Seven Sooners Named All-Big 12

NORMAN, Okla. The No. 2 Oklahoma softball team placed seven players on the All-Big 12 teams that were announced Thursday evening. Senior Norrelle Dickson, junior Lauren Eckermann, freshman Amber Flores, junior Susan Ogden and sophomore Samantha Ricketts highlighted the Coaches All-Big 12 first team while sophomore Traci Dickenson and senior Jamie Fox collected second team honors.

The Sooners tied with Baylor, the Big 12 regular season champions, with the most first team selections and led all schools with seven total honorees. Oklahoma has placed at least five members on the All-Big 12 teams every year since the inception of the league in 1996.

Dickson, also the Big 12 Player of the Year, picked up her third straight first team honor while Ricketts picked up her second straight first team accolade. The duo are also two of 11 finalists up for USA Softball Player of the Year.

Tournament Central

Dickenson is making her second straight appearance on the All-Big 12 second team while Eckermann, Flores, Fox and Ogden earned their first career All-Big 12 selection.

Third baseman Dickson has set OU career records in runs, hits and stolen bases this season while also leading the Big 12 conference in batting average (.479) for the second straight year as well as hits and runs scored. The senior has already set a Big 12 and OU single season record for runs scored in a season (68).

Ricketts has had an impressive season at the plate as the sophomore is leading the country in RBI per game (1.40) and has tied the OU and Big 12 single season record for RBI in a season with 77 so far in 2007. The first baseman ranks second in the Big 12 in batting average with a .425 clip. Additionally, Ricketts was named the Waco Tribune-Herald's Big 12 Player of the Year this morning.

The Co-Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, Eckermann, is currently third in the nation with a 31-3 record and also led the conference in wins, strikeouts, innings pitched, appearances and complete games during Big 12 action.

Flores, one of only two freshmen named to the first team, turned it on in Big 12 play for the Sooners as she recorded a .380 batting average in conference action with eight RBI and was fourth in the league with a .516 on-base percentage.

Ogden has been a key five-hole hitter in the Sooner lineup this season as she ranks third in the conference in batting average (.416) and has recorded 35 RBI on the season.

Dickenson has had a strong year at the nine-hole spot as she is second on the team with 12 home runs and 46 RBI on the year while ranking third in the conference with five home runs in Big 12 play.

Fox also was key in Big 12 play this season as the senior recorded a .320 clip with three home runs and 11 RBI, including a .580 slugging percentage.

The second-seeded Sooners (49-6, 14-4) will open Big 12 Championship play on Friday at 4:30 p.m. at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. OU will play the winner of Iowa State/Kansas, who play at 1 p.m. on Friday.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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