OU Softball Looks To Finish Season In Sooner State

April 21, 2003

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NORMAN, Okla. - In three games, No. 5 Oklahoma pounded Oklahoma City and Texas Tech by a combined score of 27-4 last week. The Sooners run-ruled the OCU Stars in Norman in five innings and concluded its series in Lubbock against the Red Raiders with another five-inning offensive explosion to improve to 35-8 overall and 10-5 in the Big 12.

Oklahoma returns to Norman after a successful trip to Lubbock, Texas, last weekend hoping to finish its season in the Sooner State. OU next plays at Tulsa on Tuesday, April 22, at 7 p.m. The Sooners then wrap up the Bedlam series with the return game in Stillwater on Thursday, April 24, at 7 p.m.

The Sooners are 23-0 all-time against Tulsa and defeated the Golden Hurricane, 11-2, in the last meeting between the schools on April 30, 2002. After this week's game in T-Town, TU will visit Norman on April 28 for Oklahoma's final regular-season game. OU's trip to Stillwater for the conclusion of the Bedlam series on Thursday will be a critical matchup for both the Sooners and OSU. Oklahoma posted a dramatic 2-1 win over the Cowgirls in Norman on April 2 and the OSU faithful will be ready for some payback.

Both schools are near the top of the conference standings and are battling for seed position in the looming Big 12 Conference Tournament, May 1-4.

No. 5 Oklahoma at Tulsa
Hardesty Sports Complex - Tulsa, Okla.
Tuesday, April 22 - 7 p.m.

No. 5 Oklahoma at No. 17 Oklahoma State
Cowgirl Stadium - Stillwater, Okla.
Thursday, April 24 - 7 p.m.

Scouting Tulsa
The Golden Hurricane are 29-22 overall and 4-6 in the WAC. Tulsa dropped two games to Hawaii, 2-0 and 2-1, in its most recent action last weekend. Freshman infielder Katie Torres leads TU with a .307 batting average but six players are batting above .250. Senior infielder Crissy Strimple leads the team in RBI (33), runs scored (29), homers (9) and total bases with 84. Close behind in offensive production are Brandi McGuire (.304), Stacey Walkingstick (.287), Danielle Olson (.268) and Holly Reynolds (.266). Two pitchers have split the bulk of the work from the mound for the Golden Hurricane this season. Freshman Maren Genow (13-6) has an ERA of 1.83 in 149 innings while sophomore Ami Day (12-11) has pitched 149.2 innings with a 1.54 ERA. TU head coach James Pinkerton is 90-80 (.529) overall in three seasons at Tulsa. Pinkerton is 0-6 against the Sooners. The Sooners are 23-0 all-time against Tulsa and defeated the Golden Hurricane, 11-2, in the last meeting between the schools on April 30, 2002. After this week's game in T-Town, TU will visit Norman on April 28 for Oklahoma's final regular-season game.

Scouting Oklahoma State
The No. 17 OS U Cowgirls are 32-9 overall and 10-3 in the Big 12 after sweeping Nebraska in Lincoln over the weekend. OSU will play a doubleheader with Iowa State prior to hosting OU in the Bedlam game. Oklahoma State is led on the mound by senior sensation Lauren Bay. Bay has an ERA of 0.76 in 166 innings pitched with an 18-6 record. She leads the Big 12 in strikeouts with 322 and has given up just 18 earned runs. Bay also leads the Cowgirls at the plate. She sports a .347 batting average with 34 hits, 15 RBI, nine doubles, four home runs and 20 runs scored. OU's trip to Stillwater for the conclusion of the Bedlam series on Thursday will be a critical matchup for both the Sooners and OSU. Oklahoma posted a dramatic 2-1 win over the Cowgirls in Norman on April 2 and the OSU faithful will be ready for some payback. In front of 1,365 fans -- the largest crowd ever to witness a regular season game at the OU Softball Complex -- sophomore catcher Heather Scaglione belted a two-run double in the bottom of the seventh to propel Oklahoma past the Cowgirls. Both schools are near the top of the conference standings and are battling for seed position in the looming Big 12 Conference Tournament, May 1-4.

