1 Oklahoma
7/8 Texas
April 16-18 / 6 p.m./3 p.m./4 p.m. CT / Marita Hynes Field
WEEKEND STORYLINES
• No. 1 Oklahoma plays its first top-10 opponent of the season when No. 7/8 Texas comes to Norman for a three-game Big 12 series, April 16-18.
• The Sooners and Longhorns face off Friday for game one at 6 p.m. CT prior to a 3 p.m. game two start time Saturday and 4 p.m. first pitch Sunday for the finale.
• Friday's game is available to watch via SoonerSports.tv (subscription required) while Saturday and Sunday's matchups will be shown to a national audience on ESPN2 with Beth Mowins and Michele Smith on the call.
• Games one and two can be heard on The Franchise 2 (103.3 FM, 1560 AM) while game three will be on The Franchise (107.7 FM) in Oklahoma. Fans can listen nationwide on the TuneIn app. OU play-by-play announcer Chris Plank will be on the call for all three contests.
• Season and single-game tickets for the 2021 season are sold out. This weekend's games will operate at approximately 25% capacity with social distancing and mask protocols in place.
• OU is the only unbeaten team in the country. With a 30-0 mark in 2021 and wins in their final seven games of 2020, the Sooners hold a NCAA-best win streak of 37 games. The streak is second in program history to the 41 straight the 2019 team accomplished.
• Oklahoma's 30-0 start is the best unbeaten streak to start a season in program history.
CONFERENCE PLAY CONTINUES
• The top-ranked Sooners are 6-0 through two Big 12 conference series. OU swept Iowa State March 26-28 in Ames before a three-game sweep of Kansas in Norman April 1-3.
• Oklahoma has won 49 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 is undefeated in their last 56 conference series (52-0-4 in that span) and have not lost a conference series since 2011.
• 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.
• 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.
RED RIVER HISTORY
• Oklahoma has won 18 consecutive matchups over the Longhorns including seven straight in Norman, with Texas' last win coming on April 18, 2014 in Norman.
• Over the past 18 contests, Oklahoma has outscored the Horns by a combined 101-29 