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
OU Ready for Crucial Big 12 Stretch
April 13, 2007 | Softball
NORMAN, Okla. - The No. 2 Oklahoma softball team faces a crucial Big 12 series against Missouri this weekend. The Sooners, owning a 7-2 record in Big 12 play, will travel to Columbia, Mo., for a two-game series against Missouri. The Tigers are prefect in Big 12 play this season with a 5-0 mark in league play and a 29-17 overall mark. The two squads will meet at 6 p.m. on Saturday night and end the series on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Missouri series begins a string of six consecutive important conference games for the Sooners as they still remain in the hunt for a Big 12 Championship. Following their series against Missouri, the Sooners will host a doubleheader against No. 9 Baylor next Wednesday, the other undefeated school in Big 12 play with a 6-0 record. Oklahoma will continue its string of Big 12 games with a home series against Nebraska the following weekend.
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MEDIA INFORMATION
Live stats of the Missouri series will be available at SoonerSports.com as well as mutigers.cstv.com.
SCOUTING MISSOURI
The Tigers have been off to a strong start to Big 12 play and are on a roll as they enter the weekend series with a seven-game win streak that includes sweeps of Oklahoma State, then-No. 9 Texas and Louisville while starting the streak with a 7-4 victory over Texas Tech.
Led by Kathy Masterson's .500 clip in Big 12 action and Micaela Minder's .375 average, the Tigers are hitting at a .264 clip in league play. Masterson owns four RBI and a home run through five conference games while Minner posts a .688 slugging percentage with a home run and three RBI. Amanda Renth is also a threat as she owns 13 home runs and 47 RBI on the year.
Defensively, the pitching staff has been strong with a 1.80 ERA in conference action while the defense is strong with a .987 fielding percentage. Junior Jen Bruck has recorded all five victories in league action while averaging close to a strikeout an inning and holding conference batters to a .226 average through 32.2 innings.
SERIES HISTORY
The Sooners lead the all-time series against Missouri, 38-32. However, the Tigers swept OU in Norman last season but OU recorded a 9-6 victory in the Big 12 Tournament. Since the start of the Big 12 (1996), OU owns a 9-2 mark in games at Columbia.
SOONERS STAY AT NO. 2
Recording three straight Big 12 wins this week, the Sooners stayed at No. 2 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll. The Sooners remained at No. 3 in the NFCA poll. The No. 2 ranking ties OU's highest since the 2001 team opened the season at No. 2.
The Sooners have been ranked in the top 25 of every NFCA poll since its inception, which spans 165 weeks long. OU and Arizona are the only programs to be ranked in the NFCA Top-25 every week of its existence.
BIG 12 STRENGTH
The Big 12 is making a strong case for one of the top softball leagues in the country as OU (No. 2) , Texas A&M (No. 5) and Baylor (No. 9) headline the top 10. Texas (No. 13) rounds out the top 15 while Kansas and Missouri are receiving votes in the top-25. The Big 12 ties the SEC with the most teams in the top 10 with three each.
SIMULATED RPI
Although not official, the NFCA came out with its first set of RPI ratings on April 6. The Sooners led all Big 12 schools as they came in at No. 5 on the list. Arizona, who OU beat twice this season, led the entire NCAA. Below is a look at the top 10 schools in RPI. Texas A&M came in at No. 6 as the Sooners and Aggies were the only Big 12 schools to make the top 10 in RPI on the list.
UPDATING THE SOONERS
The Sooners took a break from conference play this past Wednesday as they beat North Texas, 9-2, with Samantha Ricketts leading the way with four RBI in the contest. Now the Sooners begin the final two weeks of regular season Big 12 play as they could have big implications on which team wins the Big 12 regular season title this year.
The Sooners currently sit third in the Big 12 standings behind Missouri (5-0) and Baylor (6-0), both of whom Oklahoma will face in the next week. Oklahoma remains only a game ahead of No. 5 Texas A&M (5-3 Big 12), whom the Sooners split with earlier this season.
Nationally, the Sooners are second in the country with a 42-4 overall mark. OU has recorded 14 straight 40-win seasons, including the last 13 under head coach Patty Gasso. The Sooners have already accumulated more wins than they did all last season when they finished 40-21-1.
Oklahoma has been led by pitcher Lauren Eckermann who continues to rack up wins as the junior college transfer owns a 26-1 overall record, including a 6-1 mark in Big 12 play. Eckermann owns a 1.25 ERA in conference action while holding opponent batters to a .228 clip.
The Sooner offense continues to be one of the best in the country with leadoff batter Norrelle Dickson owning a .636 average in Big 12 action, including a .676 on-base percentage. Cleanup batter Samantha Ricketts is knocking them in with 67 RBI on the season.
UP NEXT
The Sooners are closing in on the end of the Big 12 regular season with only two full weeks left in the regular season for the Sooners. OU will host Baylor, who remains perfect in Big 12 play, in a twin bill next Wednesday that begins at 5 p.m. The Sooners will follow that with a home series against Nebraska next Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (12 p.m.).
Oklahoma will close out the Big 12 regular season on the road as it heads to Stillwater on April 25 for a 7 p.m. game and ends the regular season with a trip to Lawrence to take on the Kansas Jayhawks (April 28-29).
PLAYER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
Samantha Ricketts and Norrelle Dickson were honored by USA Softball as one of 25 finalists around the country selected for the USA Softball National Player of the Year Award. Ricketts and Dickson were two of the seven Big 12 athletes selected by the committee. Dickson appeared on the preseason watch list for the third time in her career but is making her first appearance on the list of 25 while it marks Ricketts' first honor by USA Softball.
On May 9, just days before the start of post-season play, a list of 10 finalists will be named. On May 23 the list will be cut to three and those final three players will travel to Oklahoma City for the announcement of the winner at the 2007 NCAA Women's College World Series.
ANOTHER 40-WIN SEASON
For the 14th straight year, including the last 13 under head coach Patty Gasso, the Sooners have recorded a 40-win season. OU's win against Iowa State (4/6) marked the 40th win of the season and now owning a 42-4 record, the Sooners have already recorded more wins than the 2006 squad did all of last season (40-21-1).
CAREER HITS LEADER
Senior Norrelle Dickson made history against No. 10 Texas as she became the all-time hits leader at the University of Oklahoma. The third baseman did it in strong fashion as she went 5-for-5 against Texas (March 25) to pass Kristin Vesely's (2003-06) previous mark of 293. To the left is a look at the updated career chart.
MAKING HISTORY ... AGAIN
The opening of Big 12 was very historical for Norrelle Dickson. In addition to becoming the all-time hits leader, the senior also took the title of runs scored leader at Oklahoma. Dickson became the all-time leader in runs scored against Texas Tech (March 22) as she passed Christy Ring's (1999-2002) previous mark of 206.
DICKSON BREAKS STOLEN BASE RECORD
Senior Norrelle Dickson stole the 87th base of her career against Ohio State (Feb. 25) in Palm Springs. The theft broke the career stolen base record at OU that was previously held by Christy Ring (1999-2002) with 86. Dickson leads the Sooners with 29-of-33 stolen bases on the season, which ranks third among all Big 12 players.
DICKSON ALL OVER THE CHARTS
Two-time All-American and 2007 Player of the Year Watch List candidate Norrelle Dickson has left her mark on the OU program and nowhere is it more noticeable than the career record book at Oklahoma. The senior owns the top career marks in stolen bases, on-base percentage, batting average, hits, and runs. She has also moved to No. 5 in at bats and sixth in total bases.
RICKETTS SHOWING UP ON CAREER CHARTS
Despite only being a sophomore, first baseman Samantha Ricketts is beginning to climb up career charts. Ricketts is 10th on the all-time list with 24 home runs. Her career averages are also on pace to set records as she is second in career batting avg. (.395) and on-base percentage (.490) and leading the pack with a .702 slugging percentage.
300/200/100
Recording her 100th stolen base of her career against Iowa State (April 4), Norrelle Dickson became the first player in OU and Big 12 history to record at least 300 hits, 200 runs and 100 stolen bases in her career. Additionally, Dickson became only the 11th player in NCAA history to accomplish the feat. Below is a look at the players Dickson joined in the record books after recording her 100th steal:
Members of the 3-2-1 Club
(Compiled with help from the 2007 NCAA Softball Records Book)
Nicole Barber, Georgia (2001-04) 379 hits, 266 runs, 257 SB
Natasha Watley, UCLA (2000-03) 395 hits, 252 runs, 158 SB
Kelly Krestchman, Alabama (1998-01) 368 hits, 288 runs, 133 SB
Alison McCutcheon, Arizona (1995-98) 405 hits, 289 runs, 148 SB
Amy Chellevold, Arizona (1992-95) 371 hits, 252 runs, 113 SB
Lauren Bauer, Arizona (1998-01) 349 hits, 238 runs, 133 SB
Shamalene Wilson, Florida St. (1993-96) 310 hits, 223 runs, 161 SB
Tiff Tootle, South Carolina (1990-93) 351 hits, 207 runs, 114 SB
Lindsay Schutzler, Tennessee (2004-Present) 334 hits, 221 runs, 106 SB
Caitlin Lowe, Arizona (2004-Present) 311 hits, 222 runs, 137 SB
Norrelle Dickson, Oklahoma (2004-P) 311 hits, 223 runs, 102 SB
OFFENSE TO DEFENSE RATIO
OU has scored 348 runs in 46 games, compared to 78 for its opponents. OU averages 7.57 runs per game while holding opponents to 1.70. Additionally, 17 of OU's 46 games have been shortened to five or six innings by run rule.
PROLIFIC OFFENSE
The Sooners own one of the top offenses in the country and it became evident as the first set of NCAA stats were released on April 10. Oklahoma is leading the country in runs scored per game and batting average while Norrelle Dickson ranks in third in batting average and runs scored and Samantha Ricketts is second in the country in RBI. A complete list of where the Sooners rank as a team and individually in every category is located on page seven.
10 AWAY
Sophomore Samantha Ricketts continues her torrid pace in the cleanup spot for the Sooners as she is now only 10 RBI shy of tying the OU and Big 12 single season record held by former Sooner Lisa Carey in 2000. Averaging 1.46 RBI per game, Ricketts is second in the country.