Streaks to Watch

	Oklahoma needs just four more wins to record the 1,000th victory in the program's history. The Sooners are currently 996-592 (.627) in 29 years of softball.
	16 of OU's 32 wins have been shutouts. The record for shutouts in a season at Oklahoma is 30 (1997).
	OU has been held scoreless in just three games this season.
	The Sooners have had nine double-digit hit games this season without allowing one opponent to reach that mark.
	Overall, Oklahoma has outscored its opponents in every inning this season save the ninth. OU is 0-4 in the ninth frame. The Sooners are +123 in scoring against the opposition (197-74) through 43 games.
	The Sooners have had at least one home run in 27 of 43 games this season. Seven of those games have been multiple-homer games. Three of the multiple-homer games featured a trio of roundtrippers.
	Oklahoma hasn't given up a triple this season but has pinned 12 on its opponents. The stat highlights OU's impressive extra-base hitting advantage. The Sooners have 54 doubles and 37 home runs while allowing just 29 doubles and 13 homers.
	OU has given up 10 or more strikeouts in just four of 43 games this season. OSU's Lauren Bay got 13 K's while Cat Osterman of Texas notched 17 in nine innings.
	OU is 6-1 in run-ruled games but 0-2 in games going to extra innings. Both games that went long concluded in the ninth inning. LSU got a 7-4 win in nine frames while Texas escaped with a 1-0 win in Austin.
	Senior third baseman Leah Gulla has started 108 consecutive games for the Sooners since the beginning of the 2002 season (longest current streak on the team).
	Erin Evans leads the team with 15 multiple hit games. The senior centerfielder has 13 games with two hits and two with three.
	Leah Gulla has 14 multiple hit games. She's gotten two hits in 13 games and she produced a four-hit game against Cal-Riverside in five innings.
	Oklahoma has never finished lower than second in the Big 12 standings.
	If Oklahoma reaches an NCAA Regional this season, it will mark the 10th consecutive for OU dating back to 1994.
	If OU reaches the Women's College World Series, it will mark the fourth consecutive trip to Oklahoma City for the Sooners since winning it all in 2000.

Gulla Belting Big 12
Senior third baseman Leah Gulla has compiled an outstanding .406 batting average for the season. Against Big 12 competition, she leads the conference in batting .396. Gulla has team-high totals in hits (52), RBI (43), doubles (10) and total bases (88). In the Big 12, the Huntington Beach, Calif., native has 17 hits and 10 RBI including three doubles and two home runs for 26 total bases. She's scored five runs, amassed a .605 slugging percentage and successfully stole a base on her one attempt. Gulla owns the longest current games started streak on the team with 108 starts since the beginning of the 2002 season. Gulla has been named Big 12 Player of the Week twice this season and was honored as NFCA National Player of the Week earlier this year. It marked the first time OU has had a National Player of the Week.

Keiter Flying High
On the season, OU ace Kami Keiter (22-4) has struck out 168 of 659 batters faced with an opponent's batting average of .171. She's allowed just 21 runs with an impressive 0.78 ERA. Against stiff Big 12 competition, Keiter's ERA has actually dropped to 0.73. Keiter has pitched a league-high 189.2 innings and leads the conference in wins (24) and shutouts (10). Keiter was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week after striking out a career-high 14 batters at No. 5 Nebraska on March 20. On the season, Keiter leads the Sooners on the mound with 179.2 innings pitched and an ERA of 0.74. Keiter leads the Big 12 in wins (eight) and innings pitched (76).

Enea Continues Fast Start
Sophomore first baseman Christina Enea is batting .293 with 29 hits including four doubles, two triples and three home runs in 99 appearances at the plate. She's scored 14 runs with 19 RBI and 46 total bases. Last season, Christina Enea was named to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-America team as a third team utility player selection. Enea capped off one of the best Sooner freshman campaigns in recent history, leading the team for the majority of the season in hitting. Enea finished with a Big 12-best 57 RBI and 19 doubles. Enea compiled a .354 batting average, eight home runs and 68 runs scored. Enea was also named first team All-Midwest Region and first team All-Big 12. Enea became the first OU freshman to garner All-America honors and the 15th all-time selection for the program.

Grand Slam, Thank You Ma'am
Senior shortstop Kelli Braitsch belted the first grand slam of her career in OU's 10-1 run-rule of Iowa State on April 6. Braitsch is OU's all-time career total bases leader with 423 over her career. She passed former Sooner great Lisa Carey (1998-2001) who had amassed 350 bases. The senior from Broken Arrow, Okla., is climbing several other significant career records charts. Braitsch ranks second in runs scored (184), third in hits (251), fourth in RBI (153), third in doubles (48), sixth in triples (11) and third in home runs (34).

Askins Gets One Too
Freshman Dana Askins blasted the first home run of her Sooner career against Texas Tech on April 19 in Lubbock. She did it with the bases loaded giving her the first Grand Slam of her career and Oklahoma's second of the season (Braitsch). Both came against Big 12 competition. Askins is batting .200 but has some impressive hits including a double, a triple, a home run and the grand slam. She's also pitched 63.2 innings with an ERA of 1.65.

Evans One to Watch
With 12 stolen bases to lead the team this season, senior Erin Evans has picked up where she left off last season. The centerfielder has 67 stolen bases as a Sooner and moved to third on the OU career list. Evans needs eight more to climb to second place (74) and 20 more to overtake all-time stolen bases leader Christy Ring (86). In each of her three seasons at Oklahoma, Evans has earned first team Academic All-Big 12 honors.

