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
No. 4 Softball Begins Friday In Florida
February 04, 2005 | Softball
NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 4 Oklahoma softball team will begin the 2005 season on Friday, Feb. 4, when it enters the 2005 Clearwater Invitational (Fla.), which is being hosted by the University of Florida at the Ed C. Moore Softball Complex.
The Sooners begin tourney action at 11 a.m. (CST) Friday when they face 2004 Atlantic Sun Conference Champion Florida Atlantic on Field Six. The Sooners round out Friday action with a 1:30 p.m. contest against Appalachian State.
After playing Louisville and Florida on Saturday, OU will enter medal play on Sunday where attractive possible match ups with DePaul and No. 13/14 Tennessee await.
Scouting Florida Atlantic
The Owls of Florida Atlantic are coached by softball legend Joan Joyce, who is widely considered one of the best softball pitchers of all time. FAU is already 0-2 on the young season. The Owls lost to Florida (4-2) and Florida International (3-2) in the Sunshine State Softball Kick Off last weekend. The Owls (56-18 in 2004) were the overwhelming favorite to continue their A-Sun dominance in both the coaches and media polls. Individually, Candice Freel, Pam Mazzarella, Jessica Braggins, and Jessica Sachs received preseason all-conference honors. FAU has won both of the previous meetings, which occurred during the Florida International Tournament in 2002.
2005 Season Preview | 2004 Season Review
Scouting Appalachian State
Appalachian State when 22-39 in 2004 and finished eighth in the Southern Conference. The Mountaineers return six starts including sophomore third baseman Lindsey Glover who hit. 269 and was second on the team with 21 RBI in 2004. The top returning pitcher is senior Jennifer Hurley, who went 8-12 with a 3.3 ERA last season. Friday's meeting will be the first between the two institutions.
Scouting Louisville
The Louisville Cardinals (41-19) were picked to win the Conference USA title in the coaches' preseason poll. Additionally, senior hurler Aja Sherman was picked as the Preseason Conference USA Pitcher of the Year by the leagues' coaches. The Cardinals and Sooners split two games during the 2004 OU/Nike Classic with UL winning the opener 3-1 while OU rebounded for a 8-0 victory in the night cap. OU roughed up Sherman for four runs over 3.2 innings of work, which included a three-run homer by Sooner sophomore Jamie Fox.
2005 Roster | 2005 Schedule | PDF Version of Game Notes
Scouting Florida
The Florida Gators are off to a 2-0 start and are among the teams receiving votes in both national polls. UF would rank No. 29 in the NFCA poll and No. 31 in the USA Softball poll if the lists were extended. UF defeated Florida Atlantic 4-1 and Florida International 6-1 last weekend. The Gators were picked to finish third behind Georgia (preseason No. 1 pick) and Clearwater Invite participant Tennessee. UF's staff is led by inexperienced seniors Amanda Knowles and Mandy Schuerman. Schuerman did not pitch in 2004 while Knowles threw just 28.1 innings with a 4.2 ERA.
Sooners Debut At No. 4 ... Again
For the second consecutive season the Oklahoma softball team is ranked No. 4 in both the USA Today/ NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason polls. For the Sooners it marks the fifth consecutive year they have earned a top 10 preseason ranking. “It's an honor any time you receive this type of recognition from the nation's coaches,” said OU head coach Patty Gasso. “Beyond that it doesn't mean anything. We have to earn that ranking and this team is excited about that opportunity. Every season our goal is to get to the Women's College World Series and win a national championship. Where we rank before the season begins has no bearing on our focus or our goals.” The Sooners trail three Pac 10 schools. Coming off a runner-up finish at the 2004 National Championship, the California Golden Bears rank No. 1 in the preseason edition of both polls. They are followed in each poll by No. 2 Arizona and No. 3 UCLA. Rounding out the top five are Stanford (USA Softball) and LSU (NFCA).
Sooners Second In Big 12 Poll
Hours after leading all Big 12 schools with a No. 4 ranking in both national preseason polls, the Oklahoma softball team was picked to finish second by the Big 12 coaches in the annual preseason poll. The Sooners received four first place votes, which was two shy of Texas, who claimed the No. 1 spot for the second time in the last three seasons. The preseason rankings can be found on the next page, along with the results from last season.
Three Sooners On Watch List
The same trio of Norrelle Dickson, Kami Keiter and Heather Scaglione that represented Oklahoma on the USA Elite Team has been named to the USA Softball Player of the Year watch list. It marks the first time that OU has had three players on the watch list, as well as being the first time a sophomore (Dickson) has garnered the recognition. The watch list is comprised of 40 players that represent 23 colleges and 10 different Conferences. A list of 25 finalists will be announced on April 5. A player does not have to be on the watch list to be considered for the top 25. But once the Top 25 is named the remaining finalist must be pared down from that list. Just days before the start of post-season play, a list of 10 finalists will be named and released on May 10th. The three finalists will be announced May 31st. The winner of the 2005 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award will be announced at the 2005 NCAA Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
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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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 656-221-1 (.747). 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 494-162-1 (.752). Gasso is just six wins shy of the 500th victory of her Sooner career. The earliest Gasso could reach 500 would be the first game of the Houston Hilton Classic on Feb. 11.
Streaks
Notable streaks entering the 2005 season opener:
117 - Consecutive games started by Kristin Vesely.
99 - Consecutive games started by Heather Scaglione.
76 - Consecutive games without committing an error by Jessica Leslie.
68 - Consecutive games started by Norrelle Dickson.
13 - Consecutive season openers won by the OU softball team, including 10 straight under Patty Gasso.
9 - Game hitting streak by Christina Enea dating back to May 15, 2004 vs. Missouri (Big 12 Tourney).
5 - Game hitting streak by Kami Keiter dating back to May 23, 2004 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (NCAA Regionals).
5 - Game hitting streak by Kristin Vesely dating back to May 23, 2004 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (NCAA Regionals).
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.
Class Rank
The 2005 senior class (Christina Enea, Heather Scaglione, Kami Keiter and Jessica Leslie) is one of the best in OU history. In fact, based on career accomplishments to date, it ranks second in OU history. The 2001 group (LaKisha Washington, Lisa Carey, Jamie White, Ashli Barrett, Andrea Davis and Mandy Fulton) appeared on the OU career record lists 25 times going into their final season. The 2004 version appears 21 times. The 2001 crew only improved their marks in their final season and currently appears 32 times on the career lists.
The 2005 senior class does hold a couple distinctions over 2001. The quartet is the first in OU history to have three different graduating-players with All-America honors. It also is more well rounded than their counterparts. The 2001 version did not have a pitcher on any lists. The 2005 team has Kami Keiter, who ranks in the top six of all nine career pitching categories.
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