OU Tucson Bound for Hillenbrand Invite

Friday, February 14

Tucson, Ariz.

12:30 PM

University of Oklahoma

Bryant

OU Tucson Bound for Hillenbrand Invite

February 13, 2020 | Softball

FloSoftball ($)OU vs. UA Pac 12 Stream (FREE)Live Stats Notes

^2/3 Oklahoma

Hillenbrand Invitational

Friday, Feb. 14-Sunday Feb. 16 / vs. Bryant, UNI, LBSU, No. 4/4 Arizona / Tucson, Ariz.

FloSoftball ($) / OU vs. UA Pac 12 Stream (FREE) / Radio / Live Stats / Game Notes

Hillenbrand Invitational
Day	Opponent	Time (CT)
Friday	Bryant	12:30 p.m.
Friday	Northern Iowa	8 p.m.
Saturday	Long Beach State	3 p.m.
Saturday	#4/4 Arizona	5:30 p.m.
Sunday	Northern Iowa	11 a.m.

TUCSON, Ariz. — The No. 2/3 Oklahoma softball team continues its season-opening road swing this weekend in Tucson, Ariz., at the Hillenbrand Invitational on the campus of the University of Arizona.

The Sooners are slated to take on Bryant (12:30 p.m. CT) and Northern Iowa (8 p.m.) on Friday, Long Beach State (3 p.m.) and No. 4/4 Arizona (5:30 p.m.) on Saturday before closing the weekend with a rematch against Northern Iowa (11 a.m.) on Sunday. Action can be seen via FloSoftball on a subscription basis and heard via the Franchise 2 in Oklahoma on 1560 AM and 103.3 FM. OU's game against Arizona on Saturday can be seen via a free PAC-12 livestream.

WEEKEND STORYLINES

• Oklahoma is coming off a 4-0 season-opening weekend in Puerto Vallarta, Mex., at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge. OU defeated Nevada (9-3), LBSU (10-3), George Washington (5-2) and BYU (3-1).

• The Sooners made their 13th appearance at the Women's College World Series in 2019, culminating in a 57-6 record and national runner-up finish. Oklahoma has won the past eight Big 12 regular season titles, finishing with a second consecutive 18-0 conference record in 2019.

• OU returns two first-team All-Americans in senior pitcher Giselle Juarez and junior utility player Jocelyn Alo. Also returning is sophomore utility player Grace Green, a third-team All-America and all-region honoree.

SOONERS MOVE UP TO NFCA NO. 2

• Oklahoma entered the 2020 season ranked third in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Preseason Coaches Poll and ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Preseason Top 25, both of which were released Jan. 28.

• After opening week, the Sooners moved up one spot to No. 2 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll, garnering 746 points and two first place votes. OU remained No. 3 in the ESPN. com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll.

• Oklahoma's No. 3 spot in the NFCA preseason poll marks the 10th straight year the Sooners have started in the NFCA's top 10, good for the nation's longest active streak. OU has been ranked in the top five seven of the past eight years, the most over that stretch. Overall, the Sooners rank third with 20 top-10 appearances in the NFCA preseason poll, trailing only Arizona (22) and UCLA (21).

• Oklahoma, Michigan, UCLA and Washington are the only programs to be ranked in every NFCA preseason poll, which dates back to 1995. OU also extended its streak of being ranked every week in the 26-year existence of the NFCA's poll.

• This marks the 13th straight season and 16th in the 18-year history of the ESPN.com/USA Today poll that Oklahoma is ranked in the preseason top 10. The ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll is voted on by coaching representatives of 11 Division I Conferences in the 10 USA Softball regions and by media members who consistently cover Division I softball across the country.

• Oklahoma is scheduled to face eight preseason ranked teams in 2020: No. 1/2 (NFCA/USA) Washington, No. 5/5 Arizona, No. 6/6 Texas, No. 13/13 Oklahoma State, No. 14/15 Northwestern, No. 15/16 Kentucky, No. 18/19 Texas Tech and No. 25/23 Wisconsin. 2020 opponents Baylor and Houston received votes in both polls.

