Home Sweet Home: Softball Wraps Up Regular Season In Norman

April 25, 2003

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NORMAN, Okla. - After a four-game road swing, Oklahoma returns to Norman to play the final three games of its regular season schedule at the OU Softball Complex. The Sooners host No. 19 Texas A&M in a weekend series on Saturday and Sunday with both games scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

OU then hosts Tulsa for Senior Night on Monday, April 28, at 7 p.m.

The Big 12 Tournament seedings will sort out this weekend with the top six teams in the conference playing each other. Texas plays at Oklahoma State with the regular season title on the line, Nebraska is at Missouri and Texas A&M plays at Oklahoma. The tournament begins Thursday, May 1, at Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.

No. 5 Oklahoma vs. No. 19 Texas A&M
OU Softball Complex - Norman, Okla.

Game 1: Saturday, April 26 at 1 p.m.
Promotions: Softball Bingo, Fan of the Game, OU Pom Pons

Game 2: Sunday, April 27 at 1 p.m.
Promotions: Fan Appreciation Day, $.50 Hot Dogs & Cokes, OG&E Softball Trading Cards

No. 5 Oklahoma vs. Tulsa
OU Softball Complex - Norman, Okla.
Monday, April 28 at 7 p.m.
Promotions: Senior Night, $.50 Hot Dogs & Cokes, OU Pom Pons

Scouting Texas A&M
The No. 19 Aggies are currently in fifth place in the Big 12 standings at 10-6 and 34-16 overall. In two home games last week, A&M dropped a 4-1 game to Texas on April 22 and beat Baylor, 2-0, on April 24. The series with Oklahoma marks the end of the regular season for the Aggies. Texas A&M features four batters hitting above .291. Sophomore outfielder Jana James (.318) has a team-high 47 hits and 17 doubles. Senior catcher Selena Collins (.315) leads the team with 11 home runs and 35 RBI. Sophomore infielder Adrian Gregory (.292) leads the team in total bases with 87 and has scored a team-high 36 runs. Senior shortstop Crystal Martin (.314) also represents a significant threat at the plate. A&M has two junior pitchers who carry the Aggies from the mound. Jessica Slataper (12-10) has pitched 156 innings with an ERA of 1.79 while Lindsey Wilhelmson has an ERA of 1.89 in 133.2 innings. OU leads the overall series with Texas A&M, 27-19, and has won 11 of the last 12 meetings between the two teams. Last season, Oklahoma beat the Aggies four times: twice in the regular season and twice in the NCAA Regional in Norman.

Scouting Tulsa
The Golden Hurricane are 29-23 overall and 4-6 in the WAC. Tulsa plays Louisiana Tech in a doubleheader on Saturday before traveling to Norman for the Monday night game. Freshman infielder Katie Torres leads TU with a .302 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 (.298), Stacey Walkingstick (.284), Danielle Olson (.268) and Holly Reynolds (.259). Two pitchers have split the bulk of the work from the mound for the Golden Hurricane this season. Freshman Maren Genow (13-7) has an ERA of 2.04 in 154.1 innings while sophomore Ami Day (12-11) has pitched 151.1 innings with a 1.62 ERA. TU head coach James Pinkerton is 90-81 (.526) overall in three seasons at Tulsa. Pinkerton is 0-7 against the Sooners. The Sooners are 24-0 all-time against TU and defeated the Golden Hurricane, 8-0, in the last meeting between the schools in Tulsa on April 22, 2003.

Streaks to Watch

	Oklahoma needs just three more wins to record the 1,000th victory in the program's history. The Sooners are currently 997-593 (.627) in 29 years of softball.
	17 of OU's 36 wins have been shutouts. The record for shutouts in a season at Oklahoma is 30 (1997).
	OU has been held scoreless in just four games this season.
	The Sooners have had 10 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. The Sooners are +127 in scoring against the opposition (205-78) through 45 games.
	The Sooners have had at least one home run in 28 of 45 games this season. Eight of those games have been multiple-homer games. Four of the multiple-homer games featured a trio of roundtrippers. OU has given up a homer in only nine games.
	Oklahoma hasn't allowed 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 40 home runs while allowing just 26 doubles and 13 homers.
	OU has given up 10 or more strikeouts in just five of 45 games this season.
	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 110 consecutive games for the Sooners since the beginning of the 2002 season (longest current streak on the team).
	Erin Evans has 15 multiple hit games. The senior centerfielder has 13 games with two hits and two with three.
	Leah Gulla also has 15 multiple hit games. She's gotten two hits in 13 games and she produced a three-hit game at Tulsa and a four-hit game against Cal-Riverside in five innings.
	Leah Gulla has 13 multiple RBI games while Kelli Braitsch has seven.
	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 leads the Big 12 with an outstanding .410 batting average and 45 RBI. Gulla has team-high totals in hits (55), RBI (45), doubles (10) and total bases (91). 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 .578 slugging percentage and successfully stole a base on her one attempt. Gulla owns the longest current games started streak on the team with 110 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. She is also one of ten finalists nationally for the SWM/Akadema Player of the Year Award.

Keiter Flying High
On the season, OU ace Kami Keiter (25-5) has struck out 182 of 700 batters faced with an opponent's batting average of .173. She's allowed just 24 earned runs with an impressive 0.84 ERA. Against stiff Big 12 competition, Keiter's ERA is 0.92 with a 10-4 record. Keiter's pitched a league-high 200.1 innings and leads the conference in wins (25) and appearances (37). Keiter was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week after striking out a career-high 14 batters at No. 5 Nebraska on March 20.

Braitsch is All-Time Total Bases Leader
Senior shortstop Kelli Braitsch is OU's all-time career total bases leader with 428 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 (185), third in hits (253), fourth in RBI (154), third in doubles (48), sixth in triples (11) and third in home runs (35). Braitsch belted the first grand slam of her career in OU's 10-1 run-rule of Iowa State on April 6.

Enea Continues Fast Start
Sophomore first baseman Christina Enea is batting .279 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.

Askins Gets Grand Slam
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 .167 but has some impressive hits including a double, a triple and the grand slam. She's also pitched 66 innings with an ERA of 1.59.

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 80 putouts and 66 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 43 of 45 games at catcher for Oklahoma in 2003. She's amassed 254 putouts and 22 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 .291 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 23 of 45 games and is batting .283 with 36 hits including four doubles, one triple, one home run, 24 runs and 11 RBI. Vesely hit the first home run as a Sooner in Oklahoma's first at bat against Tulsa on April 22. 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 102.2 innings. Sophomore transfer April Valdez has started 17 games for OU, batting .196 with nine hits including one double, a home run, six RBI and 38 putouts. Freshman Mariee Mena has started 16 games (played in 30) and has seven hits with one double, three runs and one RBI. Mena's stolen two bases on three attempts and has 14 putouts on the season. Jessica Leslie has started 20 games (played in 35) 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 have been 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 both scoring 11 runs each for the Sooners. 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. Shimasaki has four hits in nine at bats (.444) including a double for five total bases.

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 109-28 (.796) 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 in 1996 and 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

109-28 (.796)

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Home Sweet Home: Softball Wraps Up Regular Season In Norman

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