SOME OF BIG 12'S BESTS ARE SOONERS
The Big 12 released its conference stats this past Thursday for all games and OU claimed three of the top four hitters in the Big 12 in Norrelle Dickson, Samantha Ricketts and Susan Ogden. Dickson, last year's Big 12 batting leader, is leading the league again with a .515 batting average in all contests while Ricketts currently leads with 67 RBI. Below is a look at all of the individual categories that the Sooners are leading the Big 12 as of April 11.
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ECKERMANN, DICKSON HONORED BY BIG 12
For the second time this season, Oklahoma earned the Big 12 Player and Pitcher of the Week honor in the same week. Norrelle Dickson and Lauren Eckermann earned the honor for the week of April 2-8. It marked the second honor this year for Dickson and the third of the year for Eckermann. Dickson hit .600 for the week with two RBI while Eckermann notched a perfect 0.00 ERA with two shutouts while also recording three Big 12 wins for the week.
CLOSING IN ON BIG 12 RECORDS
The team as well as OU individuals are closing in on Big 12 single season records. Below is a look at the single season marks OU is chasing:
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HOME RUN CENTRAL
Head coach Patty Gasso added more power to the lineup this season and it has been evident as OU leads the Big 12 with 52 home runs, which is five more than its entire total last season. Samantha Ricketts is leading the way with a league-best 15 home runs. Additionally, OU has also recorded six grand slams this season by Ricketts (three), Susan Ogden, Stacia Aleman and Traci Dickenson.
EXTRA BASES
The Sooners had their streak of 18 straight games with an extra-base hit snapped against North Texas (March 1). The Sooners had recorded at least one extra-base hit in all 18 games prior to that. Oklahoma has notched an extra-base hit in 43 of its 46 games and has recorded more than one multiple-base hit on 34 different occasions this season.
LEADING THE PACK IN OFFENSE AND DEFENSE
A good recipe for a 42-4 record is strong defense and a potent offense. The Sooners are making a strong case as they currently lead all Big 12 teams in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging
percentage, hits, runs, home runs and RBI while also ranking last in strikeouts in overall games this season.
The pitching staff is also one of the best in the Big 12 with a 1.57 ERA (third in the league). However, the girls in the circle have depended heavily on the Sooner defense as the staff is only sixth in the conference in strikeouts. The defense ranks tops in the league with a .973 fielding percentage and shares a Big 12-low 34 errors with Texas A&M.
FIVE OR MORE = WIN
Oklahoma is the nation's leading team in runs scored as it averages 7.57 runs per game, but scoring five runs or more has been the answer for the Sooners. Oklahoma is 32- 0 this season when scoring five or more runs. On the flip side of that, the Sooners are 40-1 when the pitching staff holds the opponent to under five runs.
SECOND INNING MAGIC
Oklahoma's prolific offense is known for scoring runs early and often. OU has managed to spread out run production throughout all of the innings this season, but the second frame has been key for the offense and the defense. The Sooners have scored close to 18 percent (60-of-348) of its season total in the second inning while only giving up two runs of the opponents' 78 in the second frame.
RECORD PACE
OU's offense is off to a record pace. The Sooners are averaging 7.57 runs per game, which over an entire season would set the OU school record. The 2000 National Championship squad averaged 6.2 runs per game. The Sooners already have 348 runs in 46 games, while they scored 347 in 62 games in 2006. Below are the averages for the last six seasons:
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NINE-HOLE STRENGTH
Second baseman Traci Dickenson is making a case for the best
nine-hole hitter in the country. The sophomore is second on the team with 11 home runs and 41 RBI behind clean-up hitter Samantha Ricketts. Dickenson is also recording a .673 slugging percentage this season with a .299 batting average. Dickenson is leading the conference with four home runs and 10 RBI in Big 12 action.
OGDEN TAKING OVER DP ROLE
Last year's starting catcher, Susan Ogden, still remains an integral part of the Sooner lineup. The former catcher has taken over the designated player duties in the lineup and has done an impressive job. Ogden is third on the squad and fourth among all Big 12 players with a .408 average that includes 26
RBI and a .561 slugging percentage.
VANDEVER SETTLES IN
Freshman catcher Lindsey Vandever has often drawn comparisons to former All-American OU catcher Heather Scaglione. The rookie has taken over the starting role in the lineup. Vandever has shown her all-around talent since entering the starting lineup as she has 13 RBI and three home runs on the year and has thrown out 11 base runners in 20 attempts.
SWEET 600 & 800
Gasso won the 600th game of her OU coaching career on Feb. 25, 2007 in a 7-2 win over Ohio State in the Palm Springs Classic this past weekend. The winningest coach in Big 12 history now owns a 621-203-2 (.753) mark at OU since taking over the Sooner program in 1995. She is 12 wins away from her 800th career victory.
RICKETTS NEARING SINGLE SEASON BESTS
Clean-up hitter Samantha Ricketts is off to a record start in 2007 and is on pace to break a few single season records. Below is a look at where Ricketts stands currently and what the OU single season record is:
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