Upcoming Event: Softball versus Battle Series - 4 on October 31, 2025 at 6:30 p.m.
6:30 p.m.
Softball
vs Battle Series - 4
University of Oklahoma Athletics
OU Prepares for Final Big 12 Series
April 27, 2007 | Softball
NORMAN, Okla. - The third-ranked Oklahoma softball team (48-5, 13-3 Big 12) will wrap up its Big 12 regular season this week with a road series against Kansas (31-18-1, 6-8 Big 12) in Lawrence, Kan. The Sooners and Jayhawks will meet at 2 p.m. on Saturday and OU will finish out its Big 12 slate on Sunday with the series finale at 1 p.m.
The Sooners still remain in a mix with four teams at the top of the Big 12 standings. Oklahoma currently sits in third place in the race with a loss behind Baylor (11-2) and Missouri (9-2), who face each other this weekend. Texas A&M is hanging around in fourth place with an 11-4 record in conference action.
Oklahoma will be the first school done with its Big 12 slate as it will be completed this weekend while the remaining nine teams finish out their conference schedule next week.
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MEDIA COVERAGE
Live stats of the contest will be available at kuathletics.cstv.com.
SERIES HISTORY
This weekend's contest will feature a rematch of the 2006 Big 12 Championship as Kansas handed Oklahoma a 4-2 loss in the championship game. That win gave the Jayhawks the edge in the all-time series as they lead it, 39-38. The Sooners swept the Jayhawks last season in Norman. However, OU's last trip to Lawrence resulted in a Kansas sweep for the first time ever since the start of the Big 12 Conference.
Since the start of Big 12 play in 1996, OU owns a 26-7 lead over the Jayhawks, including an 11-game winning streak that stretched from 1998 to 2002 before losing to KU in the 2002 Big 12 Tournament.
SCOUTING KANSAS
The Jayhawks enter this weekend's series on a roll as they have won their last three straight conference games, their best stretch of the Big 12 season. Kansas has registered wins two wins over Texas Tech and a road victory over Nebraska during that stretch.
Owning a 6-8 Big 12 record, KU has notched a sweep over Oklahoma State as well as a key win over Texas. For the entire season, the Jayhawks own a 31-18-1 overall mark.
As a team, the Kansas staff owns a 2.05 ERA (sixth in the Big 12) and is holding opponent batters to a .209 batting average.
Senior pitcher Kassie Humphreys is the ace of the squad with 36 appearances and a 17-10 overall record Humphreys owns 194 strikeouts in 166.2 innings pitched while holding the opposition to a .183 average. Sophomore hurler Valerie George is also splitting time with Humphreys as she leads the team with a 1.62 ERA in 104 innings of work with a 9-4 record.
Offensively, the squad is averaging a .240 clip (ninth in league play) behind sophomore leader Stevie Crisosto, who is hitting at a .313 clip in the clean-up position. Elle Pottorf is leading the squad with eight home runs and 36 RBI.
LAST TIME THEY MET
After the Sooners swept the Jayhawks in the regular season last year, Kansas became the lowest-seeded team to ever win a Big 12 Championship with a 4-2 victory over the Sooners.
Both teams scored two runs in the first, but Kassie Humphreys came in for relief in the final six innings and only surrendered one hit and zero runs against the Sooners. Kansas recorded eight hits against starter D.J. Mathis to earn the victory.
SOONERS MOVE TO NO. 3
The Sooners moved up a spot in this week's ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll. Following its sweeps of Baylor and Nebraska, OU is No. 3. The Sooners also moved up to No. 3 in the NFCA Poll.
The Sooners have been ranked in the top 25 of every NFCA poll since its inception, which spans 167 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. 3) , Texas A&M (No. 6) and Baylor (No.8) headline the top 10. Missouri (No. 21) and Texas (No. 23) round out the top 25 while Kansas and Nebraska are receiving votes in the top-25.
UPDATING THE SOONERS & BIG 12
The Sooners enter this weekend's match up on a six-game win streak with its final Big 12 series against Kansas remaining. The Kansas series remains crucial for OU's chances at a Big 12 Championship as the Sooners are still a game behind leaders Baylor (11-2) and Missouri (11-2). Texas A&M remains in the hunt with an 11-4 mark in league play.
Baylor and Missouri will play a two-game series this weekend while the Bears also have one game each left against Texas A&M and Texas. The Tigers will face Nebraska in a two-game series in the final weekend of play (May 5-6). In addition to their game against Baylor, the Aggies have a two-game series remaining against Texas Tech.
OU's offense remains the best in the Big 12 with batting average leader, Norrelle Dickson, leading the way with a .500 clip in league play while RBI leader Samantha Ricketts owns 75 RBI on the season.
With the offense clicking, OU's go-to girl in the circle has been the Big 12 leader in wins, Lauren Eckermann (30-2, 1.68 ERA). However, sophomore D.J. Mathis (12-3, 2.31 ERA) showed promise against Baylor and Nebraska last week as the lefty came in for relief of Eckermann to earn two wins.
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UP NEXT
Following the end of Big 12 play this weekend, the Sooners will wrap up their entire regular season next Thursday, May 3. The Sooners will honor the six seniors on Senior Night against OCU at the OU Softball Complex. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. The game will honor the senior class of Stacia Aleman, Norrelle Dickson, Jamie Fox, Mariee Mena, Jade Prather and Amber Spaulding.
Oklahoma will begin postseason action with the Big 12 Tournament set for May 10-2 at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. This year's format features a single-elimination tournament. Dates, times and opponents will be available following the end of the entire Big 12 regular season.
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.
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 31-of-36 stolen bases on the season, which ranks second among all Big 12 players.
DICKSON ALL OVER THE CHARTS
Two-time All-American and 2007 Player of the Year finalist 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. 4 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 25 home runs and ninth with 126 career RBI. Her career averages are also on pace to set records as she is second in career batting avg. (.391) and on-base percentage (.484) and leading the pack with a .697 slugging percentage.
TWO AWAY
Sophomore Samantha Ricketts continues her torrid pace in the cleanup spot for the Sooners as she is now only two RBI shy of tying the OU and Big 12 single season record held by former Sooner Lisa Carey in 2000. Averaging 1.42 RBI per game, Ricketts is leading the country.
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 is one of only 12 players 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. Amber Jackson of Maryland joined the club after Dickson.
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-P)* 343 hits, 230 runs, 114 SB
Caitlin Lowe, Arizona (2004-Present)* 324 hits, 231 runs, 148 SB
Norrelle Dickson, Oklahoma (2004-P) 318 hits, 228 runs, 104 SB
Amber Jackson, Maryland (2004-P)* 332 hits, 250 runs, 103 SB
* Stats as of April 22
OFFENSE TO DEFENSE RATIO
OU has scored 384 runs in 53 games, compared to 103 for its opponents. OU averages 7.25 runs per game while holding opponents to 1.94. Additionally, 17 of OU's 52 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 NCAA stats were released on April 24. Oklahoma is second in the country in runs scored per game and third in batting average while Norrelle Dickson ranks third in batting average and fourth in runs scored and Samantha Ricketts is leading 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.
SOME OF BIG 12'S BESTS ARE SOONERS
The Big 12 released its conference stats this past Thursday for all games and OU claimed the top three 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 .484 batting average in all contests while Ricketts currently leads with 75 RBI. Below is a look at all of the individual categories that the Sooners are leading the Big 12 as of April 25.
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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 60 home runs, which is 13 more than its entire total last season. Samantha Ricketts is leading the way with a league-best 16 home runs. Additionally, OU has also recorded seven grand slams this season by Ricketts (four), Susan Ogden, Stacia Aleman and Traci Dickenson.
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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FIVE OR MORE = WIN
Oklahoma is one of the nation's best teams in runs scored as it averages 7.25 runs per game, but scoring five runs or more has been the answer for the Sooners. Oklahoma is 36-0 this season when scoring five or more runs. On the flip side of that, the Sooners are 45-1 when the pitching staff holds the opponent under five runs.
CLUTCH HITTING
Two of OU's and the Big 12's top hitters, Norrelle Dickson and Samantha Ricketts, are also doing their best hitting in crucial times. Below is a look at the hitters' averages in clutch situations:
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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 49 of its 53 games and has recorded more than one multiple-base hit on 38 different occasions this season.
LEADING THE PACK IN OFFENSE AND DEFENSE
A good recipe for a 48-5 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 in the top half of the Big 12 with a 1.82 ERA (fourth in the league). The defense also ranks tops in the league with a .975 fielding percentage and a Big 12-low 37 errors.
RECOR
SB Highlights: OU 22, East Texas A&M 0
Tuesday, October 07
Gasso, Landry, Parker, Barker, Dayton, Sanders Postgame vs Texas Tech
Monday, June 02
SB WCWS Highlights: OU 4, Oregon 1
Sunday, June 01
Gasso, Sanders, Emerling, Landry Postgame vs Oregon
Sunday, June 01
