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
No. 2 OU Opens Tournament Friday
May 09, 2007 | Softball
NORMAN, Okla. - The second-ranked and No. 2 seed Oklahoma softball team (49-6, 14-4 Big 12) will open Big 12 Championship action this Friday at 4:30 p.m. against the winner of No. 7 seed Kansas and No. 10 seed Iowa State, who play at 11 a.m. on Friday. The Sooners will play on the main field at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.
An OU win would advance the Sooners to an 11 a.m. semifinal game on Saturday against the winner of Texas and Missouri. The title game will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
For the first time in Big history, the championship will be a three-day, single elimination event.
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Big 12 Championship Schedule
Friday, May 11
Game 1 - No. 7 Kansas vs. No. 10 Iowa State, 11 a.m.
Game 2 - No. 8 Texas Tech vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State - Field 4, 11:30 a.m.
Game 4 - No. 3 Missouri vs. No. 6 Texas, 1:30 p.m.
Game 6 - No. 4 Texas A&M vs. No. 5 Nebraska - Field 4, 2 p.m.
Game 3 - No. 2 Oklahoma vs. Game 1 Winner 4:30 p.m. [FSN]
Game 5 - No. 1 Baylor vs. Game 2 Winner 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 12
Game 7 - Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner, 11 a.m.
Game 8 - Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner - Field 4, 11 a.m.
Championship Game
Game 9 - Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner [FSN] 3 p.m.
OU IN BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP
The Sooners are seeking their third Big 12 Championship title and first since 2001. OU won the inaugural Big 12 Championship in 1996 and claimed its second title in 2001 with four straight wins in the tournament.
OU owns an all-time Big 12 Championship record of 31-16 and 9-2 in openers. Oklahoma is making its sixth appearance as a No. 2 seed in the tournament. The Sooners have been a No. 1 or 2 seed in 10 of the 12 years of the tournament.
Last season, the Sooners were a No. 5 seed and advanced all the way to the title game before losing in the championship to sixth-seeded Kansas. It marked Oklahoma's fifth appearance in a Big 12 title game.
MEDIA COVERAGE
Fox Sports Southwest (Cox Channel 37 OKC) will be televising OU's 4:30 p.m. game Friday and the Saturday title game at 3 p.m. Bill Land and Tracy Warren will be calling the game for Fox.
Additionally, OU radio play-by-play voice Brian Brinkley will be calling all of OU's games in the tournament. The broadcast can be heard live on Yahoo! for the 4:30 p.m. game on Friday. Brinkley would call the 11 a.m. semifinal game and 3 p.m. championship game if the Sooners advanced and both would be broadcast live on KOKC 1520 AM.
THE NO. 2 SEED
The Sooners are familiar with the No. 2 seed as they are making their sixth appearance as the No. 2 seed ... The No. 2 seed has won the Big 12 Championship on three different occasions ... The Sooners have appeared in the title game as the second seed twice, winning it in 2001 ... OU was last a two seed in 2005 ... During that year the Sooners went 2-2 in the tournament and beat top-seeded Texas A&M but was eliminated by third seeded Texas after dropping an earlier loss to seventh-seeded Nebraska.
TOP REGULAR SEASON MARKS
The 2007 squad finished the regular season with a 49-6 record, tying the least amount of losses in the history of the program. The 2000 National Championship team finished the regular season with a 55-6 mark before going on to win the Women's College World Series and finishing with a 66-8 final record.
BEATING THEM AT LEAST ONCE
The Sooners finished second in the Big 12 regular season race with a 14-4 record. However, Oklahoma was one of only two teams in the conference to beat every team at least once during the regular season. Missouri and OU were the only teams to avoid sweeps during the regular season. The Sooners swept the Big 12 Champion Baylor Bears in Norman and split with Texas A&M, Texas, Kansas and Missouri. Additionally, OU has not lost back-to-back games all season.
LAST TIME THEY MET
OU will either face Iowa State or Kansas in its opening game of the Big 12 Championship. Both teams caused problems for the Sooners this season. Following OU's run rule over ISU, the Cyclones took the Sooners to 10 innings before OU won 3-2 in game two. Oklahoma also dropped its first game against Kansas, 2-0, causing the Sooners to lose the Big 12 title. However, OU bounced back with a 13-4 run-rule win.
SOONERS MOVE TO NO. 2
The Sooners did not play a game last week, but moved up to No. 2 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll. The Sooners 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 169 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), Baylor (No. 5) and Texas A&M (No.8) headline the top 10. Missouri (No. 18) and Texas (No. 23) round out the top 25 while Nebraska is receiving votes in the top-25.
RPI
The NFCA simulated RPI released its lastest rankings on May 5 and the Sooners came in at No. 3 based on games as of April 30. Oklahoma trailed Arizona and Alabama in the standings. The NFCA releases only a simulated RPI while the NCAA releases the true RPI with the latest one being released back on April 25 where the Sooners were also No. 3 behind Arizona and Tennessee, respectively, but that was based on games as of April 22.
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
For the sixth time in the history of the Big 12, the Sooners finished second in the Big 12 regular season race. Oklahoma finished with a 14-4 conference record and had a chance of clinching the championship in its final series of the regular season. However, Oklahoma split with Kansas (0-2 loss, 14-3 win) and finished in second place in the standings, beating out Missouri (13-4) in the tiebreaker. The Sooners will be playing their first game in close to two weeks after having their May 3 game against OCU cancelled due to weather.
UP NEXT
Following the Big 12 Championship, the Sooners will find out their postseason fate on Sunday, May 13. The NCAA Selection Show will announce regional pairings and sites between 2-3 p.m. (CST) on ESPNews.
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 26 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.
ONE MORE RBI TO BREAK RECORD
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)* 346 hits, 231 runs, 114 SB
Caitlin Lowe, Arizona (2004-Present)* 333 hits, 234 runs, 151 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 May 8
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 leading the country in runs scored per game and third in batting average while Norrelle Dickson ranks second in batting average and ffith 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 final regular season stats this past Monday for overall 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 .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:
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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 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:
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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:
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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 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:
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2026 Norman Regional Presser Game 3 (Coach Gasso, Garcia, Lowry, Minor)
Sunday, May 17
SB Highlights: OU 8, Michigan 1
Sunday, May 17
2026 Norman Regional Presser Game 2 (Coach Gasso, Emerling, Guachino)
Saturday, May 16
SB Highlights: OU 9, Kansas 0
Saturday, May 16