THREE NAMED TO PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST

• Senior pitcher Giselle Juarez, junior utility player Jocelyn Alo and sophomore utility player Grace Green are among the 50 student-athletes on the preseason watch list. Juarez was named NFCA First Team All-American in 2019, while Alo was a second-team selection and Green was a third-team honoree.

• Three selections tie for second nationally with Alabama, Arizona, Texas and Washington also having three representatives. UCLA leads all programs with four on the list.

• The top 25 finalists for the 2020 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award will be announced April 22. While an athlete does not have to be on the Watch List to be considered for the top 25, the eventual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will come from the top 25 finalists. The top 10 finalists will be announced May 6 and the top three announced May 20. The 2020 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be revealed May 26.

• Oklahoma alumna and current USA Softball team member Keilani Ricketts was a two-time recipient of the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, considered the most prestigious honor in NCAA Division I Softball.

FRESH FACES

• The Sooners will have a new look in 2020 with nine newcomers set to take the field for OU, eight being true freshmen and one transfer.

• The pitching staff includes three true freshmen in right-hander Olivia Rains, right-hander Macy McAdoo and left-hander Alanna Thiede, plus right-handed redshirt freshman Brooke Vestal.

• Junior Taylon Snow, a transfer from Auburn, looks to contribute at second base in her first year with the Sooners. As a sophomore at Auburn, Snow started 52 games and her .324 batting average was third-highest on the team.

• Freshman OF Rylie Boone out of Owasso High School and INF Mackenzie Donihoo of Mustang High will look to find their spots in the outfield and infield, respectively. Both earned 6A all-state honors in Oklahoma. Another all-stater, Raylee Pogue, out of Mustang, Okla., will serve as a dynamic utility player.

• Continuing OU's California pipeline are freshmen Kinzie Hansen of Norco, Alycia Flores of Colton and Thiede of Carlsbad. Hansen will be listed as a catcher but see work elsewhere, while Flores, younger sister of junior Eliyah, will play outfield and Thiede will look to contribute early for the Sooners in the circle as a lefty.

NEWCOMERS SHINE ON OPENING WEEKEND

• Oklahoma's newcomers stole the show on opening weekend in Mexico. Freshman Kinzie Hansen stepped up at the plate for the Sooners, going 8-15 with 8 RBIs including two doubles.

• Owasso, Okla., product Rylie Boone also contributed at the plate for OU, registering seven hits on 15 AB on opening weekend, including two RBIs and one double.

• In the circle, two freshmen made their OU debut. Redshirt frosh Brooke Vestal made two starts for the Sooners, striking out a combined four in 6.0 IP. True freshman Macy McAdoo impressed in her debut weekend. In 6.0 IP, McAdoo struck out three and allowed just two runs.

• Junior transfer Taylon Snow made an impact in her debut for the Sooners. Starting the season opener at second base, Snow notched two putouts and one assist. Additionally, Snow registered one hit and one RBI in her debut. The Auburn transfer missed OU's final three games due to an injury.

SAILE STARTS STRONG

• Senior RHP Shannon Saile started 2020 strong last weekend in Mexico. The Florida native struck out a combined 24 batters in 14.0 IP, giving up just two runs on six hits.

• The senior holds a current ERA of 0.50 and recorded one win and two saves in the Sooners' four games at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge.

BIG 12 PRESEASON FAVORITES AGAIN

• Winner of the last eight regular season Big 12 championships, the Oklahoma softball team topped the 2020 Big 12 Preseason Coaches' Poll, the league announced in early January. For the fourth year in a row, each of the other six head coaches selected the Sooners as No. 1.

• This marks the eighth straight year and 11th in the last 12 that OU has topped the conference's preseason poll.

• Last year, the Sooners became the first program to finish Big 12 play undefeated in back-to-back seasons. OU is undefeated in their last 54 conference series (50-0-4 in that span) and have not lost a conference series since 2011. Overall, the Sooners finished 2019 with a 57-6 record as they made their 13th Women's College World Series appearance, culminating with a national runner-up finish.

