Sooners Scouting Report: Infielders

This is the second in a three-part series previewing the 2016 Oklahoma softball team. Part one on pitchers and catchers was released Monday, while the outfield will be profiled Monday.

Georgia Casey. Lauren Chamberlain. Shelby Pendley. Jessica Vest.

Four of the five members of the 2015 OU senior class were located in the infield, which means there is a lot to replace in 2016. Only one returning starter, sophomore Kelsey Arnold, returns this season, so what OU will lack in experience it will try to make up for in athleticism.

“We're very athletic; we're also very raw, so every position in the infield's got a new face,” Oklahoma head coach Patty Gasso said. “The expectations that they have are great, but we just have to slow down. When you are trying to replace greatness in front of you, sometimes expectations are a little bit out of our control.

“The key for us this season is just to have the freedom to make mistakes and not be afraid of that because when we are afraid, we play different, and I just want them to be loose and I want them to feel free.”

A look at what is returning, lost and gained for the OU infield.

Returning	Departing	Additions
SS Kelsey Arnold	2B Georgia Casey	2B Caleigh Clifton
UTL Macey Hatfield	1B Lauren Chamberlain	2B Shay Knighten
1B Kady Self	INF Destinie Lookout	3B Sydney Romero
1B Paris Townsend	SS Shelby Pendley
	SS Jessica Vest

Arnold played in all 58 games a year ago and started 57 contests. Of those starts, 51 came at third base and six came at second base. She batted .314 with a .379 on-base percentage and .457 slugging mark to earn first-team all-region honors, as well as a spot on the All-Big 12 Freshman Team and the All-Big 12 Defensive Team.

Despite seeing the majority of action at third base a year ago, Gasso plans on moving the Tulsa, Okla., native to shortstop in 2016.

“She's got phenomenal range, but she is the lone returner, and I want that returner to be kind of in that leadership role at shortstop,” Gasso said.

According to Gasso, Arnold has bought into her new leadership role “One hundred percent.”

“She is definitely the leader on the infield, and you can feel her understand that before it was even put out there that she was going to be the one, like it or not, and she likes it,” Gasso explained. “It's really a tribute to the Georgia's and the Shelby's that have kind of helped because Kelsey was a deer-in-the-headlight freshman when she came here, and those guys brought her in, and now she's trying to pay it forward to the others. It's really been great to see.”

Joining Arnold on the left side of the infield is expected to be true freshman Sydney Romero.

“Right now, I'm working with Sydney Romero at third base a lot,” Gasso said. “She's got really good, quick reactions. She can reach the hole. She throws on the run really well and has a really quick release. I really like her in that place, which frees up Kelsey to move over to shortstop, and I really wanted Kelsey there.

“I think with her and Syd on that left side, it is going to be really tough to get a ball by them.”

Kelsey Arnold is the lone returning starter in the Sooners' infield.

Romero, who was recently chosen for the USA Softball Women's Elite Team, was a three-time First-Team All-Southwestern League honoree, the 2014 Position Player of the Year by HS Game Time and was chosen by MaxPreps as a 2014 Underclass All-American and All-State for California Large Schools.

The job at second base is also coming down to true freshmen.

“There's a big battle going on between Shay Knighten and Caleigh Clifton,” Gasso said. “It's kind of neck-and-neck right now, and that's the beauty of watching. They are making each other better. They're competitors right now on the same team, and it's really cool to see them fight it out and really challenge each other to make better plays.

“That's a tough position to play on our team because you have great responsibility, and it's new to both of them so they're learning a lot.”

A native of Buena Park, Calif., Knighten was named the No. 5 player in FullCount Softball's Top 100 in Oct. 2014 and the No. 4 player in Student Sports Softball's Top 100 in Jan. 2014. Playing for the Corona Angels, she helped her team to the finals at the 2014 18U PGF National Championship, while winning championships at the 2014 18U Triple Crown/USA National Championships, 2014 18U ASA Champions Cup and 2014 18U Louisville Slugger Independence Day Tournament.

Clifton hails from Wayne, Okla., where she was a three-time Daily Oklahoman Little All-City honoree and a three-time Southern Plains Conference MVP. As a senior, Clifton hit .481 with 52 stolen bases, eight home runs, 20 runs batted in and 47 runs scored. She also hit .610 as a junior and .605 as a sophomore as she helped Wayne High School to a state championship.

First base is also up for grabs as seniors Kady Self and Paris Townsend are both vying for the position.

Voted as team captain, Self came back from a torn ACL in 2014 to pick up right where she left off in 2015. She was a second-team all-region honoree and was placed on the All-Big 12 Second Team as she hit .378 with 10 home runs, seven doubles, one triple and drove in 45 runs. She slugged .650 and got on-base at a .465 clip. She's started 80 of the 123 games she's played in during her OU career, with 79 of those starts coming in left field and one as the designated player.

Serving mostly as a backup for her first three years, Townsend is looking to build on a junior season that was her best to date. She played in 24 games, hitting a personal-best .263 and also setting career highs in runs (9), RBI (11), slugging (.632) and OBP (.462). She's started 18 career games out of the 88 she's played in, including nine starts as the designated player, eight in the outfield and one at first base.

Coming off arguably her best season at OU, Paris Townsend is vying for the first base job.

“I've moved Kady Self from the outfield over to first, and she and Paris right now are battling it out,” Gasso said. “Both of them are making nice strides. Paris has had experience at first; for Kady, it's pretty new. They're working together, and I think that position's really going to come down to, if all things are equal defensively, the offensive star, and I think both of them might be working in and out of that position.

“It gives us options, which is what we need. And both Paris and Kady have and can play the outfield, if needed.”

Also in the mix to fill any spot is utility player Macey Hatfield, who has started games in her career in the infield, outfield and as the DP. The lone member of the junior class, Hatfield has a career .286 batting average with a .354 OBP and .486 slugging percentage.

“I appreciate that Macey is an athlete that can do either infield or outfield; it is very helpful to us,” Gasso said. “I've been working her at third, she has experience at second; I think we've played around with her a little bit at first. Macey gives herself also more options to get into the lineup because she is athletic enough to do these different things.”

Given that three of the four infield positions will be manned by players light on experience, Gasso knows there will be some growing pains, but the talent is there.

“They're very athletic, but they're just new to each other, so in practice it's just hounding action on them and getting them to learn from each other, getting to know each other's strengths and weaknesses,” she said. “We're going to make some great plays, and we're going to fumble a few, but we're going to have to learn how to deal with that and get better from it, and I know that they will. It's just a young but very, very athletic infield.”

In recent years, Oklahoma has been known for its powerful offense and its dominant pitching. But behind both of those, the defense has been the backbone of the team. The Sooners have tied the school record for fielding percentage in a season (.978) in two of the last three years, while in 2014 they set a program record with 30 double plays turned.

Gasso believes this group has the ability to continue that trend.

“I think what I'm looking forward to is my patience being challenged in that I can learn about what I can handle, but also just joining these guys in the journey of watching them turn into something special because it's just so hard to follow those positions that have left,” she explained. “They're big shoes to fill, and I just have to get them to know that they don't need to.

“Just be who you are and let's see how this blends together. I really look forward to specifically watching this infield grow as we go along and become something pretty special.”

Players Mentioned

Kelsey Arnold

Georgia Casey

Lauren Chamberlain

Caleigh Clifton

Macey Hatfield

Shay Knighten

Destinie Lookout

Shelby Pendley

Sydney Romero

Kady Self

Paris Townsend

Jessica Vest

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