Parker Makes Cut for Freshman of the Year

NORMAN – Oklahoma pitcher Paige Parker has continued her outstanding season by being named one of 10 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 36 appearances in the circle this year, including 25 starts, Parker has gone 24-5 with a 1.45 earned run average. She has struck out 199 batters and walked only 42 in 179.0 innings of work and has held batters to a .170 batting average. Parker has eight solo shutouts this year, combined on three others and has also made three saves in relief.

This season, Parker has thrown four perfect games to join 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.

Parker leads the Big 12 in ERA, wins, shutouts and batting average against, while also ranking 12th nationally in hits per seven innings (4.15), 13th in shutouts and 16th in both ERA and wins.

Seven times this season Parker has been named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week to set an OU record for most Pitcher of the Week honors in one season, passing the six earned by Keilani Ricketts in 2012. In addition, Parker joins Texas' Cat Osterman (2002) for the most ever by a Big 12 freshman. Parker is now tied with Osterman and Texas A&M's Megan Gibson (2008) for the second most in a season in Big 12 history, trailing only the nine Big 12 Pitcher of the Week accolades won by Osterman as a senior in 2006.

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 .418 on the year with five doubles, nine home runs and 40 runs batted in. Her slugging percentage is .680, while her on-base percentage stands at .533.

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.