Sooners Play Final Big 12 Games At Kansas

April 27, 2001

at Kansas
DATES: Saturday-Sunday, April 28-29
FIELD: Jayhawk Field (Lawrence, Kan.)
FIRST PITCH:
Saturday: 1 p.m.
Sunday: 1 p.m.
WEATHER:
Saturday: hi - 83, lo - 59, partly cloudy
Sunday: hi - 83, lo - 60, partly cloudy

SOONERS PLAY FINAL BIG 12 GAMES AT KANSAS:
Seventh-ranked Oklahoma (38-7, 12-2) and Kansas (30-21, 9-4) face off in OU's final Big 12 weekend. The Sooners are riding an 11-game winning streak and will try to become the first Big 12 school to post a win in Lawrence where the Jayhawks are a perfect 5-0 in league games at Jayhawk Field.

Winners in four of their last six games by run-rule, OU has been racking up the hits against opponents and are wasting no time returning to the form that helped them win the 2000 NCAA National Championship. It will be facing a Kansas team that received votes in the latest USA Today/NFCA Top 25 and is enjoying one of its most successful Big 12 seasons in school history, rebounding from last year's 5-13 record.

SOONERS STILL IN HUNT FOR TOP SEED:
It's still mathematically possible for the Sooners to earn the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Big 12 Tournament, but they would need some help from other league members.

If the Sooners win their final remaining two games at Kansas this weekend, they will end the year with a 14-2 record. Nebraska is currently in first with a 12-1 mark, but have doubleheaders with Kansas and Texas and a single game versus Iowa State remaining. Two Nebraska losses would give OU the Big 12 regular-season title and No. 1 seed in the tournament.

SCOUTING KANSAS:
Kansas joins Oklahoma as the only schools with a higher batting average in league games (.328) than in all games (.292)... The Jayhawks had a 10-game hitting streak halted at Creighton when the two split a doubleheader on Wednesday. KU won the first game 5-1, but dropped the finale 7-4... The Jayhawks are led by Erin Garvey, who is hitting a team-high .336 and is 10-for-16 in stolen bases... Courtney Wright (.327), Amy Hulse (.323) and Megan Urquhart (.321) are also hitting over the .300 mark... The pitching staff has a 2.39 team ERA and has struck out 183 batters... Freshman Kara Pierce leads the pitching staff with a 20-7 record and 1.66 ERA. She is stingier in the Big 12 where she is 6-2 and holding the league's sluggers to a 1.22 ERA and .201 batting average... Head coach Tracy Bunge is in her fifth season at the helm.

THE KANSAS SERIES:
The Jayhawks lead the all-time series 35-26, but Oklahoma has won the last seven meetings and 10 of the last 11... Head coach Patty Gasso is 16-4 against KU since taking over the program in 1995... Kansas' last win was in the 1997 Big 12 Tournament where it defeated OU 4-1... The Sooners won all three meetings during the 2000 campaign by scores of 3-0, 11-3 and 6-2.

CAREY NAMED BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
After a week that saw her hit .800 in three conference games, Oklahoma first baseman Lisa Carey was named the Big 12 Player of the Week. It is the fourth time this year a Sooner has grabbed the weekly honor. In the three games, four of Carey's hits were extra bases, three doubles and one home run, as she posted a 1.400 slugging percentage. She also scored five runs and had eight runs batted in for the week. In the two-game Baylor series, Carey was 5-for-5 and scored five runs. In game one, she was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. The 2000 Big 12 Player of the Year, Carey's .419 batting average is third in the Big 12. She's hitting .477 in league games, which ranks second heading into the week.

NO WEAK LINK IN THIS CHAIN:
If an opposing pitcher gets into a jam, good luck getting out unscathed. In most lineups there's that weak link that allows pitchers to escape. Not the case in the Oklahoma lineup. Since a season-low batting average of .321 following the Nebraska games--and coincidentally their last losses--the Sooners have bee slowly raising their average to what is now a Big 12 best .343. In the 11 games since, OU has raised its average 20 points because no starter is hitting below .321 and five are hitting above .400 in that stretch.

BARRETT TIES SCHOOL RECORD WITH 7 RBI VS. BAYLOR:
Thanks to a three-run double in the first inning and a grand slam in the second, Ashli Barrett became just the fourth Sooners to get seven runs batted in during a single game. That brings the seniors total to a team-high 46 this year, which ranks eighth on OU's single-season charts. In the career race, she is just one shy of Lisa Carey, who owns the record with 175.

NUMBERS IMPRESSIVE IN STREAK:
Oklahoma has bounced back from a pair of losses at Nebraska by rolling to 11 straight wins. During this 11-0 run, the Sooners have a .405 batting average and have outscored their opponents 103-13.

The pitching staff has been equally impressive where it has a 0.91 ERA and has given up only 10 hits for extra bases--all doubles. Leading the way in the circle is Jennifer Stewart, who has a 0.44 ERA with three shutouts, three earned runs, 32 strikeouts and only seven walks in 48 innings. She is also holding opponents to a .198 batting average.

MONEY ON THE MOUND:
There isn't much that Jennifer Stewart hasn't done for the Sooners this year. The 2000 Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player has earned wins in 26 of her 28 starts, completing 20 of those outings, and shut out seven opponents. She has even added a pair of saves to her record and combined with freshman Adrianne Ratliff for another three shutouts.

After pitching a pair of shutouts at Texas Tech, Stewart was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week. She shut down the Texas Tech batters, tossing 12-consecutive scoreless innings while giving up only one extra-base hit. She held the Red Raiders to a .186 batting average, walking only one and striking out 10 in her two appearances.

ON FIRE!
Sophomore Kelli Braitsch has fueled OU's 11-game winning streak thanks to a streak of her own. In the midst of a career-high 12-game hitting streak, the shortstop is hitting at the .619 clip with seven doubles, two triples, three homers and 15 RBIs. She has a 1.095 slugging percentage and a .667 on-base percentage.

KEEPING PACE:
Keeping in step with OU's 11-game winning streak is sophomore Erin Evans, who has reached base safely in each of the games and currently owns a career-high 11-game hitting streak of her own. The Lawton, Okla., native has a .444 average with two doubles and eight RBIs in the span that also includes four stolen bases.

A DOUBLE DIP:
It's no secret that the senior class contains some of the most potent hitters in school history. And it shows on the career charts where three of them--Lisa Carey, Ashli Barrett and Mandy Fulton--rank among the school's top four for career doubles.

Carey and Barrett are one and two with 55 and 47 doubles, respectively. Fulton is fourth with 34 and needs only three more to move past Becky Burroughs (1993-94) and into third.

STEWART BREAKS OU RECORD:
Junior Jennifer Stewart did in less than three years what many pitchers couldn't do in four years which was reach 82 career wins. In game one of the Texas series, the Yukon, Okla., native helped OU to a 4-1 win over Texas 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 26 this year.

THREE SELECTED TO TRYOUTS:
Three players on the Oklahoma softball team were selected to participate in the USA Softball Women's National Team Camp. Seniors Ashli Barrett and Lisa Carey, along with sophomore Kelli Braitsch were among the 51 players invited to compete for spots on the 2001 National Teams.

The camp will be held May 30-June 3 at the ARCO Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. Following the camp, USA Softball will select two 16-player teams to represent the U.S. in international competitions such as the U.S. Cup in Honolulu, the Canada Cup in Vancouver and the Pan Am Qualifier in Maracay, Venequela, during the 2001 season.

HOME SWEET HOME:
The Sooners are 13-0 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 .866 winning percentage.

With a goal to go undefeated at home this year, OU is well on its way. The Sooners have outscored their opponents 88-15 in Norman and are hitting .371 to the visitor's .177. Pitchers Jennifer Stewart and Adrianne Ratliff have a combined 0.65 ERA compared to opponents' 6.85 ERA.

In conference games, OU is fairing better at home where it is hitting .393 compared to .351 on the road. Opponents are only hitting at the .214 clip in Norman compared to .241 in their own park.

SOONERS DOWN GOLDEN HURRICANE FOR THIRD TIME:
OU wasted no time extending its winning streak to 11 games with a 13-2 win over Tulsa on Wednesday. OU pounded out 13 hits off TU starter Jenny Magill , who was credited with the loss after giving up 13 runs (two earned) and striking out four. The Sooners scored all 13 runs in the first two innings and then was able to sit most of their starters in the final three innings.

In the first inning, OU sent 17 batters to the plate for 12 runs off eight hits and were helped out by four Golden Hurricane errors. The first seven batters got on base and scored before the first out was recorded. OU added another five runs before TU got out of the inning. Freshman Adrianne Ratliff pitched the complete game where she gave up two runs on six hits. She didn't allow the two runs until the fifth inning after giving up just three hits and two walks in the first four. Kelli Braitsch led the way with a 4-for-4 performance and scored three runs while driving in two. Christy Ring went 2-for-3 with two runs and 2 RBIs, while Andrea Davis added a two runs and an RBI on her two hits.

SOONERS GIVE UP ONLY ONE RUN IN BAYLOR SWEEP:
The Sooners continued its rabid pace of putting opponents away early with a pair of wins over Baylor at the OU Softball Complex. With a combined score of 23-1, Oklahoma extended its winning streak to 10 games.

vs. BAYLOR (W, 16-0):
Every starter got a hit as the Sooners tallied 17, including eight for extra bases. OU shut out its fourth-consecutive conference opponent as starter Jennifer Stewart gave up just three hits in four innings. Only one Baylor baserunner reached scoring position as she struck out four batters and walked none.

The Sooners hit through the lineup in each of the first three innings. Five of those runs came in the first inning on five hits. OU loaded the bases in the third with an Andrea Davis single, Jennifer Stump walk and Erin Evans singled just in time for Ashli Barrett to send a ball over the left field wall. It was Barrett's third grand slam and 11th homer of the year.

Barrett, who tied a school record with seven RBIs in the game, scored three runs and went 2-for-3 at the plate. Carey went 3-for-3 with three runs and three RBIs and Braitsch posted a 2-for-3 performance that included two runs.

vs. BAYLOR (W, 7-1):
Among blustery conditions, Oklahoma rolled to a 7-1 win over Baylor. The Sooners play flawless defense and got nine hits while holding the Bears to just one run on six hits. Baylor starter Joni Miller gave up just one hit in the first two innings before OU's offense opened up the game with six runs on four hits in the third. Down 0-2 in the count, leadoff hitter Leah Gulla homered to right to give the Sooners a 1-0 lead.

Senior LaKisha Washington walked and advanced to second on a Kelli Braitsch double, but got thrown out in a run-down at home on Christy Ring's bunt. Miller helped the Sooners out when she hit Lisa Carey to load the bases, then walked in the second run with Andrea Davis at the plate. Sophomore Jennifer Stump added to the lead with a two-run double down the left field line and scored on Ashli Barrett's double to right center.

The Sooners got their final run in the fifth when Carey led off with a single to right. After the next two batters were retired, sophomore Erin Evans drove her home with a double to left field.

Catcher Ryan Stukel ended Jennifer Stewart's streak of 25 scoreless innings with a single out to right that scored Hundley in the sixth. Stewart then got Sarah Caudle to ground out to second to close out the sixth before striking out two of the three final batters in the seventh.

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 took the lead in the Texas series and has 176, but thanks to a grand slam in the Baylor series, Barrett is just one back at 175.

SOONERS DOMINATING HITTING IN BIG 12:
There's not another team in the Big 12 that is within 40 points of Oklahoma's .341 batting average. Texas A&M (.295), Kansas (.294) and Missouri (.291) are the nearest competitors and even still, there's a lot of distance between them.

In conference games, OU (.370) and Kansas (.328) are the only teams hitting over the .300 clip. The Sooners have six of the league's top hitters with Kelli Braitsch (.510) and Lisa Carey (.519) ranked Nos. 1 and 2, respectively.

And to make things even better for the Sooners, the pitching staff has taken a big load off the hitters, holding league oppponents to just 16 earned runs to lead the Big 12 with a 1.25 ERA.

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 11 this year, she currently has 42 in her career which ranks tied for 17th all-time in the NCAA. She needs only four more to crack the top 10.

NCAA All-Time Home Run Leaders
t1.Leah Braatz, Arizona (1994-1995, 1997-1998)85
Laura Espinoza, Arizona (1992-1995)85
---
t10.Kim Rondina, UNLV (1994-1997)46
Scia Maumausolo, Cal State Northridge (1993-1996)46
Karyn Thompson, UNC Greensboro (1993-1996)46
13.Julie Marshall, UCLA (1996-1997, 1999-2000)45
t14Shannon Beeler, Minnesota (1996-1999)43
Stephanie DeFeo, Louisiana-Lafayette (1994-1997)43
Jennifer Cline, Washington (1993-1996)43
t17.Nina Lindenberg, Fresno State/Long Beach State (1995-1998)42
Ashli Barrett, Oklahoma (98-2001)42

RUNNIN' AWAY:
OU was the first to score more than 200 runs this year and with nearly 300 runs so far, it's no wonder that three of the top five scorers in the Big 12 hail from the Sooner state. Sophomore Kelli Braitsch, junior Christy Ring, and senior Lisa Carey hold down the one, two and third spots, respectively, in the conference rankings for runs scored.

Ring and Braitsch have 38 and Carey adds another 31 runs. The trio's combined total of 107 runs is more than Oklahoma State (106) and Iowa State (93) 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

INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS

TEAM RANKINGS

Player	Category	Rank	Avg.	Category	Rank	Avg.
Kelli Braitsch	batting	7th	.441	Batting	3rd	.341
Lisa Carey	batting	21st	.419	Fielding	12th	.972
Ashli Barrett	home runs	18th	0.26	Scoring	7th	6.96
				RBIs	10th	1.07
J. Stewart	victories	t6th	26

MERCY ME!:
Through the first 45 games this year, 13 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 (twice), Wichita State, Indiana State, Creighton, Western Michigan, North Carolina, Utah State, No. 20 Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Baylor.

OUT IN LEFT FIELD:
The current 11-game winning streak is the second longest of the year... The Sooners have reached double-digit hits in 23 of their 44 games, while the pitching staff has held opponents to five or less in 25 outings... OU is hitting .419 with the bases loaded and led by Kelli Braitsch who is 6-for-7 with bases-loaded opportunities... Senior Ashli Barrett leads the team with 18 two-out RBIs... The Sooners score more than 60 percent of their runners when there is less than two outs with a runner on third... Senior Andrea Davis is hitting a team-high .400 in pinch-hitting opportunities... OU has scored more runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings (158) than Texas (145), Texas Tech (132), Oklahoma State (118) and Iowa State (110) have scored all year... The Sooners have had eight games cancelled because of inclimate weather.

ON DECK:
The Sooners will wrap up their regular season with a final home game against Tulsa on Thursday. The two teams will play at the OU Softball Complex with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. OU will honor its six seniors--Ashli Barrett, Lisa Carey, Andrea Davis, Mandy Fulton, LaKisha Washington and Jaime White, who make up the best graduating class in OU history.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooners Play Final Big 12 Games At Kansas

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