Softball Makes California Swing This Week

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March 12, 2002

NORMAN, Okla. - The ninth-ranked Oklahoma softball team heads West this weekend to make two stops in Southern California. The Sooners first begin competition in the prestigious Kia Klassic on Thursday where nine of the nation's top teams, including two of the other three team's in OU's pool, will be featured. The team will then make a stop in Los Angeles on Monday where they will take on Loyola Marymount in a single game before returning home.

No. 22 Florida State will be Oklahoma's first opponent before No. 11 Cal State Fullerton comes calling later in the day on Thursday. First pitch against the Seminoles will be at 11 a.m., while the Sooners will take on the Titans at 5 p.m. OU then completes pool play against Rutgers on Friday.

Oklahoma's game against Loyola Marymount will be at 12 p.m. in Los Angeles.

All times are Pacific Standard.

OU/Worth Invitational Recap
Oklahoma swept through its third tournament of the 2002 season as it won all of its six contests of the OU/Worth Invitational last weekend. After two tight games on Thursday to open the event, the Sooners turned it on the last three days and run-ruled its opponent in the last four games.

For the tournament, the Sooner offense registered a .356 batting average, hit seven home runs and recorded three double-digit hit efforts. Freshman catcher Christina Enea paced the Sooners at the plate during the tournament as she batted .588 with 13 RBI and three home runs (all in one day).

On the mound, the Sooner pitching staff was nearly unhittable as they allowed only one opponent to collect more than three hits in a game. Freshman Kami Keiter recorded her first no-hitter in a run-rule shortened five inning affair against Creighton on Saturday. Keiter led the Sooners to the 8-0 victory by also producing with her bat as she hit her first career home run.

Senior hurler Jennifer Stewart picked up three wins over the weekend, including two on the tournament's opening day of competition. Stewart reached the 100 win plateau by picking up the win in the team's 3-1 win over Wichita State and then came on in relief of Angela Foster to hold the Islanders scoreless over the final two innings. Stewart then made her third appearance on Sunday and held Creighton to two hits in OU's second 8-0 win over the Bluejays in as many days.

OU's All-Time Runs Scored Leader
Senior leftfielder Christy Ring's has been one of the best in Sooner history at getting on base and scoring during her career. On Friday night, Ring's legacy was unmatched as she became the school's all-time runs scored leader when she crossed home plate for the 181st time in her career in OU's 12-1 win over Wichita State on Saturday. Ring's total currently stands at 183.

Ring is also close to the top of several other career offensive categories. She is one stolen base of tying the all-time mark in the category at 74 and ranks in the top five in walks drawn (second), total bases (fourth), triples (fifth), RBI (fifth), hits (third) and at bats (fifth).

Quite A Tournament
Freshman starting catcher Christina Enea enjoyed a team-best performance during the OU/Worth Invitational over the weekend. The team's leading hitter for the week with a .588 average, Enea also scored five runs, drove in 13 more and hammered three home runs. Collected a hit in each of the six games during the tournament, including three multi-hit efforts, and recorded at least one RBI in five of the six games, including three multi-RBI performances.

The Woodland Hills, Calif., native hit three home runs in one day as she crushed a grand slam home run against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Friday and then turned around in the Sooners' second game of the day and hit two home runs (in one inning) in the team's 12-1 victory over Wichita State. She finished the day with nine RBI.

Impact Freshmen
The Sooners' youngest players have been some of the biggest contributors to the team's success this year. OU's four freshmen, catcher Christina Enea, pitcher Kami Keiter, second baseman Jessica Leslie and designated player Heather Scaglione, have stepped in this season and secured starting roles and been productive members of the teams.

Enea has made one of the most significant impacts of the group at the plate as she currently leads the squad in batting average (.418), slugging percentage (.772), RBI (31) and doubles (10). On the mound, Keiter has been one of the staff's most consistent performers as she has compiled a 5-2 record, a 0.82 ERA and is holding opponents to a .178 batting average. Keiter also pitched her first no-hitter in Oklahoma's 8-0 victory over Creighton on Saturday.

Leslie and Scaglione have also been effective during their first year. Leslie, who is batting .288, owns the team's second longest hitting streak of the season at nine games and also remains perfect in stolen base attempts with eight. At .294, Scgalione's average continues to rise throughout the season and she has become one of the team's top power producers with four home runs already this year.

Sooners In The Rankings
Oklahoma was ranked ninth in the most recent NFCA/USA Today Coaches Poll adding to an impressive run for the Sooners of 45 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 over the last four years. Included in the streak is a 32 week stint of being ranked in the poll's top 10. Only three times (during the 1999 season) has OU not been ranked as one of the nation's top 10 teams. Oklahoma achieved its highest ranking at the end of the 2000 season when it claimed the top spot after winning the national championship at the end of the year.

Home Sweet Home
Coming off its 2001 campaign where Oklahoma went a perfect 18-0 at the OU Softball Complex, the Sooners have continued their home field success into the 2002 season. The Sooners are undefeated in 12 home games this year, extending their home winning streak to 42 straight games over the last three seasons.

In the 12 games this season, OU has recorded a .357 average and hit over half of its home runs at the Complex, while the Sooner pitching staff is only allowing a 1.58 ERA and opponents to hit .151 against them.

The last time Oklahoma lost at home was on April 14, 2000, in the first game of a doubleheader against Nebraska.

Diamond Notes
* The Oklahoma softball program is coming up on its 100th game at the OU Softball Complex. The Sooners are projected to hit the century mark at the Complex in the first game of a doubleheader against fourth-ranked Nebraska next Thursday at 5 p.m.

* The Sooner pitching staff has not given up an earned run in the last 18.2 innings of work, including the last four games.

* The Sooner offense has recorded at least one double in all but three games this season.

* Senior starting pitcher Jennifer Stewart, who became the school's all-time leader in victories last season, picked up her 100th career win on Thursday versus Wichita State.

* Sophomore lefthander Adrianne Ratliff still has only given up one walk in 24.1 innings pitched on the season. Ratliff owns the staff's best strikeout to walk ratio at 11:1.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Softball Makes California Swing This Week

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