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
Senior Night Set for Thursday at 7
May 03, 2007 | Softball
NORMAN, Okla. - The third-ranked Oklahoma softball team (49-6, 14-4 Big 12) closes out its regular season this Thursday night at the OU Softball Complex. The Sooners will host NAIA powerhouse Oklahoma City University (44-4), which is ranked No. 2 nationally in NAIA. First pitch between the Sooners and Stars is set for 7 p.m. at Marita Hynes Field.
Thursday night will also mark Senior Night as the team will honor the six-member senior class of Stacia Aleman, Norrelle Dickson, Jamie Fox, Mariee Mena, Jade Prather and Amber Spaulding. Senior Night ceremonies will begin at approximately 6:45 p.m.
MEDIA COVERAGE
Thursday night's game will be broadcast live with Brian Brinkley providing the play-by-play on KOKC (1520 AM). OCU will also have a broadcast of the game on its site, okcu.edu/athletics.
The O-Zone will also be broadcasting the game for subscribed viewers. Live stats of both games will be available on SoonerSports.com.
|
TICKETS AND PROMOTIONS
Seats to Thursday's game are still available for $10 (reserved), $7 (adult general admission), $5 (youth general admission) and $3 (groups of ten or more must be ordered 24 hours in advance) at the OU Athletics Ticket Office (800-456-4668) and at SoonerSports.com. The gates will open an hour and a half before game time.
A fireworks show will follow the end of Senior Night on Thursday for fans to watch. Additionally, OU poms will be given out at the door for those in attendance.
SCOUTING OCU
The Sooners face a tough opponent in Oklahoma City University, which is a perennial top team in NAIA. In last season's game in Norman, Oklahoma dropped the contest, 6-5. Thursday's game will feature a strong match up between two evenly matched teams, statistically.
The second-ranked Stars are an offensive juggernaut as they are hitting .351 as a team and have eight girls hitting above .300. Headlining the group is leadoff batter Melody Murphy who owns a .436 batting average with nine home runs and 50 RBI on the season. In addition to Murphy, three-hole hitter Cat Calvert owns a .405 clip with eight home runs and 39 RBI.
Defensively, the Stars are just as strong with a staff ERA of 1.46. OCU's ace, Dasha Shembereva, owns an impressive 24-2 record with a 1.41 ERA while holding opponent batters to a .162 clip this season. Julie Harvey (1.36 ERA, 12-0) and Jordan Schwenke (1.70 ERA, 8-4) are also key members of the pitching staff.
SERIES HISTORY
Oklahoma leads the all-time series between both schools, 39-14. In the last decade, the Sooners own an 11-3 advantage against the Stars. However, OU will be motivated Thursday night after falling to the Stars last year for the first time since 1999.
LAST TIME THEY MET
The two squads last met on March 2, 2006 as the Sooners fell to the Stars, 6-5, after OCU scored five runs in the top of the fourth. The OCU offense was on fire with 13 hits to OU's seven. Samantha Ricketts led the way for the Sooners in the contest with two hits and two RBI.
SOONERS STAY AT NO. 3
Despite OU's loss to Kansas last weekend, the Sooners stayed at No. 3 and received one first place vote while Alabama took over the No. 1 spot from Tennessee. The Sooners also remained at No. 3 in the NFCA Poll.
The Sooners have been ranked in the top 25 of every NFCA poll since its inception, which spans 168 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.7) headline the top 10. Missouri (No. 18) and Texas (No. 23) round out the top 25 while Kansas and Nebraska are receiving votes in the top-25.
RPI
The first set of NCAA RPI ratings were released on April 25 and the Sooners were ranked No. 3 behind Tennessee and Arizona, respectively. The RPI is used to measure a team's record as well as its strength of schedule. It is also a strong determining factor in NCAA selection.
SENIOR CLASS
The six-member senior class is one of the largest in head coach Patty Gasso's 13-year career at Oklahoma. The class has gone to three straight regionals, including a WCWS appearance in 2004. The group has combined for an overall record of 184-66-2 so far since 2004. Individually, the group has seven Academic All-Americans, three All-Big 12 honors, two All-American and three Midwest Region accolades. Currently, the senior class is responsible for 46 percent of the runs scored this season as well as 27 percent of the squad's RBI.
UPDATING THE SOONERS
Oklahoma finished its Big 12 season this past weekend with a split of Kansas. The Sooners, owning a 14-4 conference mark, were the first conference team done and now must wait to see what other teams do this week. Currently, Oklahoma sits in third place in the Big 12 standings behind Baylor (12-3) and Missouri (12-3) but if each loses a game this week the Sooners will be Big 12 Champions. OU can do no worse than finish third in the standings.
UP NEXT
Oklahoma will begin postseason action with the Big 12 Tournament set for May 10-12 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 which ends this weekend.
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 33-of-38 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. 3 in at bats and fifth in total bases.
DICKSON SETS BIG 12 SINGLE SEASON RECORD
Scoring three runs against Kansas on April 29, senior Norrelle Dickson broke her own OU and Big 12 single season record for runs scored. Dickson set the mark last season with 66 runs in 2006, but already owns 68 in 2007.
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 eighth with 128 career RBI. Her career averages are also on pace to set records as she is second in career batting avg. (.390) and on-base percentage (.482) and leading the pack with a .699 slugging percentage.
TIED UP
Sophomore Samantha Ricketts tied the Big 12 and OU single season record for RBI with two against Kansas on April 29. One more RBI would give Ricketts the lead. She shares the single season record with former Sooner Lisa Carey in 2000. Averaging 1.40 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)* 344 hits, 230 runs, 114 SB
Caitlin Lowe, Arizona (2004-Present)* 330 hits, 231 runs, 150 SB
Norrelle Dickson, Oklahoma (2004-P) 320 hits, 231 runs, 106 SB
Amber Jackson, Maryland (2004-P)* 332 hits, 250 runs, 103 SB
* Stats as of April 29
OFFENSE TO DEFENSE RATIO
OU has scored 397 runs in 55 games, compared to 109 for its opponents. OU averages 7.22 runs per game while holding opponents to 1.98. Additionally, 18 of OU's 55 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 May 1. Oklahoma is second in the country in runs scored per game and second in batting average while Norrelle Dickson ranks fifth in batting average and third in runs scored while 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 Monday 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 .479 batting average in all contests while Ricketts currently leads with 77 RBI. Below is a look at all of the individual categories that the Sooners are leading the Big 12 as of April 30.
|
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 64 home runs, which is 17 more than its entire total last season. Samantha Ricketts is leading the way with a league-best 17 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
In addition to Norrelle Dickson setting the Big 12 single season record in runs scored, 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:
|
|
FIVE OR MORE = WIN
Oklahoma is one of the nation's best teams in runs scored as it averages 7.22 runs per game, but scoring five runs or more has been the answer for the Sooners. Oklahoma is 37-0 this season when scoring five or more runs. On the flip side of that, the Sooners are 46-2 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:
|
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 50 of its 55 games and has recorded more than one multiple-base hit on 39 different occasions this season.
LEADING THE PACK IN OFFENSE AND DEFENSE
A good recipe for a 49-6 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 1.83 ERA (fourth in the league). The defense also ranks tops in the league with a .974 fielding percentage and a Big 12-low 39 errors.
RECORD PACE
OU's offense is off to a record pace. The Sooners are averaging 7.22 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 397 runs in 55 games, while they scored 347 in 62 games in 2006. Below are the averages for the last six seasons:
|
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
