Softball Travels To Texas Tech For Pair Of Big 12 Games

April 11, 2001

#7 Oklahoma (32-7, 7-2 Big 12) at Texas Tech (27-15, 5-3 Big 12)

at Texas Tech
DATES: Friday-Saturday, April 13-14

FIELD: Rose Montford Complex (Lubbock, Texas)

FIRST PITCH:
Friday - 2 p.m.
Saturday - Noon

WEATHER:
Friday: hi - 83, lo - 54, mostly sunny
Saturday: hi - 89, lo - 51, partly cloudy

OU FACES TEXAS TECH FOR PAIR OF BIG 12 GAMES
In a series that features the Big 12's top hitting team versus the league's best pitching staff, seventh-ranked Oklahoma (32-7, 7-2 Big 12) will travel to Lubbock, Texas, for a two-game series with Texas Tech (27-15, 5-3) this weekend. The two teams will play single games on Friday (2 p.m.) and Saturday (noon) at the Rose Montford Complex. Note that Friday's game time has been moved up due to a lack of lights at the complex that is still under construction, but nearing completion.

The Sooners, winners in their last five outings, will be battling a Red Raider team that is third in the league standings and has received votes in the latest USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll.

OU's batting average (.329) currently stands atop the Big 12, while Tech's 1.38 earned run average is the lowest. However, while the Sooners up their average to .335 in conference games, the Red Raiders have given up 22 runs (18 earned) against Big 12 foes for a 2.14 ERA that drops to seventh in the league.

While in Lubbock, the Sooners are sure to face senior Amanda Renfro, the reigning and two-time Big 12 Pitcher of the Week. Renfro is only the fifth pitcher in NCAA history to log more than 1,000 innings and 1,000 strikeouts and is averaging seven strikeouts a game compared to 2.12 walks.

SCOUTING TEXAS TECH
The Red Raiders are sporting a 27-15 record, including 5-3 in the Big 12 race where they are third in the standings... Tech is hitting .238 and has been successful on 61 of 76 stolen base attempts... Senior outfielder Sandy Butler leads the team with a .350 batting average... Senior catcher Shauna Briggs has a team-high five home runs and 30 RBIs... The pitching staff has a 1.38 ERA and holds opponents to a .204 batting average... Senior Amanda Renfro is the most-frequent thrower, compiling a 24-12 record in 40 appearances. She has tossed 241.1 of TTU's 294.1 innings and has 10 shutouts and 326 strikeouts... Only Maggie Ayres has pitched any games where she is 3-3 with a 3.57 ERA in 15 appearances... Tech faces Baylor for a doubleheader on Wednesday.

THE TEXAS TECH SERIES
The two teams have met only 16 times since the series began in 1977... OU holds a 13-3 advantage after winning the first nine meetings... Since the Big 12 started in 1996, the Sooners are 9-3, including 7-1 at home, 2-0 in Lubbock and 0-2 on neutral grounds... TTU won 1-0 at the 1998 Hillenbrand Invitational for its first series victory... The Red Raiders swept both meetings in 1999, but the Sooners won a pair in 2000.

LAST YEAR vs. TEXAS TECH
Oklahoma hosted Texas Tech at the OU Softball Complex where it allowed the Red Raiders only one run in the two games. Starting pitcher Jennifer Stewart shut out TTU in the 5-0 first-game win and scattered just three hits in the seven innings.

The Sooners posted a 7-1 win in game two behind the arm of Lana Moran, who gave up one unearned run on just four hits.

Catcher Ashli Barrett went 4-for-6 on the weekend with a pair of RBIs. First baseman Lisa Carey added a 3-for-6 outing that included two runs and three RBIs, while Erin Evans collected three hits, a run and RBI in the games.

For Tech, pitcher Amanda Renfro started in the first game where she got the loss after giving up five runs on eight hits. She also walked and struck out three. Renfro entered the second game as a reliever and scattered five hits and four runs. Right fielder Amanda Douglas was the only player to collect multiple hits on the weekend, going 2-for-6 in the two losses.

STEWART BREAKS OU RECORD
Junior Jennifer Stewart did in just 2 1/2 years what many pitchers didn't do in four years which was reach 77 career wins. In game one of the Texas series, the Yukon, Okla., native helped OU to a 4-1 win and broke the record previously held by Jill Most (1994-97). Stewart recorded 22 wins as a freshman, 34 as a sophomore and already has 21 this year.

BREAKING OUT
Sophomore Erin Evans has already proven to be a steady outfielder where she earned All-America status as a freshman and has been the starter in all 39 games this year. But now her bats are starting to warm up to make her an all-around threat.

Currently in the midst of a five-game hitting streak where she is hitting .529, Evans has scored twice and driven in another run. Although her stats aren't gaudy, she as been consistent. In fact, her nine hits during that span are second on the team only to Kelli Braitsch's 10.

HOME SWEET HOME
The Sooners are 11-0 at the OU Softball Complex this year. In its four years of existence, the home field has been very good for the Sooners where they have posted an .863 winning percentage.

With a goal to go undefeated at home this year, OU is well on its way. The Sooners have outscored their opponents 65-14 in Norman and are hitting .348 to the visitor's .169. Pitchers Jennifer Stewart and Adrianne Ratliff have a combined 0.66 ERA compared to opponents' 5.44 ERA.

In conference games, OU is fairing better at home where it is hitting .349 compared to .322 on the road. Opponents are only hitting at the .209 clip in Norman compared to .280 in their own park.

DATES TO REMEMBER...
vs. Baylor - Saturday, Apr. 21: game time moved up to noon at the OU Softball Complex.

at Tulsa - Wednesday, Apr. 25: 5 p.m. at the Donna J. Hardesty Sports Complex on the Tulsa University campus.

SOONERS PULL OUT BROOMS FOR RED RIVER RIVALRY
Oklahoma added two more to its winning streak by defeating Texas in a two-game series. The Sooners have now won the last six meetings with the Red River rival and upped its series advantage to 11-5.

vs. TEXAS (W, 4-1): OU knocked around Texas starter Charla Moore for 11 hits in the game one win. LHP Jennifer Stewart limited UT to just six hits and struck out four to pick up her 77th career win, breaking the school record previously held by Jill Most (1994-97). The Sooners got two hits in each of the first five innings and scored a single run in the first four innings. But OU kept Texas in the game by stranding nine runners on base, including five in scoring position. Kelli Braitsch, who went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs and an RBI, extended her hitting streak to five games. With a 2-for-3 performance, Andrea Davis had her first multi-hit game since Mar. 2.

vs. TEXAS (W, 7-4): The Sooners completed the sweep as freshman Adrianne Ratliff earned the start and limited UT to just five hits and two runs (one earned). Stewart recorded her second save on the year after tossing three innings that allowed two runs on three hits. OU had at least one hit in each of the six innings and had 10 on the day. Lisa Carey drove in two runs to bring her RBI total to 167 in her career and broke the school record previously held by Casey Dickson (1994-97). Center fielder Erin Evans had three of the Sooners' 10 hits and scored a run while Mandy Fulton also went 2-for-2 with an RBI.

CAREY TAKES EDGE IN RBI RACE
With a sacrifice fly and a single to center, Lisa Carey broke the Oklahoma career RBI record that was held by Casey Dickson (1994-97) for four years. Although the record is currently her's, teammate Ashli Barrett could make things interesting and chase Carey down to the wire.

Carey added three more RBIs in the Texas series to take the lead with 167, but Barrett is just three back at 164.

ON THE WINNING SIDE AGAIN
With a loss and three no-decisions in her last four outings, Adrianne Ratliff was in a bit of a slump. But in game two of the Iowa State series, the freshman hurler got help from her offense and defense to earn her first win since Mar. 15. Ratliff held the Cyclones to three runs on 10 hits as the Sooners scored 13 runs and played nearly flawless defense.

In her outings against Texas, Ratliff tossed a combined five innings and gave up just five hits and two runs (one earned).

The No. 2 starter in the circle, Ratliff is 11-3 on the year and carries a 2.53 ERA while holding opponents to a .238 batting average.

GOING, GOING, GONE!
Senior Ashli Barrett broke the OU career home run record as a junior and each one this season has just added to the mark. With a team-high 10 this year, she currently 41 which ranks 18th all-time in the NCAA.