LAST TIME THEY MET...

• Bryant: The Sooners are 3-0 in matchups vs. Bryant, with the most recent meeting being a 14-4 OU victory in five innings in May 2014.

• Northern Iowa: Oklahoma leads the all-time series vs. the Panthers, 6-2. They last meet in 2010, with OU taking the win 11-1.

• Long Beach State: The Sooners hold a 13-1 advantage over LBSU with their most recent win coming last weekend at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, 10-3. Junior Jocelyn Alo hit the Sooners first HR of the season in the second inning with a three-run shot to CF to help open up the scoring for the Sooners.

• Arizona: The Sooners last saw the Wildcats in Palm Springs, Calif., at the beginning of the 2019 season at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. OU topped UA, 2-1, behind 11 strikeouts from then-junior Giselle Juarez. Oklahoma trails the Wildcats 20-29 in the all-time series.

SOONERS ANNOUNCE TV SLATE

• The No. 2/3 Oklahoma softball team will have 22 of its regular season games televised, OU's athletics department announced Wednesday.

• Three contests will air on the ESPN family of networks, seven on FOX Sports Oklahoma (FSOK), two on FSOK+, one apiece on FSN and FS1 and and five on Sooner Sports TV Powered by FOX Sports. An additional three road contests are scheduled to air on Big 12 NOW on ESPN+.

• Three Sooners games will be televised nationally in 2020. OU's March 22 contest against Texas will air on ESPNU, while its April 25 matchup vs. Texas Tech will air on ESPN2. The May 2 regular season finale vs. Oklahoma State will be broadcasted by ESPN.

• Three of the Big 12's seven regular-season national broadcasts will involve the Sooners and seven of the nine Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship contests will also be televised via FCS. The Big 12 Softball Championship game on May 9 will be televised nationally on ESPN2 at 5 p.m. CT.

TEXAS AND OSU SERIES' SOLD OUT

• Tickets for Oklahoma softball's series' against No. 6/6 Texas (March 20-22) and No. 16/16 Oklahoma State (April 30-May 2) have sold out.

• Fewer than 100 tickets remain for a trio of games: Saturday, April 11 vs. No. 10/10 Kentucky and the Friday/Saturday games vs. No. 17/19 Texas Tech. Tickets can be purchased online or by phone at (800) 456-GoOU.

• The Sooners are scheduled to host 28 regular season games at Marita Hynes Field in 2020. Last year, OU went 18-1 at home, including a 13-0 record in the regular season.

COACH GASSO ANNOUNCES STAR-STUDDED COACHES LUNCHEON

• The Oklahoma softball coaching staff will hold its inaugural coaches luncheon on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 11 a.m. CT in the Barry Switzer Center at Gaylord Family—Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, the team announced Feb. 13.

• Head coach Patty Gasso and her staff invites coaches and fans alike to attend the luncheon, serving as an opportunity for supporters of the program to hear from Coach Gasso about the 2020 season and the new team. Also speaking will be Associate Head Coach Jennifer Rocha and some of the most decorated athletes in not only Oklahoma softball history, but NCAA softball history.

• Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Players Jennifer Stewart (2000), Keilani Ricketts (2013), Paige Parker (2016) and Shay Knighten (2017) along with NCAA career homerun leader Lauren Chamberlain and several other OU alumni will be in attendance to speak to the audience on their time at OU and their advancement of the game.

• Check in will begin at 11 a.m. with opportunities for photos with alumni in attendance. Lunch will be served at 11:30 am and the program will conclude at 1 p.m. Individual tickets are currently on sale for $150. For group pricing for up to eight people, contact director of operations Jackie Livingston at jackiel@ou.edu.

UP NEXT

The Sooners travel to Palm Springs, Calif., Feb. 21-23 to take take part in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. OU will match up against Nebraska, Texas A&M, Seattle, No. 1/1 Washington and Wisconsin.

For updates and more information on Oklahoma softball, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Softball) and like Oklahoma Softball on Facebook.