OU Welcomes Mexico for Exhibition Series

¹ Oklahoma

Team Mexico

March 19-21 / 12 p.m./6 p.m./6 p.m. CT / Norman

WEEKEND STORYLINES

• The No. 1 Oklahoma softball team returns to the friendly confines of Marita Hynes Field in Norman this weekend for an exhibition series with the Mexican National Softball Team.

• Friday and Saturday's games can be viewed on FOX Sports Oklahoma+ while Sunday's contest will be streamed via SoonerSports.TV. All the weekend action can also be heard on The Franchise 2 in Oklahoma, 1560 AM and 103.3 FM. Fans outside of Oklahoma can listen live on the TuneIn app.

• Attendance at Marita Hynes Field will operate at 25% capacity this weekend and all available tickets are sold out.

• OU is the only unbeaten team that has played more than 10 games (five non-power five schools are undefeated through four to eight games)

• Oklahoma's 22-0 start is the second best unbeaten streak to start a season in program history, only one game shy of the 23-0 start from the 2007 team. *Note: This weekend's games vs. Team Mexico do not count towards NCAA records or statistics.*

¡HOLA!

• Both teams will see some familiar faces in the opposing dugout this weekend.

• Oklahoma redshirt senior Nicole Mendes is a member of Team Mexico and helped them qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games at the WBSC Softball Americas Qualifier in 2019. Mendes will lace up for the Sooners this weekend but following the NCAA season will rejoin the MNT for Olympic preparations.

• Recently added to the Team Mexico roster was 2019 OU alum and All-American Sydney Romero. Romero, along with her sister Sierra, will be on the Team Mexico roster this weekend as they vie for their spot on the Olympic roster.

• Mexico most recently played its first games of 2021 versus Team USA in Clearwater, Fla., March 8-10. USA Softball took a three-game series sweep over Team Mexico (4-2, 7-0, 5-3).

ALL THE NUMBERS

• Oklahoma's offense leads the country in…

Home runs: 77 (24 better than second-place Arkansas' 53)
Home runs per game: 3.5 avg.
Batting average: .470
On base percentage: .538
Slugging percentage: .926
Runs: 267 (12.14 per game avg.)

• The Oklahoma defense holds ninth in the country with a .984 fielding percentage.

• OU's pitching staff leads the country with 13 shutouts.

• Oklahoma holds the top two run single-game run totals of 2021 with 33 in its victory over New Mexico Feb. 27 and 29 in its season opener over UTEP.

• 13 Sooners have hit a home run already this season, with eight players blasting at least two. Senior Taylon Snow hit her first home run of the season last weekend vs. Houston to bring OU's tally to 13 players that have hit a round-tripper so far in 2021. It was Snow's second HR as a Sooner and third of her career.

• Oklahoma has won by run rule in 16 of its 22 games.

• OU set an NCAA single-game home run record with 13 in the season opener versus UTEP, a 29-0 (5 inn.) run-rule victory. The team tied the NCAA record for homers in an inning with five in the first and fifth innings of the game.

• Freshman Tiare Jennings and junior Grace Lyons tied the school record for home runs in a game with three a piece against the Miners in the season opener.

• Oklahoma registered a program-best 28 hits in its 33-4 victory over New Mexico on Feb. 27 in Phoenix.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME, JOCELYN ALO?!

• Senior utility player Jocelyn Alo leads the country with 19 home runs in OU's 22 games. The Hawaii native has hit a homer in 18 of OU's 22 games, including two grand slams and one multi-HR game (vs. UTA, 3/10).

• Alo continues to move up the program record book for career home runs. She blasted six home runs in OU's five games last week to bring her career mark to 73, recently moving past 2015 grad Shelby Pendley's 65 HRs. The NCAA HR record holder Lauren Chamberlain ranks first in program and NCAA history with 95.

• Alo and Chamberlain share the OU single-season HR record at 30 home runs, Chamberlain doing so twice ('12, '13) and Alo hitting the 30 mark her freshman season in 2018.

• More of Alo's eye-popping numbers:

First in the country with 19 home runs, four better than second place.
- Averaging a home run every 3.37 at-bats.
- Has homered in six consecutive games and 18 of OU's 22 games.
Ranks first out of players that have played at least 20 games with a .547 batting average.
Holds fourth in the country in hits (35).
NCAA-leading 1.484 slugging percentage (out of players that have played at least 10 games).
Currently on a program-record 36-game consecutive hitting streak dating back to Feb. 21, 2020 vs. Texas A&M. The NCAA record for consecutive game hitting streak is 43 by Sara Graziano of Coastal Carolina (April 8, 1993- March 24, 1994).

NO LET UP IN OU LINEUP

• Along with Alo's astronomical offensive output, plenty of other Sooners are showing their power at the plate in 2021 to help OU pace the country in every major offensive category.

