No. 1 OU Opens Conference Play at ISU

¹ Oklahoma

Iowa State

March 26-28 / 4 p.m./1 p.m./12 p.m. CT / Ames, Iowa

WEEKEND STORYLINES

• The No. 1 Oklahoma softball team opens Big 12 conference play this weekend with a three-game series in Ames, Iowa, versus RV/RV Iowa State. The teams meet Friday at 4 p.m. for the opener before a 1 p.m. contest Saturday and noon start on Sunday.

• All three games will be shown via Big 12 NOW on ESPN+ (subscription required). 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.

• Limited fan attendance will be allowed at this weekend's series. Masks are required while inside Cyclone Sports Complex, and other mitigation efforts such as social distancing will also be in place.

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

• Last time out, OU swept the Mexican National Team in Norman, March 19-21, in Norman. OU outscored Team Mexico 25-4 over the three-game series, winning 11-0, 2-1 and 12-3. Game two provided the most excitement with freshman Tiare Jennings hitting the walk-off RBI single up the middle to plate classmate Jayda Coleman who reached third on a leadoff triple after Team Mexico tied the game 1-1 in the top of the seventh. OU registered 43 hits versus the Olympic squad on the weekend.

CONFERENCE PLAY BEGINS

• Winner of the last eight regular season Big 12 championships, the Oklahoma softball team topped the 2021 Big 12 Preseason Coaches' Poll and looks to make it nine straight regular season titles in 2021.

• Oklahoma has won 43 consecutive Big 12 regular season games, with its last loss coming against Baylor on April 23, 2017. The streak is the longest in program history.

• OU has finished first in the Big 12 over the past eight seasons with a combined record of 134-13. Prior to OU's current run of eight straight regular season titles, no team had ever won more than two consecutive.

• Overall, the Sooners have 18 Big 12 titles with 12 regular season crowns and six Big 12 tournament championships, all under head coach Patty Gasso. OU claimed the last completed tournament championship in 2018 for the second year in a row (tournament was not finished in 2019 due to inclement weather).

• In 2019, the last year Big 12 conference softball contests were played due to the cancellation of the 2020 season prior to conference play, 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.

LAST TIME THEY MET

• The Sooners and Cyclones last met April 26-27, 2019, in Ames for the second-to-last Big 12 series of the season. OU swept ISU, winning a Saturday doubleheader by scores of 8-3 and 9-2 before a 14-0 run-rule, shutout victory on Sunday to sweep the series.

• The Sooners hit six homers over the first two games. Shay Knighten drilled two in the first contest while Jocelyn Alo and Lynnsie Elam both hit one in each game.

• In game one, Giselle Juarez improved to 19-0 on the year with the win in the circle, registering 10 strikeouts in her seventh complete game of the season.

• Shannon Saile closed the contest, registering three shutout innings and retiring all nine batters she faced, including two strikeouts.

• Elam homered, doubled and singled in the second game to reach a then-career high three hits. She drove in three runs, and Lyons registered a pair of RBIs.

• Giselle Juarez recorded the second perfect game of her career in the series finale as the No. 1/1 Sooners run-ruled Iowa State 14-0 in five innings to seal the series sweep.

• Juarez retired all 15 batters she faced to register her second of perfect game of 2019 and the then-14th in program history. Juarez joined Paige Parker as the only Sooners to record multiple perfect games in one season. The Glendale, Ariz., native struck out 12 batters in the Sunday contest.

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 fifth in the country with a .984 fielding percentage.

• OU's pitching staff leads the country with 13 shutouts. No other team has more than 11.

• 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.

• 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 has blasted six home runs in OU's last five games 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.
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.
Fourth in the country in hits with 38.
Fourth 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.
Third on the team 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 10th in the country with 10 home runs
Ranks fourth on the team in hits with 31

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

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

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. Juarez, Rains and Shannon Saile combined to throw a no-hitter versus New Mexico Feb. 26, an 8-0 run-rule OU victory.

• 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.

UNANIMOUS NO. 1

• This week (3/23) marked the second consecutive 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 (3/2) in Phoenix, Ariz., and have held the No. 1 ranking for three straight weeks since.

• The Sooners' No. 1 ranking in each poll on March 2 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.

WEEKEND STORYLINES

CONFERENCE PLAY BEGINS

LAST TIME THEY MET

ALL THE NUMBERS

ARE YOU KIDDING ME, JOCELYN ALO?!

NO LET UP IN OU LINEUP

SEVEN DEEP IN THE CIRCLE

UNANIMOUS NO. 1

#LAUNCHPAD

Players Mentioned

Jocelyn Alo

Jayda Coleman

Mackenzie Donihoo

Lynnsie Elam

Kinzie Hansen

Tiare Jennings

Giselle Juarez

Shay Knighten

Grace Lyons

Nicole May

Macy McAdoo

Olivia Rains

Shannon Saile

Alanna Thiede

Brooke Vestal

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics