Showing posts with label OU Softball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OU Softball. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Bob Stoops Impressed With OU Softball's Championship Run

  /     /  
Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops took time to answer a few questions from The Oklahoman while attending game 1 of the WCWS Finals.

From The Oklahoman:
Q. What's your impression of this OU softball team?
A. "I love watching them. It's fun. This is an exciting game to watch. I might want to watch it more than baseball. It goes a little quicker for my pace. I want things happening, and they do a good job."
Q. What do you make of this 31-game win streak?
A. "Again, give Patty and her staff for being able to touch the right buttons. And her team, to receive the right message and want to play the way they do and with a young team. You've got to give them all the credit in the world. They're on a great run, and I just wish them the best of luck finishing. They can do it."

The Sooners play Auburn in game 2 of WCWS tonight at 7 p.m./CT on ESPN and Wednesday (game 3 if necessary) at 6 p.m./CT on ESPN.

Monday, June 6, 2016

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Softball: Paige Parker Headlines OU's All-American Trio

  /     /  
For the fourth time in the last five seasons the Oklahoma softball team has at least three representatives on the NFCA All-American teams, released Wednesday by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

Sophomore Paige Parker was named to the All-America First Team, while senior Erin Miller and freshman Shay Knighten were each selected to the All-America Second Team. OU was one of nine teams to have at least three All-Americans, and it’s the sixth consecutive season that OU has had at least one member on the first team.

Monday, May 30, 2016

Softball: Oklahoma to Face Alabama in Primetime Showdown

  /     /  
Third-seeded Oklahoma (52-7) opens play at the 2016 Women’s College World Series Thursday night at 6 p.m. against No. 6 Alabama (51-12) on ESPN2.

Making their fifth WCWS appearance in the last six years and 10th trip overall, the Sooners face off against the Crimson Tide in another matchup between the teams in postseason play. The two met in the 2015 Super Regional in Tuscaloosa, opened the 2014 WCWS against one another and faced each other in the 2012 WCWS Finals.

Monday, May 9, 2016

Softball: Sooners Clinch Big 12 Title

  /     /  
No. 7/7 Oklahoma (45-7, 15-1 Big 12) won the 2016 Big 12 championship outright Sunday after a 10-1 win in five innings over Texas Tech (23-32, 6-12) at Marita Hynes Field.

Oklahoma clinched a share of the conference title Saturday, but won it outright with Sunday’s victory. Second-place Baylor is 13-4 in the standings with one game remaining, while OU is now 15-1 with two games to go.

It’s the fifth straight league crown for OU; no other Big 12 program has won more than two in a row. Overall, Oklahoma has now won nine regular season titles and four tournament crowns. Second place belongs to Texas with eight combined league titles.

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Softball: Erin Miller Among 10 Finalist For Senior CLASS Award

  /     /  
Oklahoma outfielder Erin Miller has been chosen as one of 10 finalists for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award in college softball.

To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Softball: OU's Paige Parker Named Big 12 Pitcher of the week

  /     /  
For the second time this season Oklahoma sophomore Paige Parker has been named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week.

Her latest honor comes after a dominating weekend where the Independence, Mo., native went 4-0, did not allow a run in 18.0 innings of work and threw the fifth no-hitter of career. She gave up just four hits and struck out 22 against just three walks while throwing two shutouts and combining on another. Opponents hit just .070 against Parker on the weekend.

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Softball: Erin Miller Among 30 Finalist For Senior CLASS Award

  /     /  
Oklahoma outfielder Erin Miller has been chosen as one of 30 finalists for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award in college softball.

To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Softball: Paige Parker Named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week

  /     /  
For the first time this season and eighth time in her career, Oklahoma sophomore Paige Parker has been named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week.

Parker’s latest honor comes after she was dominant in two starts at New Mexico State during the Troy Cox Classic last weekend. She won both starts in complete game efforts as she gave up just one run in 11.0 innings while striking out 15 batters and allowing just one walk.

Monday, February 1, 2016

Thursday, May 28, 2015

OU Softball: Three Sooners Named All-Americans

  /     /  
For the third time in the last four seasons the Oklahoma softball team has had at least three representatives on the NFCA All-American teams, released Wednesday by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

Seniors Lauren Chamberlain and Shelby Pendley were each named to the All-American First Team, while freshman Paige Parker was selected to the All-American Second Team. Oklahoma was one of nine teams to have at least three All-America honorees.

With her selection, Chamberlain joins former Sooner Keilani Ricketts as the only four-time All-Americans in Oklahoma history, as well as the only OU players to be named to the first team three times in a career.

Chamberlain was named to the All-American First Team in 2012, 2013 and 2015, while she was named to the third team in 2014 after back and knee injuries forced her to miss 25 games.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

OU Softball: Paige Parker Named National Freshman of the Year

  /     /  
Oklahoma pitcher Paige Parker has been named the NFCA Freshman of the Year, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced Tuesday night at the NCAA Championship Banquet in Oklahoma City.

