Bedlam Looms Large For Sooner Softball

The No. 17 Oklahoma softball team looks to continue its two-game Big 12 winning streak when it faces in-state rival Oklahoma State on Thursday night. The softball version of the Bedlam Series, presented by Bank of Oklahoma and your Oklahoma Ford Dealers, is set for a 7 p.m. start from the Cowgirl Softball Complex on the OSU campus.

The contest has major implications in a couple areas for both teams. Oklahoma State (0-4) is mired in its worst conference start - Big 12 or Big Eight - in program history. OU is 2-4 in conference and needs a win to keep pace and advance from its current sixth-place standing. As for the 2003-04 Bedlam Standings, the two schools are tied at 5-5 with the first softball contest giving the winning university the all-important lead in pursuit of the Bedlam Bell.

See how the Sooners stack up against OSU in the Bedlam Series presented by the Bank of Oklahoma and Your Oklahoma Ford Dealers!

OU took two of three meetings from Oklahoma State in 2003, but both squads have changed dramatically since then. Oklahoma State (20-20, 0-4) has struggled to replace 2003 Big 12 Player of the Year Lauren Bay. Bay led OSU offensively and in the circle last season. In her absence the Pokes are hitting just .226 as a team, while their pitching staff has a 2.40 ERA. Freshman slapper Shanel Scott (.362, 18 SB) is the top OSU hitter, while freshman Jessica Hoppock (16-13, 2.16) has carried the majority of the pitching load.

Below is a snapshot of the all-time series between the fierce rivals:

Series record	OSU leads 62-49
Longest winning streak	14 by OU, snapped on April 24, 2003
Largest margin of victory	OU won 16-0 on April 19, 2001
	OSU won 11-0 in 1976
1-run games	Series tied 21-21
2-run games	OSU leads 15-5
5+ run games	Series tied 12-12
In Stillwater	OSU leads 27-15
In Norman	OU leads 21-12

Thursday's game with Oklahoma State will be broadcast on local radio station KREF (1400 AM) with Brian Brinkley on play-by-play. Fans who can't find KREF on their local dial can access a live web feed at www.kref.com.

OU ends the busy week with a Saturday twin bill against Missouri. Missouri jumped out to a 4-0 conference start with sweeps of Texas and Oklahoma State. The Tigers (17-19) struggled during the non-conference season but appear to be hitting their stride behind ace Erin Kalka (13-11, 1.49). Mizzou's struggles can be directly correlated to its offensive problems. As a team the Tigers are hitting .217 and do not have a batter currently hitting above .300.

Since the start of conference play Missouri has a world class team ERA of 0.20. The pitching efforts of Kalka, who has thrown 30.2 of 35 conference innings, have been more than enough for the Tigers in Big 12 play, especially considering their offense is hitting just .222 during that span.

Nine of OU's final 13 regular season games will be broadcast on the O-Zone, which includes both road games at Oklahoma State and Nebraska. The O-Zone broadcasts for the Oklahoma State game will incorporate video and stats, giving the viewer a complete ballpark experience through their personal computer. The match-ups with Missouri and at Iowa State are not currently scheduled to be broadcast. As usual, LIVE STATS can be accessed through SoonerSports.com at no charge to the user.

THIS WEEK
Monday, April 5
Oklahoma at Tulsa - L, 2-0

Thursday, April 8
Oklahoma at Oklahoma State - 7 p.m.

Saturday, April 10
Missouri at Oklahoma (DH) - Noon

Weekly Release No. 12 | Live Stats | O-Zone Broadcast

Vital Stats
Record - 28-14-1
Streaks - Lost one
USA Today/NFCA Ranking - No. 17
ESPN.com/USA Softball Ranking - No. 17
Big 12 Record - 2-4
Home Record - 14-3
Road Record - 4-6
Non-Conference Record - 26-20-1
Midwest Region Record - 8-7
Out of Region Record - 20-7-1

RECENT HISTORY
Oklahoma took a crucial series from Texas last weekend and improved to 2-4 in the Big 12. OU swept the regular season series from Texas for the first time since 2001 and took a 15-13 lead in the all-time series.

In the first game of the 2004 Red River Rivalry, OU jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to RBI from Jessica Leslie and Nicki Holt. Texas responded with two runs of the their own to the tie up the game late. The hero would be Jamie Fox who ripped a triple to the right field wall and scored on an errant cut-off throw to give OU the 3-2 win. Kami Keiter (5-6) picked up the win after allowing two unearned runs.

OU's offense exploded in the second game of the weekend and won 9-6 in the highest scoring game of the seven year history between the schools. Jessica Leslie's first career grand slam gave the Sooners the 6-0 lead after five innings. The Longhorns came back with a grand slam of their own in the next inning and the Sooners lead was cut to 6-4. A two-run home run by Heather Scaglione put the Sooners up for good. Kami Keiter (6-6) picked up the win and the unofficial save after she reentered to polish off the 9-6 win.

