Bedlam Softball Hits Norman Tonight

NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 6 Oklahoma softball team (36-6, 4-0) begins the toughest two-week stretch of the regular season on Wednesday when Oklahoma State (27-11, 2-2) visits the OU Softball Complex. The opener of the Bedlam Series, presented by the Bank of Oklahoma and your Local Oklahoma Ford Dealers, is set to begin at 7 p.m.

The game will be broadcast within the state of Oklahoma by Cox (channel 7 in OKC/Metro area) with Brian Brinkley on play-by-play and Kenny Mossman on color. The game will also be carried on two radio stations. The OU radio broadcast will be aired on KOKC (1520 AM) with Tony Sellars on the one-man show. The OSU broadcast with Bill VanNess can be found on KSPI (93.7 FM).

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Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children. Fans that arrive early will receive free OU pom-pons and foam noodles.

After the Bedlam contest, the Sooners will travel to Austin to face No. 4 Texas on Saturday (Noon) and Sunday (1 p.m.). Both games will be carried nationally on CSTV with Kevin Eschenfelder on play-by-play and Ann Schatz on color.

OU will make a quick turn around and travel to Lubbock, Texas, after the Sunday contest for a doubleheader with Texas Tech on Monday. All four of the contests will be broadcast via radio (KOKC) or internet (Yahoo! audio) with Brian Brinkley covering the events.

Game Notes PDF | Big 12 Notes

The Sooners close the treacherous two week stretch with a four-game conference home stand against No. 7 Texas A&M (34-2, 5-0) and No. 8 Baylor (33-5, 4-2) from April 16-18.

Scouting Oklahoma State
The Sooners will put their 29-game home winning streak on the line in the Bedlam opener against the Cowgirls, who after missing the post-season in 2004 have been a surprise in the Big 12. OSU is 27-11 overall and 2-2 in conference. Through two weekends of Big 12 play they have already recorded a pair of upsets against Baylor and Missouri.

With the recent return of freshman hurler Marjorie Johnson, the Pokes should continue to make noise in the conference race. Johnson is one of the hardest throwing players around and has quickly established herself as one of the top rookie pitchers in the country. She is 9-2 with a 1.19 ERA in 76 innings of work this season. She has impressive wins over UCLA, Baylor and Oregon this season.

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

The Cowgirl offense is set up by leadoff hitter Shanel Scott and driven by slugger Stephanie Nicholson. Scott is a speedy slapper that is hitting .403 and has stolen 18 bases. Nicholson, who plays shortstop, has hit eight home runs and driven in 29 RBI, while swinging at a .376 clip.

All-time, OSU leads the series 62-51, but the Sooners have owned the rivalry since the start of the Big 12 in 1996. In seven of the nine seasons of Big 12 play, OU has won swept the series from OSU. They have done no worse that split during those nine years. OU has won four straight in the series and 18 of the last 19.

In 2004 OU won, 5-1, and, 2-1, with Kami Keiter recording the win in both contests and Jessica Hoppock taking both losses.

Bedlam History Report
Series Record: OSU leads 62-51
Current Streak: OU has won four straight
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: OU leads 22-21
2-Run Games: OSU leads 15-5
5+rRun Games: Series tied 12-12
In Stillwater: OSU leads 27-16
In Norman: OU leads 22-12
*Stillwater and Norman records do not include 1975-78 seasons.

Missouri Leftovers
OU improved to 4-0 in Big 12 play after sweeping No. 15 Missouri last weekend. It marks the third time in Big 12 history that OU has started 4-0. The best start in OU history is 9-0, which was accomplished by the 2000 and 2002 teams.

Senior Jessica Leslie had a triumphant return to her home state. She went 4-for-8 with four RBI, including the game winning three-run homer in the second game against Missouri. The Sooners were propelled by six-run innings in both games, which led to the 8-3 and 6-4 wins. Fellow senior Kami Keiter recorded both wins, with the second coming in relief work, to improve to 19-3. Freshman Tayl'r Hollis also contributed two weekend RBI.

Scouting No. 4 Texas
No. 4 Texas (28-4, 3-1) has regained its status as one of the nation's elite teams this season after missing the NCAA postseason in 2004. No player has been more instrumental in that process than Cat Osterman. Osterman, who sat out last season while winning an Olympic Gold Medal, is 15-3 with a 0.27 ERA. She has been defeated by Cal, Baylor and Long Beach State this season. Teams are hitting .060 against the lefty, who has already collected 299 strikeouts in 128.1 innings of work.

Texas made national news recently due to an unfortunate event. A bench in the home team dugout collapsed during a rain delay against Kansas on March 25. Several players were standing on the bench at the time and five were injured. All five of the players were sidelined for UT's three games last week. Texas and Osterman were defeated last week, 2-0, at Baylor, before rebounding to record their first ever sweep of Nebraska.