"It's truly an honor and I couldn't do it without my teammates, my coaches, my family and everyone supporting me," Parker said. "It's a great honor, and it's really cool."

Parker was outstanding in her first season in Norman, becoming the team’s ace and helping lead the Sooners to a sixth straight appearance in the Super Regionals. In 42 appearances in the circle, including 31 starts, Parker went 28-7 with a 1.65 earned run average. She struck out 224 batters and walked only 57 in 217.0 innings of work while holding batters to a .170 batting average. Parker had nine solo shutouts this year, combined on six others and also made three saves in relief.

Sunday, May 24, 2015

OU Softball: Season Ends at Super Regional

  /     /  
Photo Credit: Michael Wade

The Oklahoma softball team’s season came to an end Saturday night as the 11th-ranked Sooners (49-9) dropped a 5-3 decision at No. 6 Alabama (47-13) in the third and final game of the Alabama Super Regional.

The Sooners looked to be in control thanks to a pair of home runs by senior Lauren Chamberlain, but Marisa Runyon’s grand slam in the bottom of the sixth proved the difference as the Sooners’ run of Women’s College World Series appearances ended at four with the season-ending loss.

"Whether we win or lose, we give the glory to God and follow the path," Oklahoma head coach Patty Gasso said. "We gave everything we had and I'm so proud of this team. When we saw Alabama pop up on the screen (during the selection show), we knew that all we could ask is that we fight, fight, fight and these guys did that.

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Thursday, May 14, 2015

OU Softball: Sooners Capture Top Big 12 Awards

  /     /  

The 2015 Oklahoma softball team became the first in Big 12 Conference history to capture each of the four major end-of-season awards, taking home Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year honors, the league announced Wednesday.

Senior Shelby Pendley was named Big 12 Player of the Year for the second time in her career, joining former Sooner Amber Flores as the only players to win the award more than once. Flores did it in 2009 and 2010, while Pendley was also honored in 2013.

In 16 conference games, Pendley led the league with a .522 batting average and posted league highs in runs (26), home runs (9), total bases (54), on-base percentage (.641) and slugging percentage (1.174). It’s the 10th time an OU player has won Big 12 Player of the Year, done by eight individuals.

Monday, May 11, 2015

OU Softball Earns No. 11 National Seed

  /     /  
Winner of four straight Big 12 championships, the Oklahoma softball team (45-7, 14-2 Big 12) has earned the No. 11 overall seed in the 2015 NCAA Division I Softball Championship and will host an NCAA Regional in Norman beginning Friday.

The four-team, three-day event will feature Texas A&M (38-18, 12-12 SEC) facing Lehigh (39-7, 16-2 Patriot League) in a first round game at 12:30 p.m. Friday on SEC Network, before Oklahoma takes on Central Arkansas (35-19, 16-8 Southland) at 3:00 p.m. Friday afternoon on ESPN3.

Friday's winners will square off in Saturday's first of three games, while Friday's two losers will face off in an elimination game later that night. The loser of Saturday's first game will take on the winner of the day's second game in an elimination game later Saturday night. The winner of Saturday's final game will take on the winner of the day's first game on Sunday with an if necessary rematch scheduled for later on Sunday. A full schedule for all three days is below.

Oklahoma, which claimed its 12th Big 12 title this season, owns a 8-0 all-time record against Central Arkansas, including a 12-6 win in Norman on March 31 earlier this year. OU is 3-0 all-time against Lehigh, most recently meeting the Mountain Hawks in the 2012 Norman Regional. This marks the third straight season OU and Texas A&M could potentially meet in the postseason. Last season, Oklahoma, which is 47-30 all-time in the series, swept both games in the Norman Regional, while two years ago it was the Sooners who took both games in the Norman Super Regional.

The winner of this weekend's regional will advance to the NCAA Super Regional round against the winner of the Tuscaloosa Regional the following weekend with an ultimate goal of reaching the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma has made the NCAA tournament in every each of head coach Patty Gasso's 21 seasons at the helm of the program and 22 straight. Last season, Oklahoma reached the Women's College World Series for the fourth straight year and ninth time overall.

All-session tickets for the 2014 NCAA Softball Norman Regional are on sale online at SoonerSports.com and over the phone beginning at 9 a.m. Monday morning at (405) 325-2424 or (800) 456-GoOU.

Prices are $40 for reserved all-session tickets, $25 for general admission adult all-session tickets and $20 for general admission youth (2-18 year old, OU student & senior citizen 55 years and older) all-session tickets. Each day of the regional is considered one session and a session ticket is good for all games in one day. Children under one year of age are admitted free. OU students will have to purchase an OU student ticket for this event as it is an NCAA sponsored tournament.

