season.

SOONERS OPEN WITH SWEEP AT KAJIKAWA
Oklahoma opened the 2013 season with a perfect 5-0 mark at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. It's the second year in a row, and 10th time overall, that the Sooners have started 5-0 under Patty Gasso.

The Sooners defeated No. 21 Stanford, 6-0, behind a no-hitter from Keilani Ricketts and back-to-back-to-back home runs in the first inning from Jessica Shults, Ricketts and Shelby Pendley.

Lauren Chamberlain provided the punch in a 14-2, five inning win over Oregon State. She hit two home runs, including a grand slam, and drove in six runs. OU scored 11 runs in the fourth inning.

Ricketts came back and fired another no-hitter to propel OU past No. 5 Oregon, 12-0, in five innings. The Sooners then run-ruled New Mexico, 11-1, in five innings before besting Northwestern, 7-4, behind two home runs from Georgia Casey.

SAME OLD SHULTS
Shults' three-run blast against against Stanford set the tone for the Oklahoma offense as she was followed by a solo shot by senior Keilani Ricketts and another solo bomb by Shelby Pendley for back-to-back-to-back home runs in the season's first inning.

Jessica Shults' first at-bat of the 2013 season resulted in a three-run home run against Stanford. That's nothing new for the senior, though. She has led off three of her four seasons as a Sooner with a home run:
2/13/2010 Florida Atlantic Grand Slam
2/10/2011 Cal State Bakersfield Strikeout Looking
2/10/2012 Cal State Bakersfield 3-Run Home Run
2/08/2013 Oregon 3-Run Home Run

HOME RUN BARRAGE
Shults' three-run blast against against Stanford set the tone for the Oklahoma offense as she was followed by a solo shot by senior Keilani Ricketts and another solo bomb by Shelby Pendley for back-to-back-to-back home runs in the season's first inning.

On the weekend, the Sooners hit at least two home runs in every contest and finished with 13 in five games, an average of 2.6 per game. As a contrast, OU's five openings opponents had 14 total hits.

SUCCESS WITH THE BASES LOADED
In their opening weekend, the Sooners loaded the bases 21 times and scored 18 runs in those situation. The feat is even more remarkable as the Sooners only accumulated four hits to score the runs.

Oklahoma scored 10 times without putting the ball in play as it drew nine bases-loaded walks and one hit by pitch. For good measure, OU also had a grand slam, a pair of singles and a sac fly.

BIG 12 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Oklahoma has racked up 7 of the 12 Big 12 honors this season including three Pitcher of the Week honors for Keilani Ricketts and two Player of the Week accolades for Lauren Chamberlain.

Oklahoma (7) leads the way in conference honors, while Texas (3) and Baylor (2) are the only other Big 12 schools to be recognized this year.

Ricketts and Chamberlain each took home honors in the season's opening week on Feb. 12, before Michelle Gascoigne was named Pitcher of the Week for the first time in her career on Feb. 19. Ricketts took back pitching honors the following week on Feb. 26. Shelby Pendley picked up the first honors of her career on March 12, while Chamberlain earned her second of the season on March 19.

Keilani Ricketts - Big 12 Pitcher of the Week (Feb. 12)
Two no-hitters, 2-0 record with 28 strikeouts over 14.0 innings and .096 opponents batting average.
2/8 vs. Stanford: Opens season with no-hitter, 14 K's
2/9 vs. Oregon: Second no-hitter in as many starts, 10 K's
2/10 vs. Northwestern: 2.0 IP, 4 K's

Lauren Chamberlain - Big 12 Player of the Week (Feb. 12)
Hit .636 (7-11) with four home runs, 12 runs scored, 12 RBI, 6 walks, 3 HBP, .800 on-base percentage and 1.727 slugging percentage.
2/8 vs. Stanford: 2-2, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HBP
2/8 vs. Oregon State: 2-2, 4 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB
2/9 vs. Oregon: 1-2, 2 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB
2/9 vs. New Mexico: 1-2, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB, 1 HBP
2/10 vs. Northwestern: 1-3, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HBP

