Norman Regional Begins Friday for OU

NCAA Division I Softball Championship - Norman Regional
G1 - Texas A&M vs. Lehigh	Friday - 12:30 p.m.
G2 - Oklahoma vs. Central Arkansas	Friday - 3:00 p.m.
G3 - Winner G1 vs. Winner G2	Saturday - 1:30 p.m.
G4 - Loser G1 vs. Loser G2	Saturday - 4:00 p.m.
G5 - Winner G4 vs. Loser G3	Saturday - 6:30 p.m.
G6 - Winner G3 vs. Winner G5	Sunday - 2:30 p.m.
G7 - Winner G6 vs. Loser G6	Sunday - 5:00 p.m. (if necessary)
Location	Norman, Okla. \| Marita Hynes Field
Broadcast	G1 on SEC Network \| G2-7 on ESPN3
Radio	1560 AM (Fri.) \| 107.7 FM (Sat./Sun.)
Live Stats	SoonerSports.com (scroll down on page)
Game Info	Regional Central \| Tickets \| Game Notes \| Twitter

Winner of four straight Big 12 championships, the Oklahoma softball team (45-7, 14-2 Big 12) has earned the No. 11 overall seed in the 2015 NCAA Division I Softball Championship. The four-team, three-day event will feature Texas A&M (38-18, 12-12 SEC) facing Lehigh (39-7, 16-2 Patriot League) in a first round game at 12:30 p.m. Friday on SEC Network, before Oklahoma takes on Central Arkansas (35-19, 16-8 Southland) at 3:00 p.m. Friday afternoon on ESPN3. The rest of the weekend will also be shown on ESPN3.

POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE
Oklahoma is making its 22nd postseason appearance which is tied for 12th most in NCAA history. In addition, OU owns the sixth-best win percentage and is tied with Arizona State for the sixth-most wins in postseason history.

Team	All-Time Postseason Win Pct.	Team	All-Time Postseason Wins
UCLA	.799 (191-48)	UCLA	191
Arizona	.739 (153-54)	Arizona	153
Alabama	.694 (75-53)	Cal	97
Washington	.691 (94-42)	Washington	94
Tennessee	.678 (59-28)	Fresno St.	89
Oklahoma	.675 (85-41)	Oklahoma	85

The Sooners have reached the postseason in each of the past 22 seasons. Only Arizona is currently on a longer active streak.

Team	Consecutive Postseason Trips
Arizona	29
Oklahoma	22
Washington	22
Michigan	21
Four Teams	17

Oklahoma is 55-17 all-time in Regional play with 13 Regional championship in 20 appearances. OU has won 10 straight Regional contests and 15 of its last 16 dating to 2010. In the team's 10-game win streak, it has outscored opponents 141-33, including a 34-18 margin in a sweep last year. Against the 2015 NCAA Tournament field, OU went 12-7 during the year.

SERIES HISTORY
The Sooners have faced each of their Regional opponents before, owning a cumulative record of 58-30 record (see page 10 for OU's career stats against each team).

OU is 8-0 all-time against Central Arkanas, including a 12-6 win earlier this year on March 31. Oklahoma hit four home runs in the game, including two by freshman Lea Wodach. The team's eight wins without a loss against UCA is OU's third highest total agianst other team in program annals after North Texas (27) and Stephen F. Austin (12).

Oklahoma has a long history with Texas A&M, a former member of the Big 12, going 47-30 all-time against the Aggies. The teams have met every year since 1994, including in the postseason each of the last two years. En route to winning the 2013 national title, OU swept a two-game series in the Super Regionals in Norman. Last year, the Sooners beat the Aggies twice to advance out of the Norman Regional, including a dramatic three-run comeback in the bottom of the seventh in the first meeting between the teams.

OU is 3-0 against Lehigh, most recently defeating the Mountain Hawks in the 2012 Norman Regional, 19-3, in five innings. In addition to a 13-run second inning, Lauren Chamberlain homered and drove in four runs, while Georgia Casey was 3-4.

