OU Returns to Sooner State to Face UMKC

March 25 | 6 p.m. CT | OU Softball Complex

March 26 | 2:30 p.m. CT | ASA Hall of Fame Stadium

UMKC

^13/14 Oklahoma

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NORMAN - After a five-game road swing in Fullerton, Calif., No. 13/14 Oklahoma returns home for a string of seven straight games in the Sooner State. First up, OU faces UMKC in a two-game series.

Friday's games will be played at OU's home park, Marita Hynes Field. Saturday's game, however, will be played up I-35 at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. Tickets for that game can be purchsed at SoftballOutlet.com.

Both games can be heard on KEBC 1560 in Norman or online via link on SoonerSports.com. Friday night's game will be streamed online on SoonerSports.TV, though a paid subscription is needed. Saturday's game will be carried on Fox Sports Oklahoma Plus and Fox College Sports Central.

Promotions

The #Sooners return to Marita Hynes Field on Friday and go up the road to ASA Hall of Fame Stadium on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/YcHVqJOeXi
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) March 24, 2016

Facing UMKC

Oklahoma and UMKC will meet for the first time since the 2010 season. OU holds a 4-0 lead in the all-times series, with all four games being played in Norman. UMKC is one of 19 opponents that has played at least four times and is
undefeated against.

The teams met twice in 2003 with OU winning both games via shutout, 4-0 and 8-0. The Sooners and 'Roos met up again in 2007 with OU taking a 10-2 contest. They last met in 2010 as Oklahoma won 17-1. All told, Oklahoma has outscored UMKC, 39-3, in their four meetings.

UMKC is the third member of the Western Athletic
Conference that OU has faced this year. Oklahoma won two games at New Mexico State in mid-February and defeated Grand Canyon last weekend. The Sooners have won 16 straight vs. the WAC.

Oklahoma and UMKC have had two common opponents so far this year in Saint Louis and Minnesota. The Sooners beat Saint Louis, 9-4, on March 11, while the Kangaroos have beaten them twice this year, 4-3 on March 5 and 5-0 on March 19. Two of OU's six losses this year have come to Minnesota, while UMKC also lost to Minnesota on March 20, 2-1.

UMKC has five Oklahomans on its roster. Sophomore utility player Kelsey Goodwin (Union HS) and freshman outfielder Meagan Rollow are both from Broken Arrow, while freshman pitcher Lacie Bullard is from Inola, senior pitcher Katie Kelley hails from Coweta and freshman outfielder Kameron Fisher (MacArthur HS) is a native of Lawton.

Taking on the Top 25

Through March 21, OU ranks tied for ninth in the country in top-25 wins (4) and tied for 11th in winning percentage against top-25 teams (.500; min. 4 games) regardless of poll. In addition, the Sooners are tied for 14th in most games played against top-25 teams with eight.

OU Continues Remarkable Run in National Polls

After going 4-2 last week, OU stayed at No. 13 in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Coaches Poll and No. 14 In the USA ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 for the third straight week.

Oklahoma is the only program to be ranked every week of the NFCA poll, 312 straight polls.

In addition, OU opened at No. 12 in the initial RPI poll.

Quick Hits

Among all active pitchers with at least 200 career IP, Paige Parker is ninth with a career ERA of 1.73 ... Erin Miller is tied for 15th among active NCAA players with 11 career triples ... Kelsey Stevens is seventh among active pitchers with 69 career wins, eighth with 19 shutouts, ninth with 102 career starts, 13th with 7.63 K/IP (min. 400 IP), 17th with 583 strikeouts and 31st with 535.0 career innings pitched ... Kelsey Arnold's batting average has been above .333 all season and above .400 since Feb. 20 ... eight of Caleigh Clifton's 15 hits this year have gone for extra bases (six doubles, two triples) ... Brittany Finney has not given up an earned run in any of her four starts (11.2 IP) ... Lea Wodach is hitting .667 at home this year (14-21) ... the team has not given up a home run in its last five games, a season long stretch ... OU pinch hitters have a .340 average this season (16-47)

Tough Schedule for Sooners in 2016

Fifteen opponents that reached the 2015 NCAA Softball Tournament, including half of the field from the Women's College World Series, highlight Oklahoma's 2016 schedule.

Ten of OU's opponents are ranked in at least one of the two latest polls and five more are receiving votes. Oklahoma has faced 11 of those 15 opponents so far, going 7-6 (played Minnesota and BYU twice).

Oklahoma's six losses this season have come to teams that are a combined 102-31-1 (.765).

In fact, so far this season Oklahoma has played the eighth-toughest schedule in the country based on the opponents' cumulative winning percentage.

Looking ahead to the remainder of OU's schedule, Sooner opponents have a .585 cumulative winning percentage, which ranks 57th in the country. Combining OU's past opponents with its future foes, OU's opponents have a .612 cumulative win percentage, which ranks 21st in the country.

Teams Don't Run on Oklahoma

After leading the country in fewest stolen bases allowed, fewest stolen bases attempted against and highest caught stealing rate last year, Sooner catchers are at it again in 2016. Teams are 3-6 against Whitney Montgomery and 1-2 against Lea Wodach in steal attempts this year. Through March 23, only Florida has allowed fewer stolen bases than OU this season.

The eight stolen bases attempted against Oklahoma are the second the fewest in the country behind Florida (4).

For comparison, the 295 teams listed by the NCAA site are averaging 27.4 stolen bases against and 6.2 runners caught stealing. That works out to a 18.5% caught stealing rate.

In addition, the Sooners are one of just four teams that have thrown runners out at least 50 percent of the time.