Softball Poses 'Triple Threat' As It Enters 2002 Season

Feb. 1, 2002

NORMAN, Okla. - After two consecutive appearances in the Women's College World Series, expectations are high for the Oklahoma Sooners softball team to make a return outing to Oklahoma City's Hall of Fame Stadium in May. With 2001 Big 12 Player of the Year Kelli Braitsch headlining a group of two returning All-Americans and five returning All-Big 12 selections, the Sooners are poised to make a strong run at their third straight trip to the NCAA softball championships.

Head Coach Patty Gasso and her staff welcome back 12 players off last year's team that, in addition to its World Series appearance, won its first Big 12 Tournament title in four years. Braitsch, along with 2001 All-Big 12 selections Erin Evans, Christy Ring, Jennifer Stewart and Jennifer Stump, highlights the list of returning players who have the arduous task of replacing the talent lost in the graduation of All-Americans Lisa Carey and Ashli Barrett and four-year starters LaKisha Washington and Mandy Fulton from last year's 50-9 team.

"This team is hungry. It's hard to lose so many seniors, but at the same time when you bring in new blood, you bring in fresh attitudes," said Gasso. "That's what's really been a shot in the arm for us is that these young kids want to go to the College World Series, they want to go after the ring and continue the legacy."

Bolstering the Sooners' attack this year are five newcomers, including four freshmen and one junior college transfer. Combined, the group has racked up two high school state Most Valuable Player awards, seven All-State selections, and 10 all-conference honors during their stellar prep careers. Junior Tiffany Weight, the lone junior college transfer, was named a second-team NJCAA All-American and NJCAA first-team All-Region 18 selection last year at Utah Valley State College.

"We have all of the potential to be better than we were last year if we can bring it all together and get these players comfortable with some new faces," predicted Gasso. "If these new faces can stand up to this level of play and we stay healthy and injury free, I think we're right back in the hunt for a national championship."

Projected Starting Lineup
The top half of the projected starting lineup for the Sooners heading into the spring is loaded with speed and power. Leading off for OU in the top two spots in the order will be two quick outfielders in senior leftfielder Christy Ring and junior centerfielder Erin Evans. The duo ranked as the team's top two base stealers last year and combined for 32 stolen bases. Ring will lead off for the Sooners, followed by Evans. Junior Kelli Braitsch will drop from the leadoff role a year ago to the No. 3 hole this year to take advantage of her RBI potential.

The team's leading home run hitter from 2001, junior rightfielder Jennifer Stump, will bat cleanup and freshman catcher Christina Enea will follow in the No. 5 hole after an outstanding fall offensively earned her a spot in the top of the order.

Junior Leah Gulla will also make a move in the starting lineup. After a breakout fall offensively, Gulla, traditionally a regular at the bottom of the order, is expected to be the team's No. 6 hitter. Lineup spots 7-9 will be determined through starting battles won at first and second base.

Pitchers
OU will enter the spring season with one of the deepest pitching staffs it has had under Gasso. Returning to lead the team on the mound is staff ace and two-time All-American Jennifer Stewart. Stewart, the Sooners' workhorse the past three years, will not be expected to carry the load as much this year as fellow senior Angela Wedlake, sophomore Adrianne Ratliff and freshman Kami Keiter will all see considerable time on the mound.

"Any four of these pitchers can step on the mound and get the job done," commented Gasso, who has coached four pitchers to All-America status during her seven-year tenure at OU. "There's no question that this is the most depth we've had on the mound since I've been here."

Stewart, who is already the school's career leader in wins and victory percentage, shows no signs of slowing down her dominating performances in her senior season. The Yukon, Okla., native is coming off one of her best seasons yet as she recorded a personal single-season best 37 wins (also a school single-season record) and a career low .195 opposing batting average last year, while pitching a career-high 279.2 innings.

Wedlake, who saw limited action last year due to a back injury, will be looked upon to strengthen the starting rotation after having a strong fall season. Wedlake led the Sooners in wins, innings pitched and strikeouts in the fall as all four hurlers saw time in both starting and relief efforts.

