Completed Event: Softball at #12/14 Texas A&M on May 1, 2026 , Loss , 5, to, 8
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Parker Notches 15th Big 12 Pitcher of the Week
April 25, 2017 | Softball
NORMAN – For the third time this season and 15th time in her career, Oklahoma junior Paige Parker has been named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week.
Parker did not give up an earned run and struck out 15 in 13.1 innings over two starts against No. 15/13 Baylor last weekend, earning one win and a no decision, as the Sooners won the series. Entering the weekend, Baylor had the No. 1 batting average in the league during conference play at .360 but Parker held the Lady Bears to a .178 average.
With 15 honors in her career, Parker moves within one of matching former Sooner Keilani Ricketts for the most in OU history and second most in league annals. Only Texas' Cat Osterman (25) has more than Parker and Ricketts. Parker won Big 12 Pitcher of the Week seven times as a freshman and five last year as a sophomore.
The Sooners have now won Big 12 honors each of the last seven weeks, setting a program record. Parker was named Pitcher of the Week on March 14, sophomore Sydney Romero and freshman Mariah Lopez swept honors on March 22, freshman Nicole Mendes took home Big 12 Player of the Week honors on March 28, senior Macey Hatfield picked up the Player of the Week award April 4, sophomore Shay Knighten and junior Paige Lowary swept on April 11 and Parker won last week.
Parker got the start for Oklahoma in the series opener and kept Baylor off the board in 6.1 innings of work. She struck out six and walked two while giving up three hits and no walks. She retired 12 straight batters at one point from the end of the first inning to a two-out walk in the fifth. The Sooners would eventually win the game 3-2 in a 10-inning thriller.
After Baylor came back to win game two of the series, Parker tossed a five-hit shutout in the finale as the Sooners won the series.
The shutout was the third of the season for Parker as she improved to 16-5. She struck out nine and walked two. It was also the 26th shutout of her career and 67th complete game, tying former Sooner Lana Moran ('97-00) for seventh in OU history in both categories.
Baylor's best scoring chance against Parker came in the first inning when the Lady Bears put runners on second and third with one out, but Parker fought back with a pair of strikeouts to end the chance. After that, Baylor only got a runner to second base twice the rest of the game.
By winning the series, Oklahoma remains undefeated in its last 41 Big 12 series, going 37-0-4 in the process. The next closest team is Oklahoma State at 4-0-0. The Sooners closed the weekend in a tie for first place in the Big 12 with OSU at 11-1, while Baylor is two games back at 9-3 and Texas is a distant fourth at 4-8.
On the season, Parker is 16-5 with a 1.59 ERA in 136.1 innings. She's struck out 174 batters against just 24 walks, has thrown three shutouts, recorded two saves and has held opponents to a batting average of .175.
No. 7/7 Oklahoma (41-8, 11-1 Big 12) returns to action this weekend with a three-game series at Texas Tech (17-26, 4-11).
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