Completed Event: Softball at #12/14 Texas A&M on May 1, 2026 , Loss , 5, to, 8
Final
Softball
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at #12/14 Texas A&M
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Houston Hilton Classic Preview
February 10, 2005 | Softball
NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 12 Oklahoma softball team (2-3) looks to rebound from a disappointing opening weekend when they travel to the Houston Hilton Classic on Friday, Feb. 11.
OU kicks off the tournament with a doubleheader at Noon on Friday. OU will play No. 12 Alabama (5-0) in the opener and then face Sam Houston State (2-3) in the finale. On Saturday, OU will play Sam Houston State at 11 a.m. and Houston at 1 p.m. OU will close tourney action with a Sunday morning (9 a.m.) game against the host-Cougars. Live stats for all the contests will be provided through Houston's athletics web site.
Scouting No. 12 Alabama
Alabama is off to a 5-0 start after winning the Bama Bash Tournament last weekend. The Crimson Tide outscored their outmanned opponents by a combined score of 28-5. The closest contest of the weekend for the 12th-ranked Tide was in the tourney championship game against Alabama Birmingham, when UA won 2-1. Alabama was picked to the win the SEC West title in the preseason coaches poll largely due to the return of sluggers Ashley Courtney and Stephanie VanBrakle. VanBrakle led the Tide in 2004 with 11 HR and 43 RBI, while Courtney was not far off with 9 HR and 29 RBI. Both players are on the USA Softball Player of the Year Watch List. The last time OU and Alabama met was in the 2003 WCWS where OU won 6-3. The Sooners hold a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series.
Complete Game Notes | Big 12 Weekly Release
Scouting Sam Houston State
Sam Houston State went 2-3 in the Mardi Gras Classic hosted by Louisiana-Lafayette last weekend. The Bearkats defeated Prairie View A&M (17-0) and McNeese State (6-4) while falling to Northwestern State (4-2), Lafayette (8-0) and Mississippi (5-2). Offensively, sophomore outfielder Stephanie Mosley is off to a hot start with batting average of .529 and five RBI. Freshman pitcher Shalayne Blythe has impressed with a 0.87 ERA and 1-0 record. The all-time series between SHS and OU is tied at 7-7. The two schools split a pair of games in the 2004 OU/Nike Classic.
Scouting Houston
Houston was swept in its season opening three-game road trip at Texas. The Cougars were shut out in the first two games before losing a heartbreaker 5-4 in the Sunday finale. The Cougars leadoff hitter Kim Nesloney touched up UT All-American Cat Osterman like no one before. Nesloney had a pair of home runs and 3 RBI in the 5-4 loss, making her the first player to every hit a pair of home runs in the same game against the UT ace. Cougar freshman Barbie Love took the loss in all three contests. OU and Houston have met three times, all in 2004, with OU winning two of those contests. OU assistant coach Howard Dobson was in a similar role with Houston for three years before taking his current post with OU prior to the 2003 season.
Three Seniors Taken In NPF Draft
Three Oklahoma softball players were taken in the 2005 National Pro Fastpitch Senior Draft, which took place on Feb. 7 in Denver, Colo. All-American Heather Scaglione was the fist catcher taken with the No. 4 pick by the 2004 NPF Champion NY/NJ Juggernauts. Lefty hurler Kami Keiter was selected in the second round with the 11th overall selection by the Akron Racers, while first baseman Christina Enea went as the first pick of the third round (13th overall) to the Chicago Bandits.
Oklahoma led all programs with three players selected among the 24 draftees. Texas A&M and Cal, who had two draftees each, were the only other program's with multiple selections. Aside from A&M, the only other Big 12 school to have a player drafted was Nebraska (Anne Steffan - 4th round/19th pick).
“These players have earned this honor and their efforts over three-plus seasons have shined a very positive light on this program,” said Gasso, when asked about the significance of leading all programs in draftees. “I think it illustrates that this senior class is one of, if not the best in the country. They are a determined group that has major goals before they begin their professional careers.”
The 500 Club
OU head coach Patty Gasso claimed the 650th victory of her head coaching career (Long Beach City College and OU) with a defeat of No. 25 Tulsa on May 11, 2004. Her current career record is 658-223-1 (.745). Gasso picked up the 450th win of her Sooner career when OU knocked off Illinois 7-0 in the season opener at the 2004 LSU Tiger Classic (Feb. 6). Gasso's OU career record is 496-165-1 (.749). Gasso is just four wins shy of the 500th victory of her Sooner career. The earliest Gasso could reach 500 would be the Saturday against Houston at the Houston Hilton Classic.