On Monday the Sooners left their offense in Norman and returned home from a game at Tulsa with a 2-0 loss. TU hurler Meran Genow limited OU to three hits, which ties a season low set against No. 1 Arizona (3/19). Golden Hurricane Katie Torres drove in both runs off losing pitcher Kami Keiter (6-7).

DENES SIDELINED FOR SEASON
Oklahoma starting pitcher Nicole Denes will be sidelined for the remainder of her sophomore season with a heart arrhythmia (medically termed Supraventricular Tachycardia). Denes had an irregular heart beat while OU was at Texas A&M (3/28) and has been sidelined since. The condition was diagnosed by OU athletics staff cardiologist Dr. Phil Adamson. Denes will be on medication for six weeks before the medical staff will determine if surgery is needed. Denes finished her 2004 campaign with a 16-6 record and 1.77 ERA in 142.1 innings of work.

No. 13 CLAIMS THIRD BIG 12 HONOR
Oklahoma junior catcher Heather Scaglione was named Big 12 Player of the Week on Tuesday, April 6, for her efforts over the prior week. Scaglione continues to set herself apart as one of the Big 12's best sluggers. During four games last week the San Diego, Calif., native launched two home runs, while registering a .462 batting average. Scaglione began the week with a 3-for-3 effort against Baylor that included a solo home run in the contest. In the two victories over two-time defending Big 12 champion Texas, Scaglione hit .500. The catcher blasted a two-run home run that clinched a 9-6 win against the Longhorns last Sunday. Scaglione leads the Big 12 in home runs and her current total is the ninth best single-season mark in OU history. For the week Scaglione turned in a slugging percentage of .908 while recording an on-base percentage of .533. Scaglione also upped her Big 12 leading RBI total to 35.

BEDLAM UPDATE
The first Bedlam softball game will have an impact on more than just the Big 12 standings. The Bedlam series, presented by Bank of Oklahoma and your Oklahoma Ford Dealers, is tied up at 5-5. The winner of the April 8 game will give its University a one point lead. CLICK HERE to view the up to date Bedlam Series, presented by Bank of Oklahoma and your Oklahoma Ford Dealers, standings.

MARCHING FORWARD
Spring is here and more importantly for OU, the month of March is over. OU went 10-9 during the month, its worst 19-game stretch under head coach Patty Gasso and its worst month under the OU all-time wins leader. The only other time that OU has lost more games in a single month was in March, 1995, when OU went 15-10. The rough month in 1995 was during Gasso's first year at the helm of the program.

STOPPING CRIME
In 43 games this season only 16 runners have attempted to steal a base against junior catcher Heather Scaglione and she's gunned down 10 of them (63 percent). Last year 38 runners tried to the steal on the Sooner signal caller and she tossed out 14 (38 percent). Scaglione had a streak of 34 straight games without allowing a stolen base snapped against Arizona (3/19). Coach Gasso has taken to calling her the best catcher in the country and it's clear that Scaglione's reputation is preceding her.

PROMOTING THEFT
Baseball statisticians say individuals need to successfully steal 80 percent of the time to help their team. How about if your team completes the theft at an 85 percent rate? The Sooners have swiped 71 bases on 83 attempts (86 percent) this season. Twelve Sooners have recorded a stolen base with Norrelle Dickson at the top of the pack with 20.

The Sooners work on the base paths is an added dimension from last season. In 2003 OU stole 56 bases on 88 attempts (64 percent). A safe estimate is that OU will play 18 more games, including the Big 12 Tournament, for a regular season total of 61. At their current rate OU is projected to steal 101 bases, which is 11 shy of the school record of 112 set in 2000.

FORGET THE WHIFF
Another sign of OU's offensive adjustments this season is its reduction of strikeouts. OU has only struck out 176 times in 43 games, with a single game-high of 12 against No. 1 Arizona and ace Alicia Hollowell. The Sooner offense is only striking out 4.09 times per game which is down from 4.54 in 2003. OU has only struck out eight or more times on six occasions. If you exclude those six games and 55 total K's, the Sooners are only averaging 3.27 punch outs per game.

UNCHARTED TERRITORY
Junior Kami Keiter has lost four games in the final at-bat this season, which has a lot to do with her 6-7 record. It marks just the second time in her All-American career that the lefty's record has dipped below .500. The closest she came to the mark before this season was in 2002, when she was 5-4 before finishing with a 13-7 mark.

Like Keiter, the Sooners poor start to the Big 12 left them in uncharted territory - last place. Their 0-4 start was the worst in program history, although the recent sweep of Texas provides hope for the Sooners. Win against Oklahoma State (0-4) and Missouri (4-0) this weekend would put the Sooners right back in the thick of the conference race.

RARE DISPLAY OF POWER
Remarkably Norrelle Dickson's first 33 hits of the season were all singles. Dickson broke out of her single routine with an extremely rare sight, an inside the park home run to lead off the back end of a doubleheader against New Mexico (3/12). Of her 57 hits this season, Dickson has just two extra base hits, the other being a double.

