Softball at Home Wednesday Night

March 17, 2009

Northern Iowa (17-5, 3-0 MVC) at #11 Oklahoma (23-8, 2-0 Big 12)
Dates	Wednesday, March 18, 2009 \| 6 p.m. CDT
Location	Norman, Okla. \| OU Softball Complex (1,000)
Tickets	Available for as low as $7
Promotions	50-cent hot dogs and Cokes \| Fan banners
Webcast	Available through Oklahoma All-Access (subscription based)
Game Info	Live Stats \| Oklahoma Game Notes

SOONER REWIND: SOONERS GO 4-2 AT JUDI GARMAN CLASSIC
Oklahoma got wins over No. 25 Florida State, No. 23 DePaul, No. 16 Louisiana-Lafayette and Bowling Green to finish the weekend 4-2 at the 2009 Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif. Oklahoma's two losses were both one-run decisions to Notre Dame and Cal State Fullerton. Both games were decided in the bottom of the seventh inning. Junior Amber Flores (Calexico, Calif.) led the Sooners offensively, hitting .471 on the weekend with an 8-for-17 showing. Flores scored seven runs and drove in six. She tallied one home run and four doubles on the weekend. Freshman Allee Allen (Buena Park, Calif.) went 3-0 in four appearances. Allen picked up wins against all three ranked opponents. She pitched 21 innings, giving up five earned runs for a 1.67 ERA. She struck out 16.

TICKETS REMAIN FOR WEDNESDAY
Tickets remain for Wednesday's game and start as low as $7. To purchase tickets online visit www. SoonerSports.com or call (405) 325-2424 or toll-free (800) 456-GoOU. Tickets may also be purchased by visiting the OU Athletics Ticket Office located on the plaza level of the Asp Avenue Parking Facility, immediately west of Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. For groups of 10 or more, special group rates are available beginning at $4 each. Call (405) 325-8448 for more info.

WEBCAST AVAILABLE
A live Webcast of Wednesday night's game is available through Oklahoma All-Access at www.SoonerSports.com. The subscription-based service brings fans live game webcasts, live audio, coaches' shows and features plus access to hundreds of hours of classic video from the OU Athletics Department archives. Memberships are available in monthly ($9.95) and annual ($99.95) packages.

HOT DOGS, COKES JUST 50-CENTS WEDNESDAY
Wednesday night is 50-cent hot dog and Coke night, as long as supplies last. The first 250 fans through the gate also receive an OU fan banner. As always, students attending can present their Sooner Nation card to gain points for free stuff. The Sooner Nation Rewards Program provides incentives to students for attending home athletic events (excluding football).

SOONERS/PANTHERS SERIES HISTORY
Overall Record: Oklahoma leads 3-2
In Norman: Oklahoma leads 3-1
In Cedar Rapids: Never Met
At Neutral Sites: Northern Iowa leads 1-0
Oklahoma's Series Streak: Lost 1
First Meeting: May 15, 1975 (L 0-5 in Omaha, Neb.)
Last Meeting: March 11, 1988 (L 2-10 in Norman, Okla.)

SALLIS: GETTING ON AND COMING AROUND
Freshman second baseman Evan Sallis (Muskogee, Okla.) went 8-for-20 (.400) at the Judi Garman Classic. She also drew four walks for an on-base percentage of .500. Sallis scored seven runs for the Sooners on the weekend, tying for the team lead.

NORRIS BELTS THIRD HOME RUN OF SEASON
Freshman Katie Norris (Stillwater, Okla.) cranked up the Oklahoma offense against Bowling Green. Her three-run shot in the fourth inning was her third this season and started a two-inning rally that saw the Sooners win 8-0 in five innings.

MATHIS RETURNS IN RELIEF
Senior pitcher D.J. Mathis (East Alton, Ill.) pitched in relief during OU's opening game at the Judi Garman Classic. Sidelined with shoulder soreness for more than two weeks, Mathis also pitched during the first game of the Texas Tech doubleheader.

