Softball Season Continues in Palm Springs

No. 4/3 Oklahoma (9-1) at Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic
Thursday	vs. #13/10 Arizona \| 3:00 p.m. CT vs. NR/RV San Diego State \| 5:30 p.m. CT
Friday	vs. #8/7 Georgia \| 12:30 p.m. CT
Saturday	vs. #11/9 Kentucky \| 7:30 p.m. CT vs. Loyola Marymount \| 10:00 p.m. CT
Location	Palm Springs, Calif. \| Big League Dreams
Live Stats	Links Available Before First Pitch
Game Info	Game Notes \| Media Guide \| Twitter

With a 9-1 record this year, the No. 4/3 University of Oklahoma softball team travels to Palm Springs, Calif., to take part in the prestigious Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. OU will face
arguably its toughest stretch of opponents this season as four of the teams it is scheduled to face in Palm Springs are either ranked or receiving votes. Lack of familiarity will not be an issue for Oklahoma as it has faced all five schools within the past two years.

The weekend begins against No. 13/10 Arizona. The teams last met during the 2013 season when OU won two games by scores of 5-0 and 4-0. OU has won eight straight against the Wildcats, which is the team's fourth longest active win streak against major conference teams.

Team	Conference	Streak	Record
Iowa State	Big 12	21	68-28 (.708)
Oregon State	Pac-12	10	13-2 (.867)
Oklahoma State	Big 12	9	79-70 (.530)
Arizona	Pac-12	8	19-26 (.422)
Utah	Pac-12	8	15-5 (.750)

The Sooners then face San Diego State, which is receiving votes in the USA Softball poll. OU beat SDSU, 4-0, in 2013 thanks in part to a two-run double by then-freshman and current junior Erin Miller. In their last four meetings, the Sooners have outscored the Aztecs 14-0.

Friday's lone game pits OU against No. 8/7 Georgia. Since the team's first met in 2008, all four contests have been tight. In fact, the teams have combined for just 14 runs in those four games with OU outscoring UGA 10-4.

The final day of the tournament begins with Oklahoma taking on No. 11/9 Kentucky. OU's five-game winning streak in the series was snapped last year as the Wildcats won the season opener in 10 innings over OU, 5-4. Oklahoma's final game will be against Loyola Marymount, whom the Sooners defeated last season 11-1 in five innings. Both Lauren Chamberlain and Shelby Pendley went 2-3 with two runs scored and two RBI. The highlight of the game though came as the Sooners turned a 5-4-3 triple play in the fourth inning.

THUMB INJURY TO KEEP CASEY OUT
Senior infielder Georgia Casey is expected to miss significant time after an injury suffered during Oklahoma's season opener. On Feb. 5, Casey suffered a tear of her ulnar collateral ligament in her left thumb during a tag play at second base. Casey had surgery on Feb. 12; one week after the injury occurred. The timetable for recovery is 8-12 weeks from the date of the surgery.

A three-time All-Big 12 honoree, Casey has a career batting average of .346 with 29 home runs and 121 runs batted in. Her on-base percentage of .459 ranks eighth in school history, while her .608 slugging percentage is ninth. Casey also ranks 10th at OU with 139 career runs scored, 38 doubles and 95 walks drawn.

CHAMBERLAIN NAMED BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior Lauren Chamberlain earned her second Big 12 Player of the Week award of the season as she continued her torrid start to the 2015 campaign at the Littlewood Classic. In helping the Sooners go 4-1, Chamberlain hit .533 (8-15), with seven runs scored, eight hits, three home runs, nine runs batted in and five walks. She slugged 1.133 and got on base at a clip of .650.

The award is the second of the season for Chamberlain and the seventh of her career, which ties former Sooner Heather Scaglione (2002-05) for the most Big 12 Player of the Week honors in school history.

In addition, it is just the sixth time in Big 12 history, and
second in OU annals, that a student-athlete was named Big 12 Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks. The only other Sooner to do it was Scaglione on April 27 and May 4 of 2004.

Chamberlain's win also marks the first time Oklahoma won back-to-back Player of the Week honors as a team since 2013, when it won three straight on April 16 (Shelby Pendley), April 23 (Brianna Turang) and April 30 (Pendley).

