Bedlam Begins in Norman on Wednesday

May 2 & 5 | Norman, Okla. | Marita Hynes Field

May 4 | Stillwater, Okla. | Cowgirl Stadium

^RV/22Oklahoma State

^3/3Oklahoma

KEBC 1560

ESPN

NORMAN — No. 3/3 Oklahoma softball (44-3, 15-0 Big 12) concludes regular season competition this week with a three-game conference series against RV/No. 22 Oklahoma State (36-16, 12-3 Big 12).

At 15-0 in conference play, the Sooners have already clinched at least a share of the 2018 Big 12 regular season title. One win over the Cowgirls would secure the crown outright for OU, while OSU would need to sweep the Sooners to share the title.

Wednesday's game (Fox Sports Southwest) will be in Norman at 5:30 p.m., and the teams will face off in Stillwater on Friday at 6:30 p.m. (Fox Sports Oklahoma). The series finale is set for 7:30 p.m. in Norman on ESPN.

Both games in Norman and Friday's game in Stillwater are all sold out. On Saturday, the Sooners will recognize seniors Kelsey Arnold, Paige Lowary, Paige Parker, Nicole Pendley, Hannah Sparks and Lea Wodach. Additionally, Saturday's game will be a stripe-out of Marita Hynes Field with free T-shirts for fans.

STRIPE OUT MARITA HYNES SATURDAY
CRIMSON	CREAM
Section 1	Section 2
Section 101	Section 102
Section 3	Section 4
Section 103	Section 104
Third Base Bleachers	First Base Bleachers
Left Center Bleachers	Right Center Bleachers
Right Field Bleachers	Left Field Bleachers

Pursuit of Perfection

The Sooners are looking to be just the second team in Big 12 history to go undefeated in conference play. The feat was previously achieved in the 1998 season by Nebraska, who finished Big 12 games 16-0.

In 1998, Oklahoma was 12-5 in conference play to finish second in the league. Current Sooner freshmen Jocelyn Alo, Lynnsie Elam, Eliyah Flores and Alexa Schultz and sophomores Melanie Olmos and Vanessa Taukeiaho were not born yet.

OU's 15-0 record in Big 12 games this year marks its best start to conference competition in program history. The previous best was 10-0, accomplished by the 2017 squad.

Oklahoma has won 22 consecutive regular season Big 12 games, with its last conference loss coming on April 23, 2017, to Baylor. A sweep this week would match the program's longest conference winning streak of 25.

The Sooners' best Big 12 record stands at 17-1 (.944), achieved by the 2000, 2016 and 2017 teams.

Conference Dominance

The Sooners currently lead the Big 12 in batting average, ERA, fielding, home runs per game, on-base percentage, scoring, slugging, stolen bases per game and strikeout-to-walk ratio this season.

OU has finished first in the Big 12 over the past six seasons with a combined record of 98-13. Prior to OU's current run of six straight regular season titles, no team had ever won more than two consecutive titles.

Overall, the Sooners have 15 Big 12 titles with 10 regular season crowns and five Big 12 tournament championships, all under current OU head coach Patty Gasso. OU claimed the 2017 Big 12 tournament, which was held for the first time since 2010.

Program-Best Start

With a 44-3 record this season, the 2018 Sooners have matched the 2013 squad for the best 47-game start in program history. The 2013 team was 57-4 on the year as it claimed the program's second national championship, and its fourth and final loss came in game No. 48.

The Sooners' win at Tulsa on April 17 put OU at 39-2 on the season, marking the best two-loss start in program history. Additionally, OU's victory at Oregon State on April 20 was its 40th win, matching the 2013 team as the fastest to reach 40 wins in program history.

Three Sooners Make Top 25 POY

A nation-leading three members of the OU softball team were named as top 25 finalists for the 2018 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year in senior pitcher Paige Parker, junior infielder Sydney Romero and freshman utility player Jocelyn Alo.

