Softball In State For Three Games This Week

NORMAN, Okla. -- After spending spring break in California the No. 8 Oklahoma softball team (31-5) will showcase its skills in Tulsa and Norman this week. The Sooners begin action with a Wednesday night game at Tulsa (18-18). The contest, which has been incorrectly publicized as being scheduled for March 22, will begin at 7 p.m. at the Donna J. Hardesty Sports Complex.

Over Easter weekend the Sooners welcome Iowa State (9-13) to the OU Softball Complex. The Cyclones will be in town for a doubleheader beginning Friday at 4 p.m. The Friday games will be webcast live on the O-Zone.

Despite losing their most recent contest to No. 1 Arizona, the Sooners remain one of the hottest teams in the country and have won 29 of their last 30 games. OU is hitting .353 as a team, which ranks second in the Big 12. OU leads all conference teams in runs (238), on-base percentage (.429), hits (333), doubles (72), RBI (218) and bases on balls (119).

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No hitter has been more instrumental in OU's success than All-America candidate Kristin Vesely. Vesely is hitting .521 and has reached safely in 30 of 36 games this season, including 28 of the last 29 games. She may be the most potent number two hitter in the country with her all-around ability to rattle opposing pitchers. She has scored a Big 12-leading 41 runs, while also collecting 14 doubles, driving in 24 runs and swiping 20 bases.

The senior class is making the most of its final collegiate season. Kami Keiter and Jessica Leslie are both off to the best starts of their careers. Keiter is 16-2 with a 0.70 ERA, while also hitting .273 with 17 RBI. Leslie leads the Big 12 with 38 RBI and ranks fourth on the OU squad with a .369 batting average.

For former All-Americans Heather Scaglione and Christina Enea it is more of the same consistent play. Scaglione is second on the OU team with a .392 batting average and 34 RBI. She is also shutting down the base paths, where no opponent even attempted to steal on her during the KIA Klassic. Despite playing on a bad ankle, Enea is hitting .322 with 30 RBI and 24 runs. She has also been flawless defensively at first base.

Tulsa and OU have split four meetings over the last two seasons. All-time, the series is dramatically in OU's favor at 25-2.

Tulsa is led offensively by slugger Katie Torres, who is hitting .323 with two home runs and 10 RBI. Torres had a solo shot off Keiter in the Golden Hurricane's 2-0 defeat of OU last season.

The TU pitching staff is anchored by Lindsey Dyer, who is 6-2 with a 1.11 ERA. Opponents are hitting just .196 off the Golden Hurricane ace.

Tulsa, which has a pair of wins over Oklahoma State, is coached by Christy Connoyer. Connoyer is in her first season at Tulsa and was previously an assistant at Purdue. Former TU head coach Jamie Pinkerton resigned his post to take the same position at Arkansas.

Scouting Iowa State
Iowa State has been the least active of the Big 12 teams during the non-conference season. Iowa State has played 22 games this season and lost 13, while the Sooners have won 31 of 36 contests. The Cyclones rank at the bottom of the Big 12 in batting average and ERA. Offensively, Katie Reichling is the only regular hitting above .300. Reichling is at .333 with four RBI and a .467 on-base percentage. Iowa State's offense is yet to be explosive this season. They have hit just four home runs and scored 55 runs (2.5 per game).

The pitching staff is anchored by Reichling as well. She is 4-4 with a 1.87 ERA. The sophomore hurler did not face OU last season, that duty went to Alysson Ransom, who went 1-1 against the Sooners. ISU upset the Sooners last season, marking just the second time they have prevailed over OU since 1997. Ransom defeated the Sooners with a complete game, five hit, one run performance. To the right is a comparison of ISU and OU team stats.

Top 10 In The Top 25
The top 10 team batting averages among teams ranked in the top 25 (as of March 21):

1. Tennessee - .359
2. Texas A&M - .357
3. Oklahoma - .353
4. Baylor - .350
5. LSU - .335
6. Missouri - .332
7. Arizona - .329
8. Stanford - .328
9. Georgia - .325
10. Nebraska - .319

1, 2 Punch
OU head coach Patty Gasso said at the beginning of the season that her leadoff duo of Norrelle Dickson (No. 1) and Kristin Vesely (No. 2) could be the best in the country. The pair has not disappointed this season. They are the catalysts for the Sooner offense, which is ranked No. 3 in batting average among top-25 teams.

The Sooners are 21-0 when at least one of the players scores in the first inning and are outscoring opponents 153-24 on those occasions. For more information on the havoc the rally starting duo has caused for opponents this season, check below:

1,2 Details

When Leading Off An Inning
Dickson hits .592 (29-49)
Vesely hits .542 (13-24)

With Bases Empty
Dickson hits .381 (24-63)
Vesely hits .472 (25-53)

When Both Score In First Inning
OU is 10-0
OU outscores opponents 84-10

When Just One Scores In First Inning
OU is 11-0
OU outscores opponents 69-14

When At Least Scores A Run In First Inning
OU is 21-0
OU outscores opponents 153-24

How Do Dickson and Vesely rank among the best 1-2 combos in the country? Favorably. Click Here for the details.

Locked In
OU junior center fielder Kristin Vesely is locked into a hitting zone that no other player in OU history has touched. She has hit safely in 30 of 36 games this season, including 28 of the last 29. She also set the OU record with 23-game hitting streak during which time she hit .638 and improved her season average to .556. During the streak Vesely accumulated 32 runs, 51 hits, 11 doubles, two triples, one home run, 23 RBI, 69 total bases, .863 slugging percentage, .659 on-base percentage and 15 stolen bases. Perhaps the most impressive part of the streak was the varied ways she assaulted opposing pitchers. Below is a list of her work at the plate during the record streak:

Multi Hits Games - 18
Two Hit Games - 9
Three Hit Games - 8
Four Hit Games - 1
Multi RBI Games - 7
Two RBI Games - 4
Three RBI Games - 3
Infield Singles - 10
Bunt Singles - 8
Doubles - 11
Triples - 1
Home Runs - 1
Walks - 4
Hit By Pitch - 1
Strikeouts - 2
Fly/Pop Outs - 7
Line Outs - 6
Groundouts - 19

Balancing Act
Balance is a magic word for any coach. The early success of the Sooners this season is largely due to the balance throughout their offensive lineup and pitching staff. Eight regulars in OU head coach Patty Gasso's current lineup are hitting above .300, with junior Kristin Vesely (No. 2 hitter) leading the pack with a .521 batting average. Eight batters - Vesely, Christina Enea, Heather Scaglione, Jessica Leslie, Kami Keiter, Jamie Fox, Nicole Denes and Tayl'r Hollis - have at least 13 RBI, with Leslie heading the group at 38. The Sooners are one of two teams (Tennessee) in the top 25 (ESPN.com, 3/22) that can claim eight batters with 10 or more RBI.

In the circle OU's pitching staff has an above average ERA of 1.24. Three pitchers - Kami Keiter (16-2), Nicole Denes (7-0), Stacy Braddock (6-2) - have at least six wins. Only two other teams (Baylor and Alabama) in the top-25 can claim a staff with that much well-rounded success.

The Sooners are the only team in the top-25 that has eight batters with 10 or more RBI and three pitchers with six or more wins (as of 3/9).

Four Reliable Arms
On the cusp of the Big 12 season, the OU pitching staff has already shown why it may be the deepest of the Patty Gasso era. After carrying the team in the opening weekend, the staff has taken it to a new level during OU's recent hot steak. As a group they have a combined ERA of 1.24 and have only allowed 41 earned runs in 36 games. Senior Kami Keiter (16-2, 0.70) worked 79 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run during OU's winning streak. Freshman Stacey Braddock (6-2, 1.12) has worked 45.2 innings and allowed six earned runs. Junior Nicole Denes (7-0, 2.20) has struck out 75 batters in 60.1 innings of work. Even No. 4 starter Jadyn Smith (2-1, 1.12 ERA) has impressed and is becoming a very reliable relief pitcher.

Kicking It Up A Notch
Jessica Leslie got off to a quick start in 2004. She has followed the same recipe in 2005, but kicked it up a few notches. Leslie, an All-America candidate, is hitting .369 with 16 doubles, four home runs and 34 RBI. The powerful righty has struck out just nine times (12.3 AB per K) while hitting in the five spot for the majority of the season. Recently, she filled Christina Enea's No. 3 spot and hit .500 with 14 RBI to claim national and Big 12 Player of the Week honors. Her work in the field sets her apart from everyone else on the team. She is currently in the midst of a 112-game streak without committing an error. The streak stretches back to her sophomore campaign.

Streaks
Notable streaks entering the Big 12 Opener:
153 - Consecutive games started by Kristin Vesely.
134 - Consecutive weeks since the inception of the NFCA Poll that OU has been ranked in the top-25.
112 - Consecutive games without committing an error by Jessica Leslie.
79 - Length of Kami Keiter's recent streak of innings without allowing an earned run.
29 - School record winning streak set this season from Feb. 11 to March 19.
23 - Game hitting streak by Kristin Vesely, which set the OU record before being broken against UTEP on March 14.
14 - Consecutive season openers won by the OU softball team, including 11 straight under Patty Gasso.
12.1 - Innings Stacy Braddock worked without allowing an earned run to start her career.
11 - Consecutive trips to the NCAA postseason.
11 - Consecutive seasons of 40 or more wins, 10 under Gasso.
10 - Consecutive games that OU scored five or more runs. The record streak was snapped vs. FSU (2/26).
12 - Career high hitting streak for Norrelle Dickson, that was snapped against UNLV (3/6). It is just the second of at least 12 games since 2001. Vesely's record streak is the other.
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.

The Winning Streak
OU set a school record by winning 29 consecutive games from Feb. 11 to March 19. Below are the details:

- The steak is the longest in OU history. The previous record was a 23-gamer from 2001.
- OU's streak began with a 1-0 win over Sam Houston State on Feb. 11 and ended with a 4-0 loss to then-No. 1 Arizona.
- OUs streak was the longest streak in the NCAA Division I softball, until they relinquished the honor to No. 1 Michigan, which has current streak of 27.
- OU outscored its opponents 218-40 during the streak.
- The offense hit .387 with 29 home runs, 207 RBI and 63 stolen bases.
- Eight regulars hit above .300 with three (Vesely, Dickson, Scaglione) of those topping .400.
- OU scored 10 or more runs six times during the streak. The Sooners reached 10 or more hits 19 times and run-ruled opponents 10 times.
- The pitching staff had a combined ERA of 1.13 and ace Kami Keiter is allowed just three earned runs in 88 innings.
- No. 2 hitter Kristin Vesely hit safely in 27 of the last 29 games, which includes the OU record hitting streak of 23 games. She hit .576 with 57 hits, 16 extra base hits, 23 RBI, 18 stolen bases and a .604 on-base percentage during the streak.
- Leadoff hitter Norrelle Dickson also caught fire with a .447 batting average during the streak. The 1-2 duo of Dickson and Vesely scored at least one run in 27 of the 29 games.
- OU scored five or more runs in 10 consecutive contests (Feb. 12-26), which is a school record. The previous best was seven, which was set five times. The most recent time was in 2002.
- The streak was the 17th of 10 or more games in OU history. Thirteen of those stretches have come under current head coach Patty Gasso.

Weekly Honors
OU leads all Big 12 schools with 40 Player/Pitcher of the Week awards since 1996. Below are the details on winners this season:

Oklahoma outfielder Jessica Leslie was named the Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Player of the week for the games of March 7-13. She was also been named the Big 12 Player of the Week for the same time period. Leslie, a senior from Raytown, Mo., hit .500 in the Sooners' six games while delivering 14 RBIs to help No. 8 Oklahoma win its 25th consecutive game.

Senior Kami Keiter was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week for the games of Feb. 22-28, the league office announced. Keiter (6-1) extended her scoreless innings streak to 35 innings and her consecutive shutout streak to four while leading the Sooners to the NFCA Leadoff Classic championship.

Centerfielder Kristin Vesely was named Big 12 Conference Softball Player of the Week for the games of March 1-7. Vesely hit .667 while extending her hitting streak to 18 in OU's six wins during the previous week. The Phoenix, Ariz., native's streak was tied for the longest stretch in school history. On the week, Vesely recorded nine runs, 14 hits (14-for-21), seven RBI, four doubles, six stolen bases, and an .857 slugging percentage and a .696 on base percentage.

Long Arm
She is just a freshman, but shortstop Savannah Long may have the strongest arm on the Oklahoma team. The rocket-armed rookie is the product of tremendous genes. Her uncles, Cale and Mike Gundy, are two of the most famous collegiate football quarterbacks in Oklahoma state history. Cale, who currently serves as OU's running back coach, was the Sooners QB from 1990-93 and ended his career with nearly every OU passing record. Mike, who is currently the head coach of Oklahoma State, was the Cowboy signal caller from 1986-89 and is the all-time leading passer in OSU history. Long's father, Jim, was a pitcher in the Anaheim Angels organization after a collegiate career at Duke.

Southern Power
First came Lafayette, La., native Jamie Fox with seven HR and 34 RBI as a freshman in 2004. This year it's Tayl'r Hollis, another Lafayette native, who is impressing with power that isn't usually scene by a rookie. Hollis has four HR, which ranks second on the team, and has driven in 13 runs. The infielder isn't a one dimensional hitter though. The rookie is hitting .343, which makes her one of eight Sooner regulars above .300.

As for Fox, forget the sophomore slump. She is leading OU with six home runs while hitting at a .326 clip. She also has 25 RBI, 15 runs and five doubles.

Worth Noting....
Jessica Leslie is already at No. 6 on the single season doubles chart with 16 ... The record of 24 was set by Becky Burroughs in 1994 ... OU already has 72 doubles (2 per game) and is just 10 shy of its 2004 total ... The offense is well ahead of its 2004 pace in stolen bases, runs, and home runs ... OU set a new single game record by hammering out 19 hits in the season opener against Florida Atlantic ... They broke that mark with 20 hits against Illinois Chicago (3/4) ... The previous mark of 18 hits was set against Central (Okla.) State in 1978 and San Diego State in 2001 ... By starting against Florida Atlantic (2/4) 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 (2/4) ... OU tied the single game record with six doubles against FAU, 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 ... Stacia Aleman set a career-high with four RBI, which all came on her first career home run - a grand slam - against Lipscomb (2/18) ... OU freshman Stacy Braddock struck out a career high 10 batters against Oklahoma City University (2/22) ... Christina Enea tied a career high with an 11-game hitting streak that was snapped against Michigan State (2/24) ... Tayl'r Hollis became the first freshman in OU history to hit a home run in three straight games when she did it against Lipscomb, North Texas and Michigan State.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Softball In State For Three Games This Week

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