A CLASS OF THEIR OWN
The 2015 campaign marks the final seasons for five Oklahoma seniors: Georgia Casey, Lauren Chamberlain, Callie Parsons, Shelby Pendley and Jessica Vest. Since they stepped on campus three years ago (Pendley transferred to OU as a sophomore in 2013), no team in the country has a better win percentage than the OU seniors and only Florida has more wins.

Team	Wins	Losses	Ties	Win Pct.
Florida	172	34	0	.835
Oklahoma	171	28	0	.859
Alabama	169	37	0	.820
Tennessee	159	38	0	.807
Louisiana-Lafayette	158	31	1	.834

Best Winning Percentage Since 2012 (through 2/15/15)

Team	Win Pct.	Wins	Losses	Ties
Oklahoma	.859	171	28	0
Florida	.835	172	34	0
Louisiana-Lafayette	.834	158	31	1
Alabama	.820	169	37	0
Tennessee	.807	159	38	0

TAKING ON THE TOP 25
Though early in the season, Oklahoma has already played one of the toughest schedules so far. OU has played five games against ranked teams this year; only Florida State (6) and North Carolina State (6) have played more. In addition, OU's four wins against ranked teams are the most in the country.

CHAMBERLAIN, PENDLEY DUBBED 'RUTH AND GEHRIG'

In a Feb. 2 article on ESPNW.com, writer Graham Hays referred to OU's Lauren Chamberlain and Shelby Pendley as the Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig of college softball.

“In Chamberlain and Pendley, Oklahoma has the closest combination college softball might see to Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig,” Hays wrote. “One is the face and voice of a sport, the other the quiet embodiment of excellence. Good luck stopping them.”

Chamberlain and Pendley currently rank first and second nationally among active players in career home runs.

Player	Team	Fr.	So.	Jr.	Sr.	Total
Lauren Chamberlain	Oklahoma	30	30	12	6	78
Shelby Pendley	Oklahoma	19	22	19	2	62
Lauren Haeger	Florida	14	18	20	2	54
Megan Baltzell	Longwood	9	30	10	2	51
Renada Davis	N.C. State	5	26	19	1	51
Kory Hayden	Co. Carolina	15	15	18	3	51

Chamberlain and Pendley have also combined for more career HR than any other teammates in the nation.

Player (Total)	Player (Total)	Team	Total
Lauren Chamberlain (78)	Shelby Pendley (62)	Oklahoma	140
Stephany LaRosa (47)	Ally Carda (38)	UCLA	85
Kory Hayden (51)	Morgan Noad (32)	Coastal Carolina	83
Amber Freeman (44)	Haley Steele (38)	Arizona State	82
Chelsea Goodacre (49)	Kellie Fox (32)	Arizona	81

IN THE POLLS
For the third straight week, Oklahoma is ranked third and fourth in the NFCA and USA Softball polls, respectively. OU has been ranked fifth or better for the last four NFCA polls and fourth or better in the last four USA polls.

Oklahoma is the only program to be ranked every week of the NFCA poll. The Sooners entered the rankings at No. 18 in the first poll on January 24, 1995. They have not dropped out since -- 292 straight polls. Likewise, the Sooners have been ranked every week of the USA Softball poll, dating back to the 2003 season when they opened at No. 11.

With a 4-1 record this season against top-25 teams, Oklahoma is 225-182 (.553) all-time against ranked opponents.

SOONERS GO 4-1 AT LITTLEWOOD CLASSIC
Oklahoma went 4-1 at the Littlewood Classic. In the opener, Oklahoma scored at least three runs in every inning in a 14-4, five-inning win over Boston. It was the team's sixth straight win by at least seven runs, tying the longest streak in school history (Feb. 12-20, 2005).

The Sooners then held off No. 15/15 Washington, 8-7. OU saw a 6-0 lead evaporate in a six-run sixth for UW, but Oklahoma responded with two runs in the top of the seventh. OU went to 8-0 after a 7-2 win over Illinois State, which marked the team's eighth straight game scoring at least 7 runs, the longest such streak in school history.

Lauren Chamberlain's 78th career home run sparked the Sooners' four-run sixth inning as they rallied for a 5-1 victory at No. 21/21 Arizona State. However, ASU got revenge as Bethany Kemp hit a walkoff grand slam to hand Oklahoma its first loss of the year in an 8-4 setback.

The team's 9-0 start to the season was the seventh best undefeated run to begin the year in program history.