2007 Softball Year In Review

June 20, 2007

NORMAN, Okla. -- The 2007 Oklahoma softball team completed one of the most successful seasons in school history after finishing with an overall record of 55-8 and winning the Big 12 Postseason Championship for the third time in school history.

OU's final record marked the second-highest winning percentage in school history, right behind the 2000 National Championship squad that finished with a 66-8 record. The Sooners finished at No. 9 and No. 11 in the polls, marking their sixth top-10 finish in the last eight years.

The Sooners opened the season on fire as their 23-0 start marked the best opening to a season in school history. Oklahoma was dominant in the non-conference as it claimed the Diamond Fun and Sun Classic title and also run-ruled eventual National Champion Arizona en route to the Judi Garman Classic Championship.

Oklahoma finished second in the Big 12 Conference with a 14-4 record before sweeping through the Big 12 Championship where pitcher Lauren Eckermann took home MVP honors.

Following its Big 12 Tournament victory, Oklahoma jumped to No. 1 in the polls for the first time all season and first time ever in the regular season. The only other time the Sooners were ranked No. 1 in the poll was in the final one released after Oklahoma claimed the 2000 National Championship, its first in history.

Year in Review (PDF)

The Sooners advanced to their 14th straight NCAA Tournament, including 13 consecutive under head coach Patty Gasso. Oklahoma earned its highest national seed ever, No. 3, and was sent to Amherst, Mass., where it claimed its seventh regional championship with a win over Colgate and two wins over host school UMass. OU snapped the Minutewomen's nation-best winning streak of 27 and ended their 33-game home win streak.

OU moved on to its second Super Regional in the last three years, but encountered a red-hot DePaul squad that swept the Sooners in front of sell-out record crowds at the OU Softball Complex.

Despite its unexpected exit in the Super Regional, many Sooners earned national recognition. Senior Norrelle Dickson became OU's fifth Big 12 Player of the Year since the inception of the conference while junior Lauren Eckermann took home Co-Big 12 Pitcher of the Year honors. Oklahoma claimed seven All-Big 12 selections as well as six All-Midwest Region honors.

The Sooners tied with Tennessee for the most All-America honors this season with four. Norrelle Dickson became only the second player in school history to claim three All-America accolades as she was named to the first team while Susan Ogden and Samantha Ricketts highlighted the second team and Lauren Eckermann rounded out the third team.

Ricketts capped off the season as she became the first player in OU history to be named one of three finalists for USA Softball's National Player of the Year. Senior Norrelle Dickson joined her on the semifinalist group of 10.

FOUR SOONERS NAMED ALL-AMERICANS
The Oklahoma softball team had four players receive 2007 Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-America accolades given by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. The Sooners' four selections tied with the Tennessee Lady Vols to lead all schools with the most honorees.

Senior Norrelle Dickson led the way as OU's only first team selection. The third baseman is only the second player in OU history to earn All-America honors three straight years. Former Sooner Lisa Carey was the only other Sooner to accomplish the feat. Dickson was a third-team selection as a sophomore and a second-team honoree as a junior.

Three other Sooners earned their first All-America recognition in their careers as Samantha Ricketts was an at-large second team selection and was joined by utility player Susan Ogden on the second team as well. Juco-transfer Lauren Eckermann collected her first NCAA Division I honor as a third-team selection. Eckermann was also a two-time juco All-American at Temple Junior College.

OU's four All-America selections ties a school record as the 2000 and 2001 squads also produced four All-Americans each that year.

SIX SOONERS NAMED ALL-MIDWEST REGION
Oklahoma placed six players on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Midwest All-Region Team on May 16, including a team-leading five on the first team. Third baseman Norrelle Dickson, pitcher Lauren Eckermann, left fielder Amber Flores, designated player Susan Ogden and first baseman Samantha Ricketts highlighted the first team while second baseman Traci Dickenson represented OU on the second team.

OU's five first team selections ties a school record for the most in one season as the 2000 National Championship squad also placed five on the first team. Dickson, also the Big 12 Player of the Year, became the first Sooner in history to be named to the All-Midwest Region first team all four years of her career. Ricketts, a sophomore, picked up her second straight first team honor.