OU FIRST TEAM TO WIN FOUR STRAIGHT BIG 12 TITLES
Oklahoma claimed the Big 12 Championship for an unprecedented fourth year in a row in 2015. Last season, OU became the first team to win three straight Big 12 titles. Oklahoma has now won eight Big 12 regular season titles and four conference tournament championships. The 12 combined championships are the most in league history.

With four straight league crowns, the Sooners are tied for the second-longest active regular season conference-title streak in the nation.

Team	Conference	Streak
Michigan	Big Ten	8
Oklahoma	Big 12	4
Lehigh	Patriot League	4
North Dakota State	Summit League	4

BEST BIG 12 FINISHES
Finishing 14-2, the 2015 season marked the sixth time in history that OU finished Big 12 play with just two losses.

Year	Record	Win Pct.	Place	Postseason
2008	16-2	.889	2nd	Super Regional
2014	16-2	.889	1st	WCWS
2013	15-2	.882	1st	National Champions
2001	14-2	.875	2nd	WCWS
2002	14-2	.875	2nd	WCWS
2015	14-2	.875	1st	N/A

SOONERS TAKE HOME TOP BIG 12 AWARDS
For the first time in Big 12 history, one team captured all four major season-ending awards as Oklahoma won Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year and Coach of the Year and shared
Freshman of the Year.

Head coach Patty Gasso was named Big 12 Coach of the Year for the eighth time in her career and fourth straight season. Shelby Pendley joined former Sooner Amber Flores (2009-10) as the only players to win Big 12 Player of the Year honors twice as Pendley also won it in 2013.

Paige Parker won Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and shared Big 12 Freshman of the Year with Kansas' Daniella Chavez. Parker becomes the fourth player in Big 12 history to win both awards, and the first since Texas' Blaire Luna in 2010.

TEAMS DON'T RUN ON OKLAHOMA
With Whitney Ellis 7-11 on throwing out basestealers, and Lea Wodach 1-1, the Sooners have allowed fewer stolen bases this season than any other team in the country (through 5/10).

Team	SBA	CS	Attempts
Oklahoma	4	8	12
Kentucky	6	8	14
James Madison	8	9	17
Missouri	9	6	15
Hawaii	10	12	22

In addition, the Sooners have thrown out 66.7% of would-be basestealers, tops in the nation.

Team	CS%	CS	Attempts
Oklahoma	66.7%	8	12
Kentucky	57.1%	8	14
Hawaii	54.5%	12	22
McNeese State	53.7%	22	41
James Madison	52.9%	9	17

The 12 stolen bases attempted against Oklahoma are also the fewest in the country. In fact, there has been only one (unsuccessful) stolen base attempt vs. OU in its last 14 games.

CHAMBERLAIN SETS ALL-TIME HR RECORD
On April 30, senior Lauren Chamberlain became the NCAA's all-time home run leader with a grand slam at North Texas.

HR	Player, School	Years
91	Lauren Chamberlain, Oklahoma	'12-Pres.
90	Stacey Nuveman, UCLA	97, '99, '01-02

After looking at a strike from North Texas starter Kenzie Grimes, Chamberlain took a pitch to even the count at 1-1. On the third pitch, Chamberlain crushed the offering to straight-away center field, easily clearing the fences as her teammates gathered at home plate to greet her. It was the sixth grand slam of Chamberlain's career and her 19th of the season.

The home run came in her 212th career game and 584th at-bat. For comparison, Nuveman hit her 90 home runs in 264 games and 691 at-bats.

A CLASS OF THEIR OWN
The 2015 campaign marks the final seasons for Oklahoma seniors Georgia Casey, Lauren Chamberlain, Callie Parsons, Shelby Pendley and Jessica Vest. Since stepping on campus three years ago (Pendley transferred to OU in 2013), no team has a better win percentage than the OU seniors and only Florida, which has played 10 more games, has more wins.