Streaks
Notable streaks entering the 2005 Houston Hilton Classic:
129 - Consecutive weeks since the inception of the NFCA Poll that OU has been ranked in the top-25.
122 - Consecutive games started by Kristin Vesely.
104 - Consecutive games started by Heather Scaglione.
81 - Consecutive games without committing an error by Jessica Leslie.
73 - Consecutive games started by Norrelle Dickson.
14 - Consecutive season openers won by the OU softball team, including 11 straight under Patty Gasso.
11 - Consecutive trips to the NCAA postseason.
11 - Consecutive seasons of 40 or more wins, 10 under Gasso.
9 - Consecutive innings without allowing an earned run for freshman Stacy Braddock.
5 - Consecutive Regional Championships.
5 - Consecutive Women's College World Series appearances.
2 - Consecutive seasons that head coach Patty Gasso has started a freshman at shortstop.
Four Available Arms
Through one weekend of competition, the OU pitching staff has already shown why it may be the deepest of the Patty Gasso era. OU threw all four of its pitchers and the freshmen were more impressive than the known commodities. Freshman Stacey Braddock (1-1, 0.00) worked three perfect innings in her collegiate debut and is yet to allow an earned run in nine innings this season. Fellow rookie Jadyn Smith (0-1, 1.71 )worked one inning in her premier against Appalachian State and struck out the side. In her first career start against DePaul she worked five innings allowing one earned run and striking out two. Both freshmen have lower ERA than veterans Nicole Denes (0-0, 1.75) and Kami Keiter (1-1, 2.33).
Comeback of the Year
Oklahoma starting pitcher Nicole Denes was sidelined for the last 30 games of her sophomore season (2004) with a heart arrhythmia (medically termed Superventricular Tachycardia). Denes had an irregular heart beat while OU was at Texas A&M (3/28) and was held out of competition from that point. The condition was diagnosed by OU athletics staff cardiologist Dr. Phil Adamson. Denes was on medication for three months before undergoing successful heart surgery on July 9, 2004. Two weeks later she was cleared for full physical activity and is once again be the No. 2 starter on the OU pitching staff. Denes finished her 2004 campaign with a 16-6 record and 1.82 ERA in 142.1 innings of work.
Worth Noting...
OU has committed six errors this season and allowed nearly as many unearned runs (5) as earned (6) ... OU set a new single game record by hammering out 19 hits in the season opener against Florida Atlantic ... The previous mark of 18 hits was set against Central (Okla.) State in 1978 and San Diego State in 2001 ... OU's current record for runs scored is 19 (vs. Central State in 1981), equal to the hits mark ... OU's best hit effort in 2004 was 16 against Sam Houston State on Feb. 22 ... By starting against Florida Atlantic (Feb. 4) Freshman Savannah Long became the second consecutive freshman to start the season at shortstop for OU head coach Patty Gasso ... In 2004 Norrelle Dickson began at short before moving to third base ... Sophomore Jade Prather had an infield single in her first career at bat against FAU ... Jessica Leslie tied a career high with three runs scored against FAU ... She had accomplished the feat on two prior occasions ... OU tied the single game record with six doubles, which has now happened on seven occasions in school history ... Scaglione tied the OU single game record for doubles (3) against FAU and now shares the mark with three others ... Senior Christina Enea had a nine-game hitting streak that dated back to 2004 snapped against FAU ... After scoring 18 runs and collecting 25 hits, OU was held to two runs and six hits in its final three games (Louisville, Florida, DePaul) of the Clearwater Invitational ... OU struck out looking seven times during those three contests ... With four doubles Heather Scaglione is over a third of the way to her 2004 total of 11 ... Scaglione (26) is just four two-baggers shy of the OU career top-10 ... Since the start of the NCAA postseason in 2004, Kami Keiter is hitting .414 (12-for-29) with a home run, nine RBI and five doubles.
Framing It
A comparison with all the major conferences, puts a frame on OU's accomplishment of reaching five straight Women's College World Series. Only the Pac 10 with 20 appearances by six teams has outdone OU. No other conference can total its WCWS appearances over the last five years and match the Sooners. Below is the list:
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What Is Back
Hard numbers and percentages of what returns on offense, defense and pitching:
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What Is Not
The biggest holes reside in the middle of the infield, where 2004 starting second baseman April Valdez and starting shortstop Katie Overton have left some big shoes to fill. Beyond position changes, the Sooners will reload offensively, defensively and in the pitching circle. The Sooners return the players that accounted for no less than 80 of all 2004 statistics.
Sunday, May 24
Saturday, May 23
Saturday, May 23
Friday, May 22