The awards add to an already long list from the season. Five Sooners were named to the All-Big 12 First Team, while Dickson captured Big 12 Player of the Year honors and Eckermann was named the Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Year. Additionally, Dickson and Ricketts were one of 10 semifinalists for USA Softball National Player of the Year while Ricketts was one of three finalists for the award.

RICKETTS ONE OF THREE PLAYER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
The awards keep pouring in for OU sophomore Samantha Ricketts as the first baseman was named one of three finalists for USA Softball Player of the Year, by the Amateur Softball Association, the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States. The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, in its sixth year, is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by NCAA Division I collegiate softball players across the country. Ricketts joined fellow sophomore Kaitlin Cochran of Arizona State and senior pitcher Monica Abbott of Tennessee on the list.

Abbott was presented with the award on May 29 at the opening ceremonies of the Women's College World Series.

Ricketts is the first Sooner in history to ever be named a finalist (top 3) while two other Sooners (Norrelle Dickson in 2007 and Leah Gulla in 2003) have been named semifinalists (top 10). Dickson made the final cut of 10 in 2007 after making the list of 25 in 2006.

TWO NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR SEMIFINALISTS
OU senior Norrelle Dickson and sophomore Samantha Ricketts were named top 10 semifinalists for the 6th Annual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award. Dickson was on the preseason watch list for the second straight year while Ricketts joined Dickson on the initial list of 25 finalists earlier this season. They mark the second Sooner pair in history to make the cut of 10. Two years ago, Heather Scaglione and Kristin Vesely were on the list of 10. The only other OU player to make the final 10 was Leah Gulla in 2003.

On May 29 the list will be cut to three and those final three players will travel to Oklahoma City for the announcement of the winner of the 6th Annual USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Award during opening ceremonies of the 2007 NCAA Women's College World Series.

RICKETTS INVITED TO NATIONAL TEAM CAMP
Oklahoma sophomore Samantha Ricketts has been invited to the 2007 USA Softball Women's National Team selection camp. Ricketts joins Texas catcher Megan Willis as one of only two current Big 12 players selected to the camp.

The camp will be held June 11-15 at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., and will be used to select the 2007 USA Softball Women's National Team that will compete in the KFC World Cup of Softball, July 12-16 in Oklahoma City and the Pan American Games, July 20-30, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

A total of 37 players have been selected to attend the Women's National Team Camp including the 22 member National Training Team selected back in September of 2006.

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. Dickson finishes her career with 328 hits.

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 and recorded 234 runs in her career at OU.

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 led the Sooners with 37-of-44 stolen bases on the season and finished her carer with 110 stolen bases.

ECKERMANN TIES SINGLE SEASON WINS RECORD
Juco-transfer Lauren Eckermann led the junior college ranks in ERA last season and the junior didn't miss a beat in Division I action this season. Eckermann tied the OU single season record for wins in a season (37) after defeating UMass in the regional final. Eckermann shared the record with Jennifer Stewart, who also recorded 37 wins during the 2001 season.

RICKETTS SETS SINGLE SEASON RBI RECORD
Sophomore Samantha Ricketts set OU and Big 12 single season records with 81 RBI this season. She broke the previous OU and Big 12 mark of 77 set by former Sooner Lisa Carey in 2000. Ricketts broke the seven-year record with her three-run game-winning homer in the NCAA Tournament opening game against Colgate.

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, runs and at bats. She has also moved to fifth 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 eighth on the all-time list with 27 home runs and ninth with 132 career RBI. Her career averages are also on pace to set records as she is second in career batting average (.391) and on-base percentage (.480) and leading the pack with a .685 slugging percentage.

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. The previous record was 66 runs in an entire season. Dickson owns the new mark with 71 runs scored in 2007.

DICKSON BIG 12 BATTING CHAMP
Senior Norrelle Dickson led the Big in batting average for the second straight year with a .453 average for the 2007 season. That mark also broke the OU single season record of .451 set by former Sooner Kristin Vesely in 2005.

SOONERS WIN BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP
The Sooners claimed their third Big 12 Championship on May 12 as they defeated Texas Tech, 6-3, in the title game. Oklahoma, a No. 2 seed, knocked off Kansas (5-0) and No. 18 Missouri (7-1) on its way to the finals. The Sooners also played all three of their tournament games within a 24-hour span due to weather adjustments.

It marked OU's third Big 12 Tournament trophy after winning the title in the inaugural year of the Big 12 (1996) and then again in 2001. The Sooners have collected five total Big 12 trophies, including the three postseason trophies as well as the two regular season titles in 1999 and 2000.

ECKERMANN NAMED MVP OF BIG 12 TOURNEY
Lauren Eckermann, the Co-Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, took home MVP honors of the Big 12 Tournament after throwing all three games for the Sooners, except for 1/3 of an inning. Eckermann recorded a 0.68 ERA in 20.2 innings pitched, while holding opponents to a .162 average with 18 strikeouts. Eckermann improved her record to 34-3 on the year after adding three wins in a day's span with a gutty performance.

Earning all-tournament honors were freshman Lindsey Vandever, junior Savannah Long and senior Norrelle Dickson. Vandever caught fire in the tournament as the rookie compiled a .571 clip in three games with five RBI. Long led all Sooners with a .750 average in three games.

SEVEN SOONERS NAMED ALL-BIG 12
The Oklahoma softball team placed seven players on the All-Big 12 teams. 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.

FOUR SOONERS EARN BIG 12 ACADEMIC HONORS
The Oklahoma softball team posted four Sooners on the Academic All-Big 12 teams. Leading the pack were first-team honorees Stacia Aleman, Norrelle Dickson and Jamie Fox. Rounding out the second team was Savannah Long. Aleman was recognized for her 4.0 GPA in the fall and was one of only four Big 12 softball players to record a perfect GPA.

DICKSON NAMED BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Senior Norrelle Dickson was named the Big 12 Player of the Year this season and became the first Sooner to earn the honor since Kelli Braitsch in 2001 and the fifth Sooner in the 12-year history of the Big 12 Conference.

The lefty slapper led the conference in batting for the second straight year with a .479 batting average, including an even better .484 average in Big 12 action. She led all Big 12 players in hits, runs and batting average in both overall games and conference only action. She also set the Big 12 single season record for runs scored with 71 this season.

ECKERMANN SHARES CO-BIG 12 PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Junior pitcher Lauren Eckermann also highlighted the individual conference awards as the juco-transfer was named Co-Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, sharing the honor with Texas A&M's Amanda Scarborough. Eckermann becomes the first Sooner to ever win Big 12 Pitcher of the Year honors since the award began in 2002.

Eckermann was a key component to the squad's success this season as the juco-transfer finished fourth in the country with a 37-3 record while she also led the league in wins, innings pitched, appearances, games started, shutouts and complete games in all games.

DICKSON NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN
Oklahoma third baseman Norrelle Dickson added another honor to her resume as she was named an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American.

Dickson earned second-team honors and is the first Sooner to earn Academic All-America recognition since 2000 when Lana Moran was named the Academic All-American of the Year. Dickson, a Communications major, is the seventh Academic All-American in school history

DICKSON, FOX NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
OU seniors Norrelle Dickson and Jamie Fox were named to ESPN The Magazine's Academic All-District VI Softball First Team released on May 10 by the College Sports Information Directors of America. They become only the second Sooner pair in OU history to earn all-district honors and first since Angie Holwell and Nicole Myers did it in 1997. OU's last Academic All-District selection was Erin Evans in 2003.

SUPER REGIONAL LEFTOVERS
The Sooners were swept by No. 14 DePaul by scores of 3-0 and 7-2 ... Oklahoma made its second appearance in a Super Regional since the new format began three years ago ... The losses marked the first time in history OU had dropped NCAA Tournament games at the OU Softball Complex ... Prior to playing DePaul, the Sooners owned a 15-0 record at Marita Hynes Field in NCAA postseason action ... The back-to-back losses marked the first time all season the Sooners lost two games in a row ... Traci Dickenson and Norrelle Dickson were the only Sooners to record multiple hits in the Super Regional ... Jamie Fox and Lindsey Vandever teamed up with back-to-back home runs in the second game ... Sunday's attendance of 1645 broke the previous single game attendance mark of 1623 set on April 28, 2004 against Oklahoma State ... Saturday's attendance of 1456 marked the fourth-best in school history.

AMHERST REGIONAL LEFTOVERS
The Sooners claimed their seventh regional championship in the last eight years after sweeping through the field in three games at the Amherst Regional ... OU is 28-3 in regional action, excluding Super Regionals, since 2000 ... OU hit an uncharacteristic .237 in the regional while Lauren Eckermann, who threw all 21 innings for OU notched a 0.67 ERA ... If there was an MVP honor, Eckermann would have been the most likely candidate as she went 3-0 with 19 strikeouts and only one walk while holding opponents to a .155 batting average (11-of-71) ... Samantha Ricketts was also a strong candidate after recording four of OU's 10 RBI in the three games, including a three-run game-winning homer in the opening game against Colgate ... The Sooners snapped UMass' nation's-best win streak of 27 straight and its home winning streak of 33 consecutive wins ... The Sooners were a No. 3 national seed and the highest seed not to host a regional.

300/200/100
Recording her 100th stolen base of her career against Iowa State (April 6), 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 (2004-07) 362 hits, 241 runs, 120 SB
Caitlin Lowe, Arizona (2004-07) 351 hits, 242 runs, 156 SB
Norrelle Dickson, Oklahoma (2004-07) 328 hits, 234 runs, 110 SB
Amber Jackson, Maryland (2004-07) 349 hits, 264 runs, 113 SB

OFFENSE TO DEFENSE RATIO
OU scored 430 runs in 63 games, compared to 128 for its opponents. OU averaged 6.83 runs per game while holding opponents to 2.03. Additionally, 18 of OU's 63 games were shortened to five or six innings by run rule.

PROLIFIC OFFENSE
The Sooners owned one of the top offenses in the country in 2007 and it was evident when the final NCAA stats were released. Oklahoma was fourth in the country in runs scored per game and batting average while Samantha Ricketts led all NCAA players with 81 RBI and ranked second in RBI per game. Norrelle Dickson finished in the top 10 in batting average and runs scored.

HOME RUN CENTRAL
Head coach Patty Gasso added more power to the lineup this season and it was evident as OU finished 17th in the country with 1.14 home runs per game and 72 total homers. OU recorded 23 more than its entire total last season. Samantha Ricketts led the way with a team-best 18 home runs. Additionally, OU also recorded seven grand slams by Ricketts (four), Susan Ogden, Stacia Aleman and Traci Dickenson.

WHAT IS LOST
Oklahoma will lose a six-member senior class that went to four-straight NCAA Tournaments, won a Big 12 Postseason Championship in 2007 and advanced to the Women's College World Series in 2004.

Individually, Oklahoma will lose key members that include three-time All-American Norrelle Dickson, who owns top career marks at OU in hits, runs, stolen bases, batting average and on-base percentage. In addition to also losing Stacia Aleman, Jade Prather and Amber Spaulding, the Sooners also lose two starters in Jamie Fox and Mariee Mena. Fox finished out her four-year career ranked seventh on the OU career lists with 30 home runs.

Below is a look at the percent of the total statistics the senior class accounted for:

Stat	Percent Lost
195 Runs	45% (430 Total)
225 Hits	42% (536 Total)
120 RBI	31% (384 Total)
17 Home Runs	24% (72 Total)
61 Stolen Bases	64% (96 Total)

WHAT RETURNS
The Sooners will return seven starters from a 2007 team that produced one of the best seasons in school history. Additionally, Oklahoma will also return 13 letterwinners to next year's team while adding five newcomers after Patty Gasso signed one of the top recruiting classes in the country.

The returning group includes three All-Americans from 2007 as well as five All-Midwest Region performers and five All-Big 12 selections. Lauren Eckermann, the Co-Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, will also return for her senior year after recording a 37-5 record and a 1.66 ERA while holding opponents to a .204 batting average.

Offensively, first baseman Samantha Ricketts will return for her junior campaign after having one of the most successful seasons in the NCAA in 2007. Ricketts was one of three finalists for USA Softball National Player of the Year with a nation-leading 81 RBI and team-best 18 home runs.

Additionally, Traci Dickenson will return for her junior season after hitting 14 home runs and 51 RBI in 2007. Second-team All-American Susan Ogden will be one of four seniors in 2008. The designated player hit .381 in 2007.