Michelle Gascoigne - Big 12 Pitcher of the Week (Feb. 19)
Four games, 3-0 record, 1 ER in 18.2 innings for 0.38 ERA. 36 K's and 2 BB with two solo shutouts and one combined.
2/15 vs. UC Riverside: Career-high 16 K's in shutout win
2/16 vs. Kentucky: 1 IP in relief, 1 K
2/16 vs. Washington: 10 K's in shutout win, 3 H, 0 BB
2/17 vs. Notre Dame: Win in 3.2 IP of relief, 9 K's

Keilani Ricketts - Big 12 Pitcher of the Week (Feb. 26)
3-0 record, 0 R in 23.1IP, including 21.0 innings against teams ranked or receiving votes. 34 K's, 5 hits and 3 BB.
2/21 vs. Georgia: 10 K's and 1 hit allowed in win
2/22 vs. UC Santa Barbara: Save, 2.1 IP of relief, 0 H, 4 K's
2/22 vs. Nebraska: Shutout win, 9 K's, 3 H, 1 BB
2/22 vs. Florida State: 11 K's and 1 hit allowed in shutout win

Shelby Pendley - Big 12 Player of the Week (March 12)
Hit .778 (7-9) with .857 OBP and 2.333 slugging. 4 HR, 2 2B, 10 R, 13 RBI, 5 BB and 0 K.
3/8 vs. Northern Colorado: Pair of 3-run HR; 3-3, BB, 2 R, 2B, 7 RBI
3/8 vs. Drake: 2-3 with RBI double, 2 R, BB
3/9 vs. Northern Colorado: 0-0, 3 BB, RBI, 3 R
3/9 vs. Drake: 2 HR; 2-3, 3 R, 4 RBI

Keilani Ricketts - Big 12 Pitcher of the Week (March 19)
17.0 shutout innings in three complete-game starts. 27 K's, 3 BB and only 6 hits allowed; opponents' batting average of .103.
3/15 vs. Pacific: 10 K's in shutout win, 1 H, 2 BB
3/16 vs. Arizona: Shutout win, 7 K, 3 H, 1 BB
3/17 at Cal State Fullerton: 10 K's in shutout win, 2 H, 0 BB

Lauren Chamberlain - Big 12 Player of the Week (March 19)
Hit .556 with 6 R, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 9 BB, 1 SB and 0 K, 1.556 slugging percentage and on-base percentage of .778.
3/15 vs. Pacific: 1-2, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 SB
3/15 vs. North Carolina State: 0-1, 2 BB
3/16 vs. Arizona: 2-2, pair of solo home runs, 2 RBI, 2 BB
3/17 vs. Penn State: 1-2, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB
3/17 at Cal State Fullerton: 1-2, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR, 2 BB

SOONERS ADD TRANSFER PENDLEY
Shelby Pendley, an infielder who spent her freshman season at the University of Arizona, has transferred to the Oklahoma softball program.

An All-Pac-12 First Team honoree, Pendley started all 57 games at shortstop and led the Wildcats in slugging percentage (.703) and home runs (19). She also finished second on the squad with a .331 batting average, 55 runs batted in, 121 total bases and 39 runs scored.

Her home run total put her 13th nationally and two off the Arizona freshman record. She joins an Oklahoma lineup that ranked second in the country with 1.59 home runs per game and set school and conference records with 102 homers on the year. She also ranked 30th in the nation with 55 RBI, hit seven doubles and reached base at a .413 clip.

POWER SURGE
With the addition of Shelby Pendley, the potent Sooners' lineup becomes even more powerful.

As was noted by ESPN's Graham Hays, the combination of Lauren Chamberlain (30 home runs in 2012), Jessica Shults (20), Keilani Ricketts (17), Georgia Casey (10) and Pendley (19 at Arizona) combined to hit 96 home runs a year ago.

That figure for those five alone was higher than 281 of the other 282 teams in Division I College Softball a year ago.

GASSO INDUCTED INTO NFCA HALL OF FAME
Oklahoma softball coach Patty Gasso added another honor to an already impressive career in November when she was one of three members inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame at the 2012 NFCA Convention in Orlando, Fla.

Gasso joined North Carolina's Donna Papa and former Palomar head coach Mark Eldridge as members of the 2012 class.