Best Winning Percentage Since 2012 (through 5/10/15)

Team	Win Pct.	Wins	Losses	Ties
Oklahoma	.859	207	34	0
Florida	.841	211	40	0
Louisiana-Lafayette	.823	188	40	1
Oregon	.816	197	44	1
Alabama	.806	200	48	0

Most Wins Since 2012 (Through 5/10/15)

Team	Wins	Losses	Ties	Win Pct.
Florida	211	40	0	.841
Oklahoma	207	34	0	.859
Alabama	200	48	0	.806
Oregon	197	44	1	.816
Tennessee	192	52	0	.787

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 rank first and second nationally among active players in career home runs (through 5/10).

Player	Team	Fr.	So.	Jr.	Sr.	Total
Lauren Chamberlain	Oklahoma	30	30	12	19	91
Shelby Pendley	Oklahoma	19	22	19	24	84
Megan Baltzell	Longwood	9	30	10	27	76
Chelsea Goodacre	Arizona	8	17	22	22	69
Shellie Robinson	USC Upstate	17	12	18	22	69

Chamberlain and Pendley have also combined for more career HR than any other teammates in the nation (through 5/10).

Player	Player	Team	Total
Lauren Chamberlain (91)	Shelby Pendley (84)	Oklahoma	175
Chelsea Goodacre (69)	Kellie Fox (45)	Arizona	114
Kory Hayden (61)	Morgan Noad (52)	Coastal Carolina	113
Amber Freeman (56)	Haley Steele (48)	Arizona State	104
Stephany LaRosa (61)	Ally Carda (42)	UCLA	103

IN THE POLLS
After having both games rained out last week, OU fell one spot to No. 6 in the NFCA poll and No. 5 in the USA Softball poll. OU has been ranked sixth or better in each poll for the last 16 weeks. The Sooners also dropped one spot in the RPI to No. 14.

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 -- 304 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.

SOONERS CAPTURE ACADEMIC AWARDS
Senior Jessica Vest (4.00 GPA) and junior Kelsey Stevens (4.00 GPA) were each named to the 2015 Academic All-District Team, and the pair was joined on the Academic All-Big 12 First team along with seniors Georgia Casey, Callie Parsons and Shelby Pendley and junior Erin Miller.

First team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA. to qualify, student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of their team's scheduled contests.

PENDLEY ONE OF 10 FINALISTS FOR SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Shelby Pendley has been chosen as one of 10 finalists for the 2015 Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.

The finalists were chosen by national media from the list of 30 candidates announced in March. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner. Fan votes will be combined with those of the media and Division I head coaches to determine the winners. The Senior CLASS Award recipient for softball will be announced during the 2015 NCAA Women's College World Series, which runs May 28 through June 3 in Oklahoma City. Fans can begin voting now through May 11 on SeniorCLASSAward.com.

CHAMBERLAIN, PENDLEY UP FOR USA SOFTBALL P.O.Y.
Seniors Lauren Chamberlain and Shelby Pendley have earned spots among the 10 finalists for the 2015 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. Oklahoma and Florida were the only programs to have two players among the top 10.

The Top 3 Finalists will be announced May 20, while the winner of the 2015 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award will be revealed on May 26 prior to the start of the WCWS in Oklahoma City.

The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year is considered the most prestigious honor in Division I women's collegiate softball and recognizes the outstanding athletic achievement by female players across the country.

PARKER MAKES CUT FOR FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Paige Parker has been named one of 10 finalists for the NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year award. 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.

PARKER PERFECT FOUR TIMES IN 2015
Paige Parker has had one of the most dynamic freshman seasons in recent history, throwing four perfect games.

She joins Louisiana-Lafayette's Kyla Hall (1994) and Boston U's Audrey West (1994) as the only pitchers in NCAA Division I history to throw four perfect games in a season. No player has thrown five in one season. In addition, Parker is the 16th player in NCAA history to have at least four perfect games in a career.

Date	Opponent	Batters Faced	Strikeouts
2/7/15	Hawaii	15	9
3/7/15	Missouri State	15	3
3/14/15	East Carolina	15	7
5/3/15	Utah Valley	15	12

Players Mentioned

Georgia Casey

Georgia Casey

Lauren Chamberlain

Erin Miller

Paige Parker

Callie Parsons

Shelby Pendley

Shelby Pendley

Kelsey Stevens

Jessica Vest

Lea Wodach

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics