Six Sooners Named All-Region

May 16, 2013

NORMAN, Okla. – Six members of the No. 1 Oklahoma softball team have been named to the 2013 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division I All-Central Region Team. The six honorees tie a school record that was established in 2005 and matched in 2007.

Senior pitcher Keilani Ricketts, senior outfielder Brianna Turang and sophomore infielder Lauren Chamberlain were all named to the All-Central Region First Team, while senior pitcher Michelle Gascoigne, junior outfielder Destinee Martinez and sophomore infielder Shelby Pendley were each selected for the second team.

Oklahoma has now had at least three members on the All-Region First Team every year since 2005.

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Ricketts, the reigning Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, joins former Sooners Norrelle Dickson (2004-07) and Amber Flores (2007-10) as the only four-time first-team All-Region players in school history. Ricketts is 27-1 on the season and ranks in the top 10 in the country in shutouts (15), earned run average (1.10), hits per seven innings (3.59) and strikeouts per seven innings (10.4). She has thrown five no-hitters this year and six in her career, setting school records in both categories.

For Chamberlain, it's the second consecutive season she's been placed on the first team. The nation's leader in slugging at 1.072, Chamberlain is hitting a team-best .442 with 64 runs batted in and a .599 on-base percentage and was placed on the All-Big 12 First Team.

Turang receives her first career All-Region honor after hitting .404 during the regular season. An All-Big 12 First Team selection, Turang led the Big 12 during conference play with a .500 batting average and was second with a .543 on-base percentage. She has recorded 21 hits in her last 41 at-bats, good for a .512 average.

One of the 10 finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, Gascoigne has earned All-Region honors for the first time in her career. She boasts a 17-3 record this year and is second in the nation with a 0.91 ERA. Her strikeout rate of 10.6 sits sixth in the country, while her 4.03 hits allowed per seven innings ranks ninth.

The Big 12 Player of the Year, Pendley has been tabbed All-Region for the first time in her career. Starting all 51 games, she has a .380 batting average with 19 home runs and a conference-best 64 RBI. During Big 12 play, Pendley led the league in home runs (10), RBI (30), total bases (59) and slugging percentage (1.157)

Martinez returns to All-Region status after being placed on the first team in 2011. She has a .355 batting average with 22 runs scored, 20 RBI and six doubles. Martinez, who was named All-Big 12 First Team, also ranks second on the team with eight stolen bases and three sac bunts. She finished second to Turang in Big 12 play with a .440 average.

The No. 1 overall seed, Oklahoma opens play in the NCAA Regional on Friday night against Marist at 7:30 p.m. The game will be shown on ESPN3.