The top 10 finalists will be announced May 9 and the top three announced May 23. The 2018 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be revealed May 29.

Oklahoma alumna Keilani Ricketts was a two-time recipient of the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, considered the most prestigious honor in Division I softball.

Last Time Out

The Sooners clinched at least a share of the Big 12 regular season title over the weekend with a sweep of Texas. It was OU's fourth straight series sweep and seventh consecutive series win against the Longhorns and extended the Sooners' win streak to 14 over Texas.

In game one, Paige Parker registered her fourth shutout of the season, scattering five hits and striking out eight batters. Jocelyn Alo and Shay Knighten both homered in the contest: Alo's solo shot opened scoring and Knighten drilled the second grand slam of her career. Nicole Mendes drove in Lea Wodach from second to secure the 6-0 win.

After the Longhorns took the lead in the third inning of game two, OU scored seven unanswered runs to secure a 7-1 victory and claim the series. Hannah Sparks scored on an error in the bottom of the third to tie the game. Paige Lowary entered the circle with a tie and shut down the Longhorn offense, surrendering no hits or runs while walking one batter and fanning four. Wodach scored the go-ahead run by evading a tag at home, and Knighten hit a sacrifice fly to extend OU's lead. Sydney Romero hit the first grand slam of her career to break the game open and earn the series win.

The Sooners sealed the sweep by coming out on top of a back-and-forth game three. Texas led early with a two-run home run in the first. Alo hit a solo home run in the fourth, and in the sixth, Knighten and Nicole Pendley hit back-to-back home runs to give the Sooners the lead. However, the Longhorns scored in the top of the seventh to tie the game again and send OU to extra innings for just the second time this season. Texas took the lead in the top of the eighth on another solo home run, but Alo hit her second solo shot of the game to tie it again. With two outs and two runners in scoring position, Wodach singled through the left-field side to walk off the Longhorns, 5-4 in eight innings.

Facing Oklahoma State

The Sooners lead the all-time series with the Cowgirls with an 87-70 record. Although OU holds the advantage in Norman (39-21), OSU leads in Stillwater (33-30). The Sooners have more wins over the Cowgirls than any other team in program history and head coach Patty Gasso has more wins vs. OSU than any other team with 58.

The Sooners have won 17 straight in the series and 20 of the past 21 matchups. The last loss for OU in the series came in Stillwater on April 27, 2011, meaning the Sooners have won seven straight at Cowgirl Stadium. Oklahoma has won 20 straight at home vs. Oklahoma State, last losing on May 17, 1997.

The Sooners have also won six straight series vs. OSU. Since the Big 12's inception, OU has done no worse than a split against OSU in the regular season series and claimed in-state bragging rights in 19 of the 22 seasons. Last season, the Sooners swept the Cowgirls in the regular season and also won at the Big 12 Championship.

In game one of the 2017 series, OU shut out OSU 3-0 in Stillwater. Then-senior Macey Hatfield opened scoring in the fourth with an RBI single and Fale Aviu tallied 2-RBI base hit in the fifth.

Shay Knighten hit a pair of home runs in game two to lift OU past the Cowgirls. Sydney Romero and Caleigh Clifton drove in a pair of runs in the bottom of the first, Nicole Mendes scored on an error and Knighten tallied three RBIs on two blasts to secure OU's 6-2 victory.

Mendes accounted for the only run with a solo homer in the sixth inning of game three, and she combined with Paige Lowary on a no-hitter as OU secured a series sweep against OSU with a 1-0 win.

The teams also met in the Big 12 Championship final in 2017. Nicole Pendley hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning to break a scoreless tie and Paige Parker and Lowary combined on a four-hit shutout to lead the Sooners to the postseason crown.

Up Next

The Sooners begin postseason on May 9-10 at the Big 12 Championship, held at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. The tournament begins with pool play with six teams divided into two pools. All pool play will occur on day one, while day two will see the third-place teams in each pool face one another followed by the second-place teams and the first-place teams.