Softball Opens Fall Practice Monday

NORMAN, Okla. The Oklahoma softball team will hit the field Monday for its first team practice of the fall season. The Sooners will have two weeks of fall practice before opening the fall season Friday, Sept. 22 against Seminole State at 5 p.m.

Sooner fans will have many opportunities to watch the OU squad before the 2007 season begins next spring. Oklahoma will play 12 home games at the OU Softball Complex this fall.

For the first time, Oklahoma will play two different home tournaments during the fall season. The Sooners will host the OU Fall Festival (Sept. 29-Oct. 1) and the Fall Invitational (Oct. 14-15) this season.

Fall Schedule | 2007 Roster

OU will open practice with four newcomers and welcome back 15 members, including eight starters, from a 2006 squad that advanced to the NCAA Regional Finals for the seventh consecutive year and finished second in the Big 12 Championship while posting an overall season mark of 40-21-1.

The following is a breakdown of the 2007 softball roster:

Who Departed
While only two players graduated from last year's squad, outfielder Kristin Vesely and pitcher Nicole Denes will be tough to replace.

Vesely ended her career as the all-time hits leader at OU and finished her senior campaign as a first team All-American after batting .440 with 49 RBI and 123 bases. The centerfielder sits on 10 different OU career lists and was a four-time All-Big 12 performer and two-time All-American for the Sooners.

Denes was a heart-warming story for the Sooners as the right-handed pitcher came back from heart surgery after her sophomore season and finished her senior campaign with a 13-5 overall record. Denes was exceptional in the final five games of the regular season where she held opponents to a .164 batting average while posting a 1.09 ERA.

Who Returns
The 2007 season looks bright for the Sooners who only lose one starter (Vesely) and return eight position starters, including one of the nation's best leadoff hitters in senior Norrelle Dickson, a two-time All-American. Last season, the left fielder claimed the Big 12 batting title (.449) and topped all other Big 12 players in runs scored, hits and on base percentage.

Other familiar faces in the field include All-Midwest Region shortstop Savannah Long and second team All-Big 12 selection, third baseman Traci Dickenson.

Fellow returning starters include Amber Spaulding (RF), Susan Ogden (C) and infielders Stacia Aleman (2B) and Mariee Mena (1B)

OU's RBI leader last year, sophomore Samantha Ricketts, returns in the designated player role while the Sooners also return three members of their pitching staff, including lefty D.J. Mathis who led the squad with a 2.24 ERA and a 15-9 overall record in the circle.

Who Arrives
Head coach Patty Gasso signed another top recruiting class last season as it includes three incoming freshmen and a two-time juco All-American pitcher. Among the four newcomers are junior right-handed pitcher Lauren Eckermann and catcher Lindsey Vandever, an Oklahoma native.

Fellow freshmen Iver McDonald, whose sister plays at Texas A&M, and California native Amber Flores will also be competing for playing time.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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