Single-session tickets, if availability remains, will not go on sale until the first day of the tournament at the Oklahoma Softball Complex box office beginning at 3:30 p.m. Single session tickets are $15 for reserved tickets, $10 for general admission adult tickets and $8 for general admission youth/OU student/senior citizen tickets.
Orders will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis and are subject to availability.
 Game  Day  Teams (TV)  Time
 Game 1  Friday  Texas A&M vs. Lehigh (SEC Network)  12:30 p.m.
 Game 2  Friday  Oklahoma vs. Central Arkansas (ESPN3)  3:00 p.m.
 Game 3  Saturday  Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2  1:30 p.m.
 Game 4  Saturday  Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2  4:00 p.m.
 Game 5  Saturday  Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3  6:30 p.m.
 Game 6  Sunday  Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5  2:30 p.m.
 Game 7  Sunday  Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 (if necessary)  5:00 p.m.
///SoonerSports PR

Are you on Google+? Add +Oklahoma Sooners Blog to your Circle!

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Oklahoma Single-Game Softball Tickets on Sale Now

  /     /  
Single-game tickets for the three-time defending Big 12 champion Oklahoma softball team are on sale now.

Reserved seats have already sold out via season ticket holders, but general admission tickets will be available for $8 for adults, faculty/staff and letterwinners, while admission for youths aged 6-18 and senior citizens 55 and older is just $5.

General Admission seating is located in sections 101 & 104, in the bleachers down the first and third base lines and in the bleacher seating in the outfield.

Tickets can be ordered online or by calling (405) 325-2424 or toll-free at (800) 456-GoOU.

Currently ranked fourth in the nation by the NFCA and third by USA Softball, Oklahoma opens its home schedule Feb. 28 with a doubleheader against IPFW beginning at 2 p.m.

MORE: 2015 OU Softball Schedule

Other highlights of the 2014 home schedule include two non-conference opponents that reached the NCAA tournament last year. OU faces Hofstra in a doubleheader on March 1 and takes on Utah Valley in a two-game set, May 2-3.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Softball: Parker, Chamberlain Earn Big 12 Honors

  /     /  
In helping No. 4/3 Oklahoma to a 5-0 start and tournament championship at the Oceanic Time Warner Paradise Classic, freshman Paige Parker has been named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week and senior Lauren Chamberlain has been selected as the co-Big 12 Player of the Week, the conference announced Tuesday.

Making her collegiate debut, Parker dominated in the circle as she went 2-0 with a save and did not allow a run in 11.2 innings of work. She struck out 20 batters and walked just one while giving up only two hits. Opponents combined to post a .054 batting average against her.

The highlight of Parker’s weekend came in her second collegiate start as she threw the ninth perfect game in Oklahoma history. Parker struck out a career-high nine batters, seven of which were swinging, and did not allow a single Rainbow Wahine player to reach base in an 8-0, five-inning win over Hawaii in the title game. She needed only 69 pitches to record the first perfect game by a Sooner since Keilani Ricketts did it against Kansas on March 30, 2012.

In her first collegiate start, Parker struck out eight batters in five innings as OU beat Saint Mary’s, 17-0, in five innings. She faced just two batters over the minimum and didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning. Parker picked up the first save of her career in an 11-3, six-inning win over No. 25/RV DePaul. Parker threw the final 1.2 innings and struck out three with one hit and no runs allowed. With OU leading 7-3 in the fifth, DePaul threatened to do more damage as it loaded the bases with just one out. Parker stopped the threat though as she came on in relief and got a foul out and strikeout.

Friday, February 6, 2015

Softball: Sooners Open Season With Win Over No. 25 DePaul

  /     /  
A five-run fifth inning helped No. 4/3 Oklahoma rally for a 9-2 win over No. 25/RV DePaul in the 2015 season opener at the Oceanic Time Warner Paradise Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii, Thursday.

The Sooners trailed 2-1 entering the fifth and had managed just one hit off of DePaul starter Maxine Rodriguez. The Blue Demons went to the bullpen and brought in Mary Connolly for relief, but it ended up playing to OU’s advantage.

With one out, seniors Lauren Chamberlain and Shelby Pendley drew back-to-back walks before fellow senior Georgia Casey was hit by a pitch to load the bases. With freshman Paige Parker batting, Connolly was called for an illegal pitch to bring home Chamberlain with the tying run.

Parker then picked up her first collegiate hit with a single back up the middle to drive home Pendley and put OU on top, 3-2. Junior transfer Tori Nirschl then made her Sooners debut when she ran pinch ran for Parker and promptly stole second base.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

OU Softball Will Play 14 Television Games in 2015

  /     /  
The University of Oklahoma softball team is scheduled to have 14 of its games televised during the 2015 season, it was announced Tuesday.

Of those 14 contests, seven are assigned to a national audience, while the other seven will be shown regionally courtesy of Sooner Sports TV.

Oklahoma, ranked No. 4 in the NFCA Preseason Poll and No. 3 by ESPN.com/USA Softball, will have its first televised game March 4 when it hosts Wichita State on Sooner Sports TV in a 5:30 p.m. contest.

The first time a nation-wide audience will be able to see the Sooners comes Friday, March 20, when OU takes on No. 19/18 LSU in Baton Rouge. That game will take place at 6 p.m. CT on ESPNU.

The Big 12 home opener against Iowa State on April 3 at 6:30 p.m. will be shown on Sooner Sports TV, as will the April 8 matchup against Arkansas at 5 p.m.