The entire Oklahoma pitching staff returns in 2008 with Eckermann leading the pack. Senior-to-be Jadyn Smith will join upcoming juniors D.J. Mathis and Morgan Hudsonpillar on the list of returning pitchers. The 2007 pitching staff recorded a 1.84 ERA and held opponents to a .214 clip.

SOONERS VS. RANKED TEAMS
The Sooners became the last team in the top-25 to end their perfect record against teams in the top-25 as No. 10 Texas beat the Sooners, 5-4, in 10 innings on March 25. All season Oklahoma owned an impressive 11-4 record against top-25 opponents.

RECORD PACE
The Oklahoma offense broke a few single season records, including the best runs per game average in a season. Oklahoma scored an average of 6.83 runs per game this season, topping the previous best of 6.2 runs per game set by the 2000 National Championship squad. Below are the averages for the last five seasons:

Year	Runs Per Game
2007	6.83
2006	5.60
2005	5.70
2004	4.47
2003	4.57
2002	5.32

GASSO GRABS 600 & 800 MILESTONE
Gasso won the 600th game of her Oklahoma coaching career on Feb. 25, 2007 in a 7-2 win over Ohio State in the Palm Springs Classic. The winningest coach in Big 12 history now owns a 634-206-2 (.754) mark at OU since taking over the Sooner program in 1995.

She added another notch to her resume on May 19, 2007, as OU's 2-0 defeat of UMass in the NCAA Regional marked the 800th victory of her coaching career which includes her time at Long Beach City College.

The Big 12's winningest coach owns a 639-208-3 record at OU and a career record of 801-267-2 following the 2007 season.

EXTRA INNINGS
The Sooners played four extra-inning contests this season, three against top-25 opponents, and were pretty successful with a 3-1 record in those games. The Sooners won both extra-frames games at home (3-2 win over No. 7 Baylor in eight and a 3-2 win over Iowa State in 10). OU beat then-No. 21 DePaul in eight in a neutral spot (Palm Springs, Calif.) while dropping its lone extra-innings loss on the road, a 5-4 loss to No. 10 Texas in Austin in 10 innings.

NINE-HOLE STRENGTH
Second baseman Traci Dickenson made a case for the best nine-hole hitter in the country in 2007. The sophomore was second on the team with 14 home runs and 51 RBI behind clean-up hitter Samantha Ricketts. Dickenson also recorded a .642 slugging percentage this season with a .298 batting average. Dickenson finished third in the conference with five home runs and fifth in the league with 15 RBI in Big 12 action. Dickenson earned second team All-Midwest Region and All-Big 12 for her efforts.

OGDEN TOOK OVER DP ROLE
Susan Ogden made the switch from catcher to designated player in 2007 and it worked well as she collected second team All-American honors with her offense at the plate. Ogden finished third on the squad and with a .381 average that included 36 RBI and a .510 slugging percentage. The junior was a key five-hole hitter in the lineup as opponent batters didn't want to walk RBI leader Samantha Ricketts because they had to face Ogden. This showed in OU's game against Nebraska as the Huskers walked Ricketts to load the bases and Ogden followed with a two-RBI double that would give OU the lead it would never lose.

VANDEVER SETTLES IN
Freshman catcher Lindsey Vandever has often drawn comparisons to former All-American OU catcher Heather Scaglione. The rookie took over the starting role in the lineup and showed her all-around talent. The rookie recorded 24 RBI and six home runs on the year and threw out 15 base runners in 29 attempts.

Vandever also came on strong in the postseason and led all Sooners with a .381 average with two home runs and seven RBI in all postseason games. The freshman was also named to the Big 12 All-Tournament team. The rookie catcher started every Big 12 game this season and the Sooners led the league with the least amount of bases stolen on them. Big 12 foes only attempted 16 steals and were successful on seven of them.

RICKETTS CAME CLOSE TO SINGLE SEASON BESTS
Clean-up hitter Samantha Ricketts broke the OU RBI single season record and was close to breaking more. Below is a look at Ricketts' single season numbers in 2007 that were close to breaking the the OU record.