JONES STEPS UP IN SECOND GAME OF DOUBLEHEADER
Sophomore Chana'e Jones (San Jose, Calif.) led Oklahoma with 3-for-4 outing during the second game of the Texas Tech series. Jones drove in three runs and scored one.

HUEY, SALLIS GET FIRST EXTRA-BASE HITS OF YEAR
Sophomore Krystle Huey (Garland, Texas) and freshman Evan Sallis (Muskogee, Okla.) each hit their first double of the season at Texas Tech. Sallis had three stolen bases during the series.

OFFENSIVE THREAT - WHEN SHE GETS THE CHANCE
It is well-known that Oklahoma junior Amber Flores (Calexico, Calif.) is an offensive threat. Fact is, Flores does not get many chances to show it. In 2008, Flores set the single season record for walks drawn (45) and this year, she has already drawn 30 walks and been hit by a pitch 10 times. In 78 official at-bats (a total of 118 chances at the plate), Flores has seven home runs and a team-leading slugging percentage of .833. Oh, and that on-base percentage? A stifling .627. Senior Samantha Ricketts (San Jose, Calif.) is next on the team with a .411 percentage. Against Creighton, Flores managed to produce four walks and not a single official at-bat.

ANDERSON TALLIES THIRD CAREER HOME RUN
Sophomore Haley Anderson (Edmond, Okla.) recorded her third career home run and first this season during the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader at Texas Tech.

LONG HITS FIRST CAREER HOME RUN
Freshman Karolyne Long (Midwest City, Okla.) recorded her first career home run with a game-winning solo shot against Northwestern (3/7).

RICKETTS: 168 STRAIGHT AND COUNTING
Senior Samantha Ricketts (San Jose, Calif.) has started 168 consecutive games as a Sooner. The streak dates back to April 26, 2006 (vs. Oklahoma State). She has started all but 14 of those games at first base. She started the last 14 games of the 2006 season as the designated player.

GASSO GETS 700TH WIN AT OKLAHOMA
Already Oklahoma's all-time winningest softball coach, Patty Gasso won her 700th game as the Sooners' head coach against Northwestern (3/7). Gasso's mark at the school is 706-232-2; while her career record stands at 868-291 -2.

RICKETTS A LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS TOP 30 FINALIST
University of Oklahoma senior Samantha Ricketts of San Jose, Calif., has been named a top 30 finalist for the 2009 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for softball. A national media committee will select 10 finalists for the award at the end of March. Those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote beginning March 30 and concluding May 7. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient of the award. Winners will be announced during the 2009 NCAA Division I Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, scheduled for May 28-June 3.

VANDEVER HITTING WITH THE BEST OF THEM
Junior Lindsey Vandever (Davenport, Okla.) has five home runs on the year. More impressively, Vandever has brought in 16 RBI on those home runs - two grand slams (vs. Arizona State and vs. UAB) and two three-run shots (vs. Alabama and vs. Saint Louis) and a two-run shot against Tulsa. Vandever is hitting .408 (20-of-49) with runners in scoring position. Vandever advances at least one base runner 55.4 percent of the time when she is at the plate.

BACHMAN SEES FIRST ACTION OF SEASON
Freshman Samantha Bachman (Midwest City, Okla.) saw her first action of the season against Saint Louis. Bachman picked up the save, pitching 3.2 innings and allowing no runs and just one hit.

RICKETTS BECOMES CAREER RBI LEADER
With a solo home run against Cal Poly, senior Samantha Ricketts (San Jose, Calif.) became the Oklahoma all-time leader in runs batted in. She now has 213 in her career.

SALLIS LEADS OU AT CATHEDRAL CITY CLASSIC
Freshman Evan Sallis (Muskogee, Okla.) led the team during the Cathedral City Classic with a .429 batting average. She went 6-for-14 with two RBI and scored five runs.

WALK THE LINE
After setting the OU single season record for walks drawn last season (45), junior Amber Flores (Calexico, Calif.) is well on her way to breaking that record this season. In five games at the Cathedral City Classic, Flores drew eight walks. In 31 games this season, she is averaging one walk per game.