Weight = Title Experience
Starting at second base for the Sooners, senior Tiffany Weight has amassed 76 putouts and 63 assists this season. She also belted her second career home run on Feb. 28 in OU's 7-4 win over UC-Riverside. Weight came to Norman with a national championship already on her resume. The Springville, Utah, native played her first two seasons at Utah Valley State College and led the Wolverines to the NJCAA national title in 2000. Now, Weight is in Norman playing for Oklahoma and making regular trips to the NCAA postseason. "Being at the College World Series (last year) was probably one of my best moments," Weight said, who now wears Sooner jersey No. 16. "Having little kids around wanting autographs and seeing all the people there, I thought,'This is amazing. I'm here, and this is where everyone wants to be who plays softball.'"

Solid Behind the Plate
Sophomore Heather Scaglione hit the game-winning two-run double in the Bedlam game against Oklahoma State on April 2. Scaglione's started 41 of 43 games at catcher for Oklahoma in 2003. She's amassed 239 putouts and 21 assists with only two errors. Scaglione's powerful arm has caught 11 runners attempting to steal a base. Scaglione has done a little of everything offensively for Oklahoma. The San Diego, Calif., native has batted .305 with 32 hits, six doubles, two triples, four homers and 17 RBI. Scaglione also has 14 runs, 54 total bases and leads the team with 19 walks drawn. Additionally, she successfully stole a base in two of her five attempts.

Frosh Vesely
Freshman rightfielder Kristin Vesely has led off for the team in 21 of 43 games and is batting .283 with 34 hits including four doubles, one triple, 22 runs and 10 RBI. Vesely is a two-sport athlete who played midfield for the Sooner soccer team last fall. Vesely and 2003 signee Norelle Dickson (Orange, Calif.) helped bring home the gold for the United States in the First Pan Am Championships in Hermosillo, Mexico in December of 2002. The USA Junior Women's National Team defeated Canada 2-0 to capture the gold medal. By finishing in the top five of the Pan Am Championship, the USA earned its berth in the 2003 ISF Junior Women's World Championships in Nanjing, China.

Depth In The Dugout
The Sooners are enjoying production out of the dugout this season. Freshman pitchers Dana Askins (6-4) and Nicole Denes (5-0) have combined for 99.4 innings. Sophomore transfer April Valdez has started 17 games for OU, batting .178 with eight hits including one double, a home run, four RBI and 38 putouts. Freshman Mariee Mena has started 16 games (played in 29) and has six hits with one double, two runs and one RBI. Mena's stolen two bases on three attempts and has 14 putouts on the season. Jessica Leslie has started 19 games (played in 33) and belted her second career homer during OU's 8-0 win over UMKC on March 3. In fact, three of Leslie's seven hits this season were extra-base hits. Junior Katie Overton has started two games and played in 14. Overton has four hits in 11 at bats (.364) and has scored three runs for the Sooners. She hit the first triple of her career against Oklahoma City on April 15.

Dana Askins (Fr.)	Moore, Okla.
Nicole Denes (Fr.)	Coppell, Texas
Nikki Holt (Jr.)	Camarillo, Calif.
Mariee Mena (Fr.)	Escondido, Calif.
Lori Shimasaki (Fr.)	Edmond, Okla.
April Valdez (Fr.)	Hacienda Hts., Calif.
Kristin Vesely (Fr.)	Phoenix, Ariz.

Pinch Me
Junior transfer Nikki Holt and freshman Lori Shimasaki are seeing playing time as pinch runners with Holt scoring 10 runs and Shimasaki eight. Holt is 4-for-6 on steal attempts with Shimasaki 6-for-10 this spring. Holt added some offensive stats to her resume by getting an RBI in just her second at bat as a Sooner in OU's 10-0 run-rule of No. 24 Kansas.

Two Sooners Among Top 25
Senior third baseman Leah Gulla and sophomore pitcher Kami Keiter were among the 25 finalists for the 2003 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award the Amateur Softball Association announced from its conference office in Oklahoma City. The award, which is considered the Heisman Trophy in women's collegiate softball and is the only national player of the year award, is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country. Oklahoma was one of only five schools nationally to place more than one player on the list and the only Big XII school to do so. The Sooners join Arizona, Cal State Fullerton, Georgia and UCLA with multiple honorees.

Sooners First to 100
Justifying its nickname, the Oklahoma Sooners became the first Big 12 team to reach the 100-win mark in conference play. OU beat No. 5 Nebraska, 1-0, in Lincoln for its 100th Big 12 victory on March 20. Since the formation of the Big 12 in 1996, Oklahoma has amassed a league-best 109-27 (.801) record. The Sooners lead the conference in first team All-Big 12 selections with 29 and have the most All-America selections since 1996 with 15. Over that span, OU has captured three conference titles (1996, 1999, 2000) and has been Big 12 Tournament champion twice (1996, 2001). Head Coach Patty Gasso was named Big 12 Coach of the Year in 1996, 1999 and 2000. Here's a closer look at how OU stacks up against one of the most competitive conferences in the nation:

All-time Big 12 Records (1996-2003)

Oklahoma

109-27 (.801)

University of Oklahoma Athletics

OU Softball Looks To Finish Season In Sooner State

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