Offensively, Texas is hitting .254 as a team. The leading hitter is Chez Sievers, who is hitting .338 in 22 games of action. Freshman Desiree Williams (.313) is the only other UT player that is hitting above .300, although she sat out this weekend with an injury related to the aforementioned accident.

OU leads the all-time series 15-13, which includes a sweep in 2004. The Sooners have not been as successful against Osterman. Osterman owns a 5-1 record in seven outings against OU. The lone loss came in the 2002 Regional Championship, which secured the Sooners' trip to the WCWS. The last time OU faced Osterman was in the 2004 Big 12 Tournament, when she defeated OU twice and eliminated them from the tourney.

Cowgirl Corraller
Senior Christina Enea is one of the clutchest players in OU history. Her Sooner legacy will be characterized by the way she has shined in the biggest games and against the best competition.

No team is more aware of her capabilities than Oklahoma State. She has haunted the Pokes for three seasons. Enea is hitting .421 (8-for-19) against OSU with one home run, four runs, eight RBI and three game winning hits.

Enea has single-handedly won three games against the Pokes. In 2002's first meeting, OU mounted a five-run seventh-inning rally that was sealed by an Enea RBI single for the 6-5 win. In the 2002 finale, a two-run single sealed the extra innings win for the Sooners. Last season, the senior from California hit a two-run homer to clinch a 2-1 win in Stillwater. She was forced to sit out the rematch in Norman due to a strained Achilles.

2004 Bedlam Recaps
In the opener from Stillwater a two-run homer by OSU-killer Christina Enea was all the Sooners needed to collect the 2-1 win. Kami Keiter earned the first of two wins over OSU by throwing seven innings of six-hit softball. OSU loaded the bases and scored one unearned run in the seventh inning, but were unable to get any closer.

The Sooners also prevailed, 5-1, in the rematch at the OU Softball Complex. OSU scored first but OU responded with five unanswered runs. Heather Scaglione and Jamie Fox provided the offense with one HR and two RBI apiece. All seven of OU hits came from the top six players in the lineup, which did not include Enea, who was out with a strained Achilles. Keiter worked seven innings, allowing three hits and one earned run on a Stephanie Nicholson home run.

Top 10 In The Top 25
The top 10 team batting averages among teams ranked in the top 25:

1.Tennessee - .354
2. Oklahoma - .353
2. Texas A&M - .353
4. Georgia - .337
5. Baylor - .329
6. Michigan - .324
6. LSU - .324
8. Missouri - .321
9. Stanford - .315
10. Arizona - .313
10. Cal - .313

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 .374 with 17 doubles, six home runs and 45 RBI. The powerful righty has struck out just 12 times (10.9 AB per K) while hitting between the No. 3 and No. 5 spots all 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. She has not relinquished the coveted third spot over the last four weeks (17 games) when she has hit .425 with 25 hits, 25 RBI and 12 extra base hits. She leads the Big 12 in RBI and doubles, while ranking in the top 10 of four other categories.

Her defense has been flawless as well. She is currently in the midst of a 118-game streak without committing an error. The streak stretches back to her sophomore campaign.

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 .522 batting average. Eight batters - Vesely, Christina Enea, Heather Scaglione, Jessica Leslie, Kami Keiter, Jamie Fox, Nicole Denes and Tayl'r Hollis - have at least 14 RBI, with Leslie heading the group at 45. The Sooners are one of two teams (Tennessee) in the top 25 that can claim eight batters with 10 or more RBI.

In the circle OU's pitching staff has an above average ERA of 1.343. Three pitchers - Kami Keiter (19-3), Nicole Denes (8-0), 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.

Four Reliable Arms
With the Big 12 season in its early stages, 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 weekends, the staff has taken it to a new level during OU's recent hot steak. As a group they have a combined ERA of 1.43. Senior Kami Keiter (19-3, 1.06) worked 79 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run during OU's winning streak. Freshman Stacey Braddock (6-2, 1.76) has worked 47.2 innings and allowed 12 earned runs. Junior Nicole Denes (8-0, 2.11) has struck out 85 batters in 66.1 innings of work. Preseason No. 4 starter Jadyn Smith (3-1) has been the hottest hurler lately, which has helped drop her ERA to a staff best 0.93.

Streaks
Notable streaks entering Bedlam:
159 - Consecutive games started by Kristin Vesely.
136 - Consecutive weeks since the inception of the NFCA Poll that OU has been ranked in the top-25.
118 - 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.
29- Consecutive for the Sooners at the OU softball complex.
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 wins for OU.
4 - Consecutive wins for OU in the Bedlam Series.
5 - Consecutive Women's College World Series appearances.
2 - Consecutive seasons that head coach Patty Gasso has started a freshman at shortstop.

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 35 of 42 games this season, including 33 of the last 35, during which time she has hit .576. The Phoenix, Ariz., native has already set career single season highs in runs (44), hits (72), doubles (15), RBI (27), total bases (94) and stolen bases (23).

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.

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.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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