Sooners Host Texas A&M in Pivotal Series

April 21, 2011

No. 19 Texas A&M (33-12, 5-4 Big 12) at No. 15 Oklahoma (33-13, 6-5 Big 12)
Game Info	Friday, April 22, 2011 \| 7 p.m. CT Saturday, April 23, 2011 \| 2 p.m. CT
Location	OU Softball Complex \| Norman, Okla.
Tickets	Available: $10 reserved \| $8 general admission
Television	Cox Channel 3 (HD 703) in Oklahoma City and Tulsa
Promotions	Friday: Earth Day \| Saturday: Stormin' Norman Weather Day
Online	Webcast \| Game Notes \| Twitter

A LOOK AT WEDNESDAY
The 15th-ranked University of Oklahoma softball returns home for a top 20 showdown with 19th-ranked Texas A&M. The series opens Friday evening at 7 p.m. CT and the finale is Saturday at 2 p.m. CT. Both games air statewide on Cox Channel 3 (HD 703) in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Toby Rowland and Kenny Mossman have the call Friday, while Rowland and former Sooner All-American Amber Flores are on the broadcast Saturday. Live stats and a webcast for both games are available at SoonerSports.com.

A LOOK AT OKLAHOMA AS A TEAM
• Oklahoma is 9-9 against ranked opponents this season and 174-154 all-time against ranked teams. OU is 26-6 against a ranked Texas A&M team.
• Oklahoma has hit 59 home runs this year; seven of those are grand slams.
• OU has played one of the nation's toughest schedules to date. After this weekend, OU will have played 20 games against ranked opponents.
• This weekend marks the seventh straight game against a ranked opponent for OU. OU has never played more than six games in a row against ranked teams.
• Including the postseason, OU played 20 ranked opponents in 2010. OU's current schedule would have the Sooners playing 23 ranked teams.
• OU hasn't faced that many ranked opponents since facing 25 in the 2003 season (16-9).

A LOOK AT OKLAHOMA INDIVIDUALLY
• Senior Dani Dobbs set a new single game best in the second game against Kansas on April 6. Dobbs went 5-for-5 at the plate.
• She's the first Sooners to have five or more hits in a game since Amber Flores had five against Iowa State in 2009. It's also an OU single game record.
• Freshman Destinee Martinez leads OU and the Big 12 with 62 hits. She leads OU with a .367 batting average.
• After playing outfield all of last season and the majority of this year, Brianna Turang made the move to second base this year.
• Senior Chana'e Jones continues to have a breakthrough season. Jones has set single season highs in the majority of offensive categories.
• She's also playing a new defensive position - first base. Jones is errorless in conference games and been responsible for several highlight-reel plays.
• Keilani Ricketts' 665 strikeouts are third on the career list and 68 from tying for second-place. Ricketts averages 11.47 K's per game.
• In her 27 starts in the circle, she has registered double-digit strikeouts 19 times.
• Ricketts leads the Big 12 in strikeouts (319), innings pitched (194.2), appearances (35), games started (27) and complete games (24).
• Ricketts has 21 career shutouts, eighth on the career all-time list. She struck out a career-high 17 batters against DePaul on March 17.
• Jessica Shults and Brittany Williams have provided the OU offense power this year.
• Shults leads OU with 19 home runs, 56 runs batted in and a .801 slugging percentage. She is second in the nation in home runs.
• Shults' 19 home runs are a new single season best for her. The OU single season record is 20 (Lisa Carey, 2000 and Lynette Velazquez, 1999).
• Shults has two grand slams this year. Nix has the other two. Ricketts, Williams and Dobbs have the others.
• Williams leads the Sooners and Big 12 with 42 walks drawn this season. She also leads the team with a .532 on-base percentage.
• Head coach Patty Gasso won her 800th Division I game on March 19 against No. 4 Washington. Gasso is 807-263-2 (.753) in 17 years at OU.
• Gasso is the 20th active coach to reach the mark and 30th all-time at the NCAA Division I level.
• Gasso is 969-322-2 (.749) in 21 seasons as a head coach. She needs 31 wins for career win No. 1,000.

A LOOK AT THE SERIES HISTORY
• Oklahoma leads the all-time series with Texas A&M, 40-28, and holds a 17-7 advantage in games played in Norman.
• Gasso is 32-11 against Texas A&M. The Sooners won both meetings in College Station last year.
• Oklahoma is 7-3 in the last 10 series meetings and 8-2 in the last 10 meetings in Norman.
• Texas A&M's last win in Norman was on April 1, 2007 (9-4).
• Complete series history information begins on page 144 of the 2011 Oklahoma softball virtual guide.

A LOOK AT WHAT'S NEXT
• The Sooners hit the road for a midweek game at Oklahoma State Wednesday and a two-game series at Texas next Saturday and Sunday.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooners Host Texas A&M in Pivotal Series

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