Sooners Tackle Texas Two-Step

April 29, 2011

No. 15 Oklahoma (34-15, 7-7 Big 12) at No. 3 Texas (43-4, 12-0 Big 12)
Game Info	Saturday, April 30, 2011 \| 7 p.m. CT Sunday, May 1, 2011 \| 12 p.m. CT
Location	McCombs Field \| Austin, Texas
Tickets	For tickets, visit TexasSports.com
Television	ESPN (Saturday Only)
Radio	None
Online	Live Stats \| Webcast \| Game Notes \| Twitter

A LOOK AT THIS WEEKEND
The 15th-ranked University of Oklahoma softball travels to Austin for a two-game series with No. 3 Texas this weekend at McCombs Field. Live stats and audio for the game are available at SoonerSports.com. Saturday's game will be televised nationally on ESPN with Beth Mowins, Jessica Mendoza and Michelle Smith calling the action.

A LOOK AT OKLAHOMA AS A TEAM
• Oklahoma is 10-11 against ranked opponents this season and 175-156 all-time against ranked teams.
• Oklahoma has hit 61 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 23 games against ranked opponents.
• Sunday will be the 10th straight game against a ranked opponent for OU. OU has never before 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 has the Sooners playing ranked teams 23 times.
• OU hasn't faced that many ranked opponents since facing 25 in the 2003 season (16-9).

A LOOK AT OKLAHOMA INDIVIDUALLY
• Keilani Ricketts is four strikeouts away from matching OU's single-season record set of 356 set by Jill Most in 1996.
• Ricketts' 698 career strikeouts is third all-time at OU and 35 from second place. Ricketts averages 11.3 K's per game.
• In her 30 starts in the circle, she has registered double-digit strikeouts 21 times.
• Ricketts leads the Big 12 in strikeouts (352), innings pitched (213.1), appearances (38), games started (30) and complete games (26).
• Ricketts has 22 career shutouts, eighth on the career all-time list. She struck out a career-high 17 batters against DePaul on March 17.
• Senior Dani Dobbs set a single game best in the second game against Kansas on April 6. Dobbs went 5-for-5 at the plate.
• She's the first Sooner 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 64 hits.
• 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.
• 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 .768 slugging percentage. She is second in the nation in home runs.
• Shults' 19 home runs are a single-season best. 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 43 walks drawn this season.
• The only other Sooner to have more walks in a single season was Flores (2008-10).
• Head coach Patty Gasso won her 800th Division I game on March 19 against No. 4 Washington. Gasso is 808-265-2 (.752) 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 970-324-2 (.749) in 21 seasons as a head coach. She needs 30 wins for career win No. 1,000.

A LOOK AT TEXAS AND THE SERIES HISTORY
• The all-time series between Oklahoma and Texas is tied 20-20. The Sooners won the last meeting in 2009, but the Longhorns hold the advantage at home 8-6.
• Last year's scheduled two-game series in Norman was cancelled due to rain.
• Oklahoma is 4-6 in the last 10 meetings with Texas and has not won in Austin since March 2007.
• Texas freshman Mandy Ogle is the sister of OU baseball's Tyler Ogle. UT's Ogle has started six games and made 27 appearances, hitting .226 in 31 at-bats.
• Complete series history information begins on page 141 of the 2011 Oklahoma softball virtual guide.

A LOOK AT WHAT'S NEXT
• The Sooners host North Texas Thursday, May 5, in Norman at 6 p.m., bringing an end to their 10-game ranked opponent streak.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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