Ricketts Picks Up National Honor

NORMAN, Okla. Oklahoma sophomore first baseman Samantha Ricketts added another award Wednesday as she was named the Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Player of the Week for the week ending Mar. 18, the association announced.

Ricketts was also named Co-Big 12 Player of the Week on Tuesday, sharing the honor with Oklahoma State's Courtney Totte.

Ricketts is the second Sooner to pick up the NFCA honor this year as Mariee Mena was selected for the award on Feb. 28. It marks the first time in school history OU has had two Sooners win the NFCA National Player of the Week honor in the same year. Prior to this year, the only other Sooners to be named National Player of the Week were Leah Gulla (2003) and Jessica Leslie (2005).

Ricketts hit .471 this past week as she led the No. 4 Sooners to a second Judi Garman Classic championship. The team leader in RBIs, Ricketts tallied a 1.235 slugging percentage for the tournament while hitting four home runs, a double and nine RBIs over the six-game week.

The San Jose, Calif., native hit two home runs, including a grand slam, in an 11-0 championship game win over then-No. 5 Arizona. In the title tilt, Ricketts accumulated a career-best six RBIs. She added another home run in OU's 6-2 pool play victory over the defending national champion.

She hit .800 (4-for-5) in the two games against UA, with seven RBIs coming off three home runs and a double. She was also a key contributor in the semifinal victory over No. 21 DePaul, sending the game into extra innings with her sixth-inning solo home run.

She opened the championship bracket with a perfect 2-for-2 plate performance against Cal State Northridge, adding an RBI in the contest.

Ricketts and the rest of the Sooners return to action this week with their Big 12 opener. The Sooners will open league play this Thursday with a doubleheader against Texas Tech with the first game set to begin at 5 p.m. OU will continue its Texas road trip this weekend as it takes on the No. 11 Texas Longhorns on Saturday (1 p.m.) and Sunday (12 p.m.) in Austin.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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