Parker a Finalist for Freshman of the Year

NORMAN – Oklahoma pitcher Paige Parker has been named one of 25 finalists for the NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year award, which will be presented prior to the start of the 2015 NCAA Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.

Parker has been phenomenal in her first season in Norman. In 27 appearances in the circle this year, including 18 starts, Parker has gone 18-3 with a 1.20 earned run average. She has struck out 145 batters and walked only 29 in 133.2 innings of work and has held batters to a .173 batting average. Parker has seven shutouts this year and has also made three saves in relief.

This season, Parker has thrown three perfect games, becoming the 22nd player in NCAA Division I history, and the first Sooner, to throw three perfect games in a career. In addition, she is the 11th player in DI history to throw three perfect games in one season. Only Louisiana-Lafayette's Kyla Hall and Boston's Audrey West had more when they each threw four in the 1994 season. Among the 11 to throw at least three perfect games in a season, only Texas' Cat Osterman (2002) also did it as a freshman like Parker.

Parker leads the Big 12 in ERA, shutouts and batting average against, while also ranking seventh nationally in shutouts, 12th in ERA, 16th in hits allowed per seven innings (4.24) and 19th in wins.

Five times this season Parker has been named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week. Only Osterman (7) has won more as a freshman. On April 14, Parker was named the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week and the NFCA National Pitcher of the Week for her dominant weekend in Austin as she helped OU sweep Texas by going 2-0 with a save and striking out 21 batters without giving up a run. She allowed just four walks and six hits in 16.1 innings of work.

As she has in the circle, Parker has also delivered at the plate. She's batting .402 on the year with five doubles, nine home runs and 36 runs batted in. Her slugging percentage is .732, while her on-base percentage stands at .517.

On May 7, the list will be trimmed down to the top 10 finalists, while the top three finalists will be selected and released on May 21. In its second year, the NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year trophy will be presented during a live ceremony on May 26 prior to the opening of the annual Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.