OF NOTE.....
With 14 losses this season, OU has already matched the number of losses they posted in 2003 when they went 47-14 ... The most losses by an OU team under Patty Gasso is 23, which came during Gasso's first year (43-23 in 1995) at OU ... OU's current ranking, No. 17, is its lowest since the final poll of the 1999 season ... OU was 8-1 in Big 12 openers under coach Gasso before dropping the opener at Texas A&M (3/27) this season ... Jessica Leslie (left field) is the only remaining regular who has not committed an error this season ... On March 20, April Valdez's batting average dropped below .300 for the first time this season. She is currently hitting .282 ... Norrelle Dickson has recorded multiple hits in 19 games this year, while Heather Scaglione has done it 13 times ... OU's batting average has dropped 34 points since the start of the Kia Klassic (.326 to .292) ... OU's offense had hit a wall, scoring only nine runs over the eight games leading into the series with Texas (4/3-4) ... OU is 3-8 against ranked team's this season and 2-3 against teams currently in the NFCA top-10 ... Dickson, No. 1 in the Big 12 in hits (54) and No. 4 in batting average (.393), leads all freshman in batting average, hits, on-base percentage (.457) and ranks second in stolen bases (20) ... Heather Scaglione moved into a tie for ninth place on the OU single season list for home runs with 12 ... OU is hitting just .196 (11-for-56) with the base loaded this season, although they are hitting a robust .322 with runners on base ... Leadoff hitters are getting on at a .340 clip with Christina Enea (.449), April Valdez (.476) and Norrelle Dickson (.415) all hitting well above .400 when they start innings ... With runners at third base and less than two outs, OU is hitting .484 as a team, although with two outs OU is hitting .290.

LIVING UP TO THE HYPE
Norrelle Dickson came into OU as perhaps the most hyped recruit in the program's history. The speedy leadoff hitter has definitely fit the bill. Dickson is second on the squad in batting average (.393) and leads the Sooners in stolen bases (20) while ranking among the top-10 in the Big 12 in five categories (batting average, stolen bases, on-base percentage, hits and runs). She leads the Big 12 in hits, is fourth in batting average and sixth in on-base percentage. Dickson, the fastest player on OU's roster, was caught stealing in the first game of the season and then she ran off 18 consecutive swipes before being thrown out against Fresno State (3/18).

450 & 600 DOWN, 650 & 500 NEXT?
OU head coach Patty Gasso picked up the 450th win of her career when OU knocked off Illinois 7-0 in the season opener at the LSU Tiger Classic (Feb. 6). Gasso's career Sooner record is 477-154-1 (.755). With a 51 win season Gasso will reach her 500th Sooner victory this season. OU has averaged 53 wins a season since 2000. Gasso coached the 600th game of her Sooner career in OU's 10-0 defeat of North Carolina on Feb. 21. Gasso needs just 11 wins to notch win number 650 of her head coaching career. Her current career record is 639-213-1.

KEITER RETURNS
All-American Kami Keiter returned to the OU pitching staff after missing the first four weeks of the season with a strained biceps muscle in her pitching (left) arm. She debuted in the Houston series (3/5-6) and made an immediate impact. Keiter threw five scoreless innings and picked up two saves as OU won two of three from the Cougars. She extended that streak to 11 scoreless innings before giving up two earned runs in a loss to McNeese State. Keiter is 6-7 on the season with two saves and a 1.20 ERA.

THE NICEST SURPRISE
Oklahoma softball beat writer Guerin Emig (Norman Transcript) called junior April Valdez the "nicest surprise" performer for the Sooner squad in a article detailing OU's quick start (Feb. 21). He definitely has a point. Valdez, who hit .191 last season after transferring from DePaul, has been dominate in the batters box and in the pitching circle. The California native is hitting .282 with a .350 on-base percentage, both of which rank in the top-5 on the team. Valdez has already put together an 11-game hitting streak, which is the best of her career and the longest on the squad this season. The offensive highlight of the season was the grand slam she hit in a 10-0 run-rule defeat of North Carolina on Feb. 21. In the circle Valdez filled a needed hole left by the early injury to Kami Keiter. On the season she is 2-1 with a 2.27 ERA, which ranks second on the team. Valdez, who was recruited as pitcher/utility player out of high school, picked up the first shutout, complete game and win of her OU career during the OU/Nike Classic.

NOT STRANDED ALONE
As a team OU has a remarkable on-base percentage of .367, which leads all Big 12 teams. Five starters are getting on base at a .350 clip or better. While the Sooners are producing an average of 4.8 runs per game, which is up from 4.7 in 2002, there are still plenty of opportunities the coaching staff would like converted. OU has already left 298 runners on base and is stranding an average of 6.98 runners per game. OU has left nine or more runners on base on 11 occasions.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Bedlam Looms Large For Sooner Softball

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