FRESHMAN GETS CALL AGAINST TOP-RANKED ALABAMA
Freshman Allee Allen (Buena Park, Calif.) got the nod for Oklahoma against top-ranked Alabama at the Cathedral City Classic. It was Allen's first start against a top 25 program. Despite dropping the game 4-3, Allen (went six and one-third innings. Alabama scored the winning run with one out in the bottom of the seventh.

MATHIS, RICKETTS TAKEN IN NPF DRAFT
Pitcher D.J. Mathis (East Alton, Ill.) and infielder Samantha Ricketts (San Jose, Calif.) were selected by the Akron Racers in the 2009 National Pro Fastpitch Senior Draft. Mathis went second overall, while Ricketts was the second pick in the third round, going 12th overall. Oklahoma was one of four schools with two players taken. Oklahoma has now had 13 players drafted to the NPF league since its inaugural draft prior to the 2004 season. The 2009 draftees join Sooner alums Savannah Long, Susan Ogden, Lauren Eckermann, Norrelle Dickson, Heather Scaglione, Kami Keiter, Christina Enea, Erin Evans, Christy Ring, Leah Gulla and Kristin Vesely who were all drafted by the league.

OU Fast Fact

Freshman pitcher Allee Allen has a 10-1 record. Her only loss is to then-#1 Alabama.

FLORES EARNS BIG 12, NATIONAL AWARDS
For her MVP performance at the Hawai'i Paradise Classic, junior shortstop Amber Flores (Calexico, Calif) was named Big 12 Player of the Week, Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I Player of the Week and Co-Player of the Week by USA Softball on Tuesday, Feb. 10. It is the first time an OU softball athlete has earned both national honors in the same week. Flores hit .643 over a five-game span. Flores was 9-for-14 with nine runs scored and drove in 15 runs. Of her nine hits, two were doubles and three were home runs. Flores posted a slugging percentage of 1.429 and an on-base percentage of .737. She totaled 20 bases on the weekend, along with three walks and two hit-by-pitches. In OU's 18-0 win over UAB, Flores tied the OU school record with eight RBI in a single game. In the first inning, she drove in two runs on a double and later in the inning, cleared the bases with her three-run shot. She added a second three-run home run later in the contest.

OPENING STATEMENT
Freshman DP Katie Norris (Stillwater, Okla.) set the tone for her 2009 season at the Hawai'i Paradise Classic. Norris hit .462 with six hits and three runs scored. Norris drove in four runs and hit a double and a home run on the weekend.

DOBBS GETS FIRST CAREER HOME RUN
Dani Dobbs' (Moore, Okla.) three-run blast against UAB was the sophomore's first career home run. Dobbs was named to the Hawai'i Paradise Classic all-tournament team after hitting .571 and posting a 1.143 slugging percentage.

FLORES, RICKETTS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
A pair of University of Oklahoma softball athletes have been named Preseason All-Americans by ESPN. Junior Amber Flores (Calexico, Calif.) earned first team honors, while senior Samantha Ricketts (San Jose, Calif.) was named to the second team. Writer Graham Hays says of Flores, "Whether at second base, outfield or designated player, Flores makes herself a lineup cornerstone with one of the best bats in the game. Both patient enough in her own approach and feared enough by opponents to draw a program single-season record 45 walks last season, she still did enough with the pitches she saw to hit .381 with 15 home runs. Only a junior, it's scary to think how good Flores could be."

MATHIS, RICKETTS NAMED TO POY WATCH LIST
Oklahoma seniors D.J. Mathis (East Alton, Ill.) and Samantha Ricketts (San Jose, Calif.) have been named to the 2009 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List. Both are All-Americans and Ricketts was a top three finalist in 2007.

RICKETTS NAMED TEAM CAPTAIN
Senior Samantha Ricketts (San Jose, Calif.) was elected team captain for the 2009 season. The team selected the captain based on characteristics such as work ethic, positive attitude and consistency both on and off the field.

OKLAHOMA, ARIZONA RANKED IN EVERY NFCA POLL
The Sooners have been ranked in the NFCA poll since its inception, which spans 200 weeks. Oklahoma and Arizona are the only programs who have been ranked every week the poll has been released.

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