Samantha Ricketts	2007	Season Record
Home Runs	18	20
Walks Drawn	37	41
Slugging %	.776	.808

COME-FROM-BEHIND VICTORIES
Oklahoma owned a 55-8 record, but not all the wins came easy. The Sooners had to record some come-from-behind wins this season. The Sooners trailed after four innings on 13 different occasions and came back to win six of them. Additionally, OU has been tied after four innings six different times and went on to win all of them, except for a 10-inning contest against No. 10 Texas.

In OU's season opener against then-No. 16 Louisville, the Sooners scored seven runs in the top of the seventh to win, 9-5. Against Minnesota, OU scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth to win 6-5. OU recorded a victory against No. 6 Oregon State as the Sooners produced four runs in the top of the seventh to best the Beavers, 4-1.

Oklahoma also used a Ricketts' solo home run in the bottom of the sixth against No. 21 DePaul to send it to extra-innings where OU won, 3-2, in the Judi Garman Classic. Against No. 2 Texas A&M, the Sooners trailed, 2-0, heading into the bottom of the fifth and scored four runs in the bottom of the frame to come back and win.

Savannah Long provided heroics with her two-run walk-off homer with two outs in the bottom of the seventh that gave OU the 10-9 win against Nebraska on April 22. The Sooners trailed 9-8 as Long stepped to the plate and delivered the crushing blow on the first pitch in her at bat.

ANOTHER 40-WIN SEASON
For the 14th straight year, including the last 13 under head coach Patty Gasso, the Sooners recorded a 40-win season. OU's win against Iowa State (4/6) marked the 40th win of the season and OU recorded 15 more wins in 2007 than the 2006 squad that finished with exactly 40 wins.

BEST START EVER
Oklahoma made history with its 23-0 start to the 2007 season. No other Sooner squad in OU history recorded a better mark. The previous best was a 12-0 start by both the 2001 and 2002 squads.

PERFECT IN FEBRUARY
Head coach Patty Gasso recorded her first perfect February. The Sooners went 18-0 in the month of February, marking the first time in OU school history an Oklahoma squad has done that.

HOME IS WHERE THE "W" IS
Oklahoma recorded a 27-3 mark at home in 2007 with its lone regular-season loss coming to No. 2 Texas A&M. Prior to the loss against the Aggies, the Sooners owned a 25-game home winning streak before having it snapped on April 1. The streak dated back to April 19, 2006 when OU beat Tulsa. It also marked the longest home winning stretch for the Sooners since the 28-game home win streak that ended on April 17, 2005. That win streak was also ended by then-No. 7 Texas A&M.

BIG 12 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
The Sooners led all Big 12 schools with eight Big 12 weekly honors. Oklahoma headlined the Player of the Week column with five this season in Mena, Ricketts, Long and Dickson (twice). Additionally, pitcher Lauren Eckermann was the lone conference pitcher to collect the honor three times this year. The Sooners haven't had the same pitcher earn the honor twice in a season since the National Championship year, 2000, when Jennifer Stewart was honored twice.

THREE NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
The Sooners set a school record in 2007 with four National Players of the Week. Mariee Mena collected both NFCA and USA Softball National Player of the Week while Samantha Ricketts was honored by USA Softball and Norrelle Dickson and Savannah Long picked up NFCA honors. OU has never had more than one player win it in a year, let alone four. Prior to this season the last Sooner to earn national recognition was Jessica Leslie (2005).

THREE NO-HITTERS IN ONE WEEK
The Oklahoma pitching staff was on a four-year drought of throwing no-hitters until D. J. Mathis and Lauren Eckermann combined for three no-hitters March 28-March 4. The last no-no prior to that was thrown by Kami Keiter against Tulsa on April 22, 2003.

Junior Lauren Eckermann became the first Sooner to pitch a no-hitter in back-to-back starts as she held Temple hitless on March 3 and was one error away from throwing a perfect game against Wichita State (March 4) in the Sunday finale of the tournament.

Additionally, Eckermann and Mathis became the first Sooner pair to throw three no-hitters in one week. Mathis pitched her first collegiate no-hitter March 28 against Arkansas and was one walk away from a perfect game.

ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS
OU placed three Sooners on the all-tournament team at the Diamond Fun and Sun Classic in its opening weekend of the season. Lauren Eckermann highlighted the trio with her MVP honors. The junior transfer was exceptional in her first weekend with the Sooners as she posted a 4-0 record and a 0.60 ERA in 23.1 innings of work. Additionally, sophomores Traci Dickenson and Samantha Ricketts were named to the all-tourney team after their performances at the plate.

LONG PICKS UP BIG 12, NATIONAL HONORS
Junior Savannah Long picked up her first Big 12 and National Player of the Week honor after hitting .385 for the week (April 16-22) with three home runs and five RBIs in sweeps of No. 8 Baylor and Nebraska. Long also recorded the game-winner against Nebraska as her two-run shot with two outs in the bottom of the seventh gave OU the 10-9 win and marked her second homer of the game.

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.

ANOTHER NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
The Sooners swept Big 12 Player and Pitcher of the Week honors for the week of March 12-18 and also collected National Player of the Week honors. Samantha Ricketts picked up Big 12 and National Player of the Week after recording a . 471 batting average last weekend to lead OU to their second Judi Garman Classic title. The San Jose, Calif. native posted two home runs, including one grand slam in the championship game against No. 5 Arizona.

Lauren Eckermann posted a perfect 4-0 record on the week, including a victory over No. 5 Arizona and a no-hitter against Northridge, her third of the season. Ricketts and Eckermann became the first OU pair to nab both Big 12 honors in the same week since Nicole Denes and Heather Scaglione did it in 2004

MENA NAMED NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior Mariee Mena was recognized by USA Softball as the National Player of the Week for her play Feb. 19-25. The Escondido, Calif., native produced a .692 batting average over the Palm Springs weekend with eight RBI, including a double and two home runs. It marks the first National Player of the Week honor for Mena and was the first for the Sooners since 2005 when Jessica Leslie was selected for the honor.

DICKSON NAMED NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior third baseman Norrelle Dickson picked up her first USA Softball National Player of the Week honor in her career after hitting .750 (12-for-16) March 18-25 against Texas Tech and No. 10 Texas. The two-time All-American went 7-for-7 in the two games against Texas.

WINNING STREAK ENDS
Oklahoma's 23-game winning streak came to an end against Tulsa on March 7. It tied with the 2001 squad for the second-longest in school history behind the 2005 team that produced a 29-game winning streak. It marked the best start in school history and the 16th winning streak under head coach Patty Gasso of 10 or more games.

WINNING STREAK DETAILS
OU recorded the best start in school history by winning 23 consecutive games from Feb. 9 to March 7. Below are the details:
* It marked the second-longest win streak in school history.
* OU's streak began with a 9-5 come-from-behind win over then-No. 16 Louisville on Feb. 9 and ended with a 2-0 loss to Tulsa.
* OU outscored its opponents 203-30 during the stretch
* The offense hit .364 with 26 home runs and 182 RBI.
* Eight regulars hit above .300 with four (Dickson, Mena, Ogden and Flores) of those topping .400.
* OU scored 10 or more runs on 10 different occasions and run-ruled its opponents 11 times.
* The pitching staff had a combined ERA of 1.31 ERA and Mathis and Eckermann combined for three no-hitters in one week.

GASSO INKS SIX FOR 2008
The Oklahoma softball program continued its success on the recruiting trail and signed six athletes to National Letters of Intent for the 2008 class. Joining the Sooners in the fall of 2007 will be Haley Anderson (Edmond, Okla.), Dani Dobbs (Moore, Okla.), Krystle Huey (Garland, Texas), Chana'e Jones (San Jose, Calif.), Katelyn Rouppet (Stockton, Calif.) and Wendy Trott (Fountain Valley, Calif.). Below is a look at each signee.

Haley Anderson
UTL | 5-2 | R/R
Edmond, Okla. | Edmond Santa Fe High School

Dani Dobbs
3B | 5-4 | R/R
Moore, Okla. | Moore High School

Krystle Huey
UTL | 5-1 | L/R
Garland, Texas | Garland High School

Chana'e Jones
INF | 5-6 | L/R
San Jose, Calif. | Valley Christian High School

Katelyn Rouppet
3B/SS | 5-5 | R/R
Stockton, Calif. | A.A. Stagg High School

Wendy Trott
1B | 5-11| L/L
Fountain Valley, Calif. | Fountain Valley High