• Five Sooners who have registered at least 30 AB are hitting .500 or better:

• A look at freshman Tiare Jennings' offensive numbers:

Third in the country with 14 home runs, first out of all NCAA freshmen and one of just two freshmen with 10-plus home runs.
Third in the country in hits with 38.
Third in the country in batting average (out of players that have played 20 or more games): .528
Seven-game consecutive hit streak

• A look at sophomore Kinzie Hansen's offensive numbers:

Fourth in the country with 13 home runs.
Sixth in the country with 34 hits.
Second in the country in batting average (out of players that have played 20 or more games): .531
Has homered in seven of OU's last nine games
Nine-game consecutive hit streak

• A look at junior Grace Lyons' offensive numbers:

Tied for eighth in the country with 10 home runs
Ranks eighth in hits with 31

• A look at freshman Jayda Coleman's offensive numbers:

5th in the country in batting average: .508 (out of players that have played 20 or more games)
Ninth in hits with 30
Eight-game consecutive hit streak

*NCAA Statistics through 3/17/21

SEVEN DEEP IN THE CIRCLE

• Not to be outshined by OU's hitters, the seven-deep Oklahoma pitching staff has put together a solid start to the season, pitching shutouts in 13 of OU's 22 games to lead the nation.

• The staff has put together two combined perfect games this season. Redshirt senior Giselle Juarez, redshirt sophomore Brooke Vestal and freshman Nicole May pitched a perfect game vs. Portland State (2/28). Three OU pitchers, Vestal, freshman Alanna Thiede and sophomore Olivia Rains, combined for OU's second perfect game of the season vs. Sam Houston, March 7.

• The staff holds a 1.30 ERA and has allowed 25 runs in 22 games to start 2021 to go with 158 strikeouts and 55 hits allowed.

• Redshirt senior Shannon Saile is the only pitcher in the nation that has pitched 20+ innings and not given up an earned run. Saile boasts 41 strikeouts in just 25.0 innings of work to go with six wins and two saves. Opponents are batting just .067 against the Land O'Lakes, Fla., native.

• Redshirt senior LHP Giselle Juarez paces OU with 50 strikeouts on the year in 39.0 IP to go with seven wins.

• Freshman Nicole May has impressed in her first season of collegiate competition, striking out 38 in 29.1 innings pitched and collecting a team-best eight wins. May holds a 1.19 ERA.

• Sophomores Olivia Rains (12.1), Macy McAdoo (7.0), Alanna Thiede (6.2) and Brooke Vestal (4.2) have all seen action for the Sooners.

ALO CLAIMS BIG 12 WEEKLY HONOR

• Jocelyn Alo claimed her third career Big 12 weekly honor on Tuesday as she was named Big 12 Player of the Week.

• The Hauula, Hawaii, native continued her dominant start to the 2021 season last week as the Sooners won five games to improve to 22-0, including a sweep of the Hall of Fame Classic in Oklahoma City.

• In OU's five games last week, Alo ripped six home runs, going 7-for-17 with 10 RBIs and 25 total bases. The senior hit .412 with a 1.471 slugging percentage. She hit two home runs in OU's midweek win over UT-Arlington, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs. She has hit at least one home run in six consecutive games and 18 of OU's 22 contests. Her season total of 19 home runs paces the NCAA and batting average of .547 leads all players that have played at least 20 games.

UNANIMOUS NO. 1

• This week marked the first week of the season that Oklahoma has been the unanimous choice for No. 1 in the country in both the the USA Today/NFCA Division I Coaches Poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25.

• OU overtook the top spot in the country in both polls after their Week Three performance in Phoenix, Ariz., and have held the No. 1 ranking for three straight weeks since.

• The Sooners' No. 1 ranking in each poll marked the first time since the final week of the 2019 regular season that OU has sat atop both polls.

#LAUNCHPAD

• The Sooner Club recently launched a fun, new and creative way to support OU student-athletes and the OU Softball and Baseball stadium projects by offering fans the opportunity to join the #LaunchPad. The #LaunchPad is all about #homers. Pledge to donate your own customized dollar amount for every #homer that OU Softball and/or OU Baseball hit in 2021!

• All donations are 100% tax deductible and will be directed to help fund the facility project of your choice - the new OU Softball Stadium Project and/or the OU Baseball Stadium Renovation Project.

• How It Works: Donate an amount to be charged per home run for softball and/or baseball for the 2021 season.

• Include if you'd like to make a gift for every home run hit in the 2021 season or start your pledge as of today.

• Watch the Sooners and cheer us on to victory while supporting future OU facility projects for baseball and softball.

• #Homers hit prior to your gift date will be included in your pledge. Monthly updates on the Pledge Per Home Run Campaign and other important Sooner Club information will be shared throughout the season.

• All donations from the Pledge Per Home Run Campaign will be treated as charitable donations supporting either the OU Softball Stadium Project or the OU Baseball Stadium Renovation Project and are tax-deductible.

• Payment Dates: Each month, we will charge your card on the first business day of the proceeding month for the amount you have elected to pledge per home run multiplied by the number of home runs in that month. (Monthly Payment Dates: Thursday, April 1, 2021; Monday, May 3, 2021; Tuesday, June 1, 2021; Thursday, July 1, 2021)

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