"Angela is a pitcher on a mission. She wants to end what has been a rather frustrating career, cash it in right now and walk away from the field accomplishing her dreams and goals," explained Gasso. "She really didn't get to play a major role in our NCAA run last year and I think that's what she's really focused on doing -- going out and being a main player in it all this year."

Ratliff is expected to be a more consistent contributor this season after gaining immeasurable experience in her first season in a Sooner uniform. She started the year sharing the pitching duties with Stewart before being used more in a relief role when conference play began. Ratliff showed signs of brilliance at times as a freshman as she combined for a no-hitter and threw a perfect game in back-to-back contests.

Keiter, a three-time All-State selection out of Arvada (Colo.) West High School, gives the Sooners an added dimension on the mound as Gasso will also be able to utilize the freshman's offensive abilities to benefit the Sooners when she's pitching.

"The good thing about Kami is that when I put her on the mound, she's also going to be able to hit. This means that we will have an extra designated player available on the bench to hit for someone else in our lineup if we need to do that. That adds another bonus to having her on the mound," explained Gasso.

Infielders
The Sooners' infield situation includes both experience and uncertainty. The third base and shortstop roles are nailed down by returning starters Leah Gulla and 2001 Big 12 Player of the Year Kelli Braitsch, respectively, while several players will contend for the starting jobs at first and second base.

The leading contenders for the job at second base are freshman Jessica Leslie and junior college transfer Tiffany Weight, while sophomore Katie Overton and freshmen Heather Scaglione and Kami Keiter will battle for playing time at first base. The key element for the jobs at both positions will be offensive production. Coach Gasso expressed a need to fill the positions with offensive contributors and then they will focus on the defensive aspect.

"What we're looking for are people who can come in and add some power to this offense and then we'll turn them into good defenders. Right now we just want to see who can do the job offensively," said Gasso.

Weight came to the Sooners as a two-time NJCAA and NFCA Junior College All-American out of Utah Valley State College where she ended her career as the school's leader in five career offensive categories.

Leslie was a three-time All-State selection in Missouri and became known for her offensive talents as she never batted below the .456 mark throughout her prep career. During fall competition, half of her hits went for extra bases, including one of the team's eight home runs, as she displayed some power at the plate.

Considered by Gasso to be a very reliable player, Overton has become a tough competitor in the battle for the first base job. After seeing time as a middle infielder behind Braitsch and departed senior LaKisha Washington last season as a freshman, Overton was moved to first base in the fall in an effort to create playing opportunities for her.

"Katie is coming off the best fall season I've seen her have. Her offense is really going to play a major role in how much playing time she's going to have," said Gasso.

Keiter and Scaglione both spent time in the fall season practicing at various positions, including first base. Scaglione, who anticipated concentrating on catching duties, also worked at first base and in the outfield. The freshman from San Diego, Calif., was one of only two players to hit multiple home runs in the fall and also accounted for seven RBI.

Keiter split her time pitching and in the designated player spot, while also working out at first base. Keiter is familiar with the multi-dimensional role as she pitched and played at first base and in the outfield as a two-time Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News Player and Pitcher of the Year at Arvada (Colo.) West High School.

"At both positions on the right side of the infield we're having battles which is good because it brings out the best in each of the players competing," said Gasso. "It's possible you will see a different player at first and second base every other game in the spring. It's a great problem to have because I have a lot of good options and a lot of things I can work with."

One area of the infield that is free from question marks is on the left side. Braitsch returns to start her third straight season at shortstop and Gulla has been a regular at the hot corner for the last two years as well. Braitsch led the team and the Big 12 in hitting last year with a .435 average and a team-best 108 assists while racking up several postseason honors including first team All-American, first team All-Midwest Region, first team All-Big 12 and NCAA Region 5 All-Tournament.

Gulla hit the ball extremely well in the fall, finishing fourth on the team with a .432 average, after batting only .265 over her career at OU. She also hit two home runs. Despite splitting time at third base with Mandy Fulton last year, Gulla still finished second on the team in assists with 102 and recorded a solid .960 fielding percentage.

The Sooners will have a wealth of experienced backup at all four positions. Sophomore utility players Lindsey Abbott and Kaycee Clark both spent time in their first seasons in reserve roles in the infield and gained from the experience it provided them.

Outfielders
The Sooner outfield returns an experienced trio of outfielders. Senior leftfielder Christy Ring, junior rightfielder Jennifer Stump and junior centerfielder Erin Evans combine to form a talented group of players who provide experience, solid defense and key offensive threats. All three were All-Big 12 performers last year and served as three of the team's top offensive producers last year as each batted better than .335.

According to Gasso, in addition to the trio's offensive ability, the outfielders' greatest assets are their speed and defensive ability. All three players possess great speed as Evans and Ring finished first and second, respectively, on the squad in steals last year, while Stump was thrown out only twice in nine attempts. Last year, the three committed only four errors combined in the field and were able to effectively track down many of the balls hit their way.

"I would say they are the quickest and strongest outfield I've seen in the country," said Gasso. "It's hard for me to hit a ball through them in practice. Opposing players have to hit a ball off the wall in order to turn it into a double because they can get to the ball quickly and throw you out."

As a three-year starter in the outfield, Ring has progressed into one of top offensive stars on the squad and, in her final season, has begun to grow into one of the team leaders. One of the most consistent players offensively over the last three seasons, Ring's batting average has never dipped below the .335 mark and she already ranks in the top 10 of nine career offensive categories.

Anchoring the outfield group is Evans in center. A junior from Lawton, Okla., Evans is one of the best defensive outfielders in the game, according to Gasso.

"She makes everything look so routine, but it's not routine for any other centerfielder," said Gasso. "She is so quick and gets such a good read off the ball that she's there in a hurry. She's one of the best defensive outfielders there is."

A career .355 hitter, Evans poses one of the greatest threats in the Sooner lineup to the opposition as she keeps defenses off-balance with her wide range of offensive abilities.

"Offensively, she's a lot like Christy - they can lay down the bunt and beat it out, they can slap it, they can hit it off the wall. That makes it so hard for opposing defenses because they don't know how to play them," assessed Gasso.

With only one home run to her credit in her two years with the Sooners, Evans has added more power to her offensive production.

"She has added more power to her game, so we're looking forward to seeing what she can do with that," said Gasso.

Stump joined Ring and Evans as a starter in the outfield last year and solidified her spot there following a strong sophomore season. After hitting the .300 mark in mid-March last year, the West Palm Beach, Fla., native's batting average continued to rise the remainder of the season. She finished fifth on the team in hitting and second in home runs. Due to her strong finish to last season, Gasso expects Stump to have a break-through year in 2002.

"I think it's her time in the spotlight to take the reins and make a name for herself," said Gasso. "In the past when you've heard about OU softball, you're used to hearing Lisa Carey and Ashli Barrett. Jennifer Stump is now going to be one of the names you hear about."

Sophomores Megan Hube, Abbott and Clark converted in the fall from their respective positions at catcher and in the infield to provide depth in the outfield.

Catchers
A three-time high school All-State selection out of California, freshman catcher Christina Enea burst on to the scene in Norman and exceeded all expectations this fall. With her standout performance during fall workouts, Enea has claimed the starting catching role entering the spring season.

Enea had an exceptional fall offensively and also performed well behind the plate. With her .455 average and 12 RBI in the fall, she was the team's top performing newcomer offensively. The Woodland Hills, Calif., native showed an ability to hit for power as she tallied a double, triple and home run during fall competition. Defensively, only two baserunners tested her arm strength and she gunned down one of the two attempted base stealers.

Gasso attributed a lot of Enea's successes this fall to her competitive attitude and hard work ethic.

"She's gutsy and in your face - she's a competitor," expressed Gasso. "She had a tremendous fall and if that's a sign of things to come, she's going to be a superstar."

While splitting time at other positions in the field, Hube and Scaglione will back up Enea behind the plate.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Softball Poses 'Triple Threat' As It Enters 2002 Season

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