NCAA All-Time Home Run Leaders
t1.Leah Braatz, Arizona (1994-95, 97-98)85
Laura Espinoza, Arizona (1992-95)85
---
t14Shannon Beeler, Minnesota (96-99)43
Stephanie DeFeo, La.-Lafayette (94-97)43
Jennifer Cline, Washington (93-96)43
17.Nina Lindenberg, Fresno St/LBS (95-98)42
18.Ashli Barrett, Oklahoma (98-2001)41

WINNING THE CLOSE ONE
If there's one thing OU has done well this year, it's been winning the close games. The Sooners currently have a 6-3 record in games decided by one run and 5-1 when it comes down to two runs. The only setbacks have come at the hands of Southern Mississippi (2-1), DePaul (3-2) and Nebraska (6-5 and 3-1).

IN THE BIG 12 RANKINGS
Oklahoma continues to lead the league with a .329 batting average. Its nearest competitor is Texas A&M, who is 23 points behind at .306. In conference games there's no team within 50 points of OU's .335. Kansas (.282), Texas A&M (.280), Nebraska (.242) and Texas Tech (.241) fill out the top five in Big 12 games.

Pitching has been a different story for the Sooners who rank in the middle of the pack. They are fifth overall (1.85 ERA) and fourth (1.74) in Big 12 games.

RUNNIN' AWAY
OU is the only school that has scored more than 200 runs this year so it's no wonder that three of the top 10 scorers in the Big 12 hail from the Sooner state. Junior Christy Ring, sophomore Kelli Braitsch and senior Lisa Carey hold down the one, two and fifth spots, respectively, in the conference rankings for runs scored.

Ring has 36, Braitsch has 35 and Carey adds another 30 runs. The trio's combined total of 101 runs is more than Oklahoma State (98) and Iowa State (88) have scored all year.

SOONERS IN NCAA RANKINGS
Four Sooners rank in among the NCAA leaders in batting, home runs, runs batted in and victories. Below are where the Sooners are ranked...

PlayerCategoryRankAvg.
Kelli Braitschbatting26th.415
Lisa Carey batting46th.397
Ashli Barretthome runst20th0.26
RBIs20th0.95
Jennifer Stewartvictoriest6th21

TEAM RANKINGS
Batting3rd.329
Fielding16th.972
Scoring3rd5.85

PATIENCE AT THE PLATE
Junior Christy Ring has been exceptionally patient at the plate in her last few outings. Since the Nebraska games, the Westminster, Calif., native reached base 10 times with walks out of her 25 plate appearances. She currently leads the Big 12 with 23 on the year and 10 in league games.

MERCY ME!
Through the first 39 games this year, nine of OU's wins have been shortened to less than seven innings due to the mercy rule (eight-run lead after five innings). The victims so far include Kentucky, Tulsa, Wichita State, Indiana State, Creighton, Western Michigan, North Carolina, Utah State and No. 20 Texas A&M.

STREAKIN'
Five Sooners have put together hitting streaks of more than two games. Currently, Kelli Braitsch leads the team with a six-game streak, while Erin Evans is right behind at five games. Senior Andrea Davis is at a season-high four games and Lisa Carey and Jennifer Stump have hit safely in the last two games.

OUT IN LEFT FIELD
The Sooners are 3-1 against left-handed pitchers and 29-6 versus righties... No Sooner has grounded into a double play more than once... Only Lisa Carey, Christy Ring and Erin Evans have appeared in all 39 games this year... Five players--Ashli Barrett (.692), Jennifer Stump (.649), Kelli Braitsch (.619) and Carey (.603)--have a slugging percentage over .600... OU has reached double-digit hits in 19 of its 39 games this year... The pitching staff has held the opponents to five hits or less in 21 of 39 games... Since the first game of the year, the Sooners' batting average hasn't dropped below .321 on the year, peaking at .396... OU is hitting .600 with runners on third and less than two outs... The pitchers are giving up just 1.47 extra-base hits per game.

ON DECK
Oklahoma will wrap up the bedlam series when it travels to Stillwater, Okla., for game two versus Oklahoma State. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be carried live by KREF 1400 am and www.soonersports.com.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Softball Travels To Texas Tech For Pair Of Big 12 Games

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors