Sooners Open 2016 Home Slate with Dartmouth

March 5 | 1/3:30 p.m. CT | OU Softball Complex

Dartmouth

^14/13 Oklahoma

SoonerSports.tv ($)

NORMAN - After spending the first three weekends on the road, No. 14/13 Oklahoma is in Norman this week for its home opener Saturday against Dartmouth. The doubleheader starts at 1 p.m. with a second game to follow at approximately 3:30 p.m.

The games can be seen on SoonerSports.tv with a paid subscription. Fans can also listen to the game on KEBC 1560 in Norman or online via link on SoonerSports.com.

The first 300 fans in attendance will receive a free Oklahoma softball blanket.

It doesn't get much better than 74 degrees for opening day ☀️BUT if you need more incentive ⬇️⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/pueaY5PDir
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) March 3, 2016

Home, Sweet Home

Oklahoma is 37-8 all-time in home openers, including a perfect 18-0 mark since Marita Hynes Field opened in 1998. The team has won 21 straight home openers dating back to 1995 and 26 of its past 27 such contests.

In its last five home openers, Oklahoma has outscored its opponents 42-0.

Last season Oklahoma set a facility record for attendance in a home opener with 977 vs. Missouri State. The top four home-opening crowds have all come within the last four years.

Crowd	Date	Opponent	Result
977	3/7/15	Missouri State	W, 10-0 (5)
720	3/3/13	Houston	W, 6-0
647	3/2/12	LSU	W, 7-0
617	2/28/14	Arkansas-Pine Bluff	W, 10-0 (5)

Facing the Ivy League

Oklahoma has never faced Dartmouth, but it is 9-0 against other Ivy League schools. OU is 3-0 against both Harvard and Penn, 2-0 vs. Princeton and won its only matchup with Yale.

In nine games, OU has outscored Ivy League schools 74-9. Per game, that's an average score of 8.2-1.0.

The Sooners have faced an Ivy League school just once since the 2000 season, beating Yale, 4-3, on March 16, 2008.

OU Continues Remarkable Run in National Polls

After going 3-2 last weekend, OU fell two spots in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Coaches Poll from No. 12 to No. 14. In the USA ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25, Oklahoma also dropped two placess from 11th to 13th.

Oklahoma is the only program to be ranked every week of the NFCA poll, 309 straight polls.

Quick Hits

Freshman Sydney Romero is on a 10-game hitting streak, while sophomores Lea Wodach (7) and Kelsey Arnold (6) are also enjoying the longest hitting streaks of their careers ... since starting her career 1-12 (.083) at the plate, Romero is 19-35 (.543) ... sophomore Nicole Pendley is 12-21 (.571) over the last seven games ... Arnold's batting average has not been below .333 at any point this year ... among those with at least 1.0 plate appearance per game, Caleigh Clifton is seeing the most pitches/AB of any Sooner (4.6) ... the Sooners are 10-0 this year when out-hitting their opponent, and 0-4 when they are out-hit ... OU is 22-52 (.423) when swinging at the first pitch this season, with Wodach leading the way at 6-9.

Freshmen Contributing Right Away

With the graduation of one of the best senior classes in school history, OU needed one of its largest freshman classes ever to make up that production. So far, they're doing just that.

Sydney Romero (3B) has started all 14 games, while Shay Knighten and Caleigh Clifton have shared duties at second base and Fale Aviu (RF) has started 11 games. In addition, pitchers Jayden Chestnut and Brittany Finney have each contributed in the circle, while outfielders Kylie Lundberg and Raegan Rogers have seen playing time already in their debut seasons.

Romero has a team-leading 14 runs scored, 20 hits, seven doubles and 37 total bases, while Knighten leads the Sooners in slugging (.806) and RBI (15) and is tied for the team lead in home runs (4).

Finney has made one start and has one win this year, posting a 3.94 ERA in 5.1 innings with six strikeouts. Chestnut has made seven relief appearances for OU and earned her first two wins of the season last weekend.

Featuring eight freshman, the 2016 class is the largest ever under Patty Gasso and the largest for the program since nine were on the 1988 squad. For reference, the oldest member of this year's freshmen was born in 1996.