Five Things to Watch: OU vs. Kansas

March 30, 2012

By Andrew Gilman | SoonerSports.com

NORMAN, Okla. -- Here are five things to watch when No. 7 Oklahoma hosts Kansas this weekend beginning Friday at 7 p.m. The Sooners (27-4, 3-1) and the Jayhawks (23-7, 2-4) will battle throughout the weekend with the series' second game Saturday at 2 p.m. and the series finale Sunday at 12 p.m.

1. A new winning streak
OU fell to Baylor Sunday, ending a 17-game win streak for the Sooners. OU beat OSU on Wednesday, making it 18 wins in 19 games. The 17-game win streak was the longest of the season and the longest for the Sooners since 2003 when that group won 18 in a row. OU has 18 winning streaks of 10 or more games under coach Patty Gasso, dating back to 1997.

2. The hits keep coming
How good has the OU hitting been? Well, in the 17-game win streak, the Sooners outscored their opposition 124-11. Five of the last 13 games ended in a run-rule and the pitching has shutout opponents in eight of the past 14 games.

3. K is for Keilani
The Sooner pitcher was just one out from a perfect game against North Texas earlier this season, illustrating the fact she's been close to perfect all season. Ricketts is 15-4 this year. She has 196 strikeouts and 15 complete games. The junior has the school record for strikeouts with 992. That's good for fourth-best in Big 12 history.

OU vs. Kansas | Friday, March 30 - Sunday, April 1. | Preview | Tickets | Live Coverage

4. Another week, another honor
Expect the Sooners to be recognized once again if they play well against Kansas this week. OU has earned the Big 12 Player of the Week honor in the last four weeks. Ricketts has been Pitcher of the Week twice, Lauren Chamberlain was Player of the Week and Georgia Casey was Player of the Week. Casey, a freshman from Australia, is hitting .439 this year with five home runs. Chamberlain, another freshman, leads the Big 12 with 12 home runs. She has 39 RBIs.

5. Knights in shining armor
Right across the street from the softball complex will be one of Norman's biggest events of the year - the Medieval Fair. Crowds for the three-day event are expected to be over 100,000. Allow for some extra time, due to traffic, but don't worry softball fans. You'll be allowed to part in the parking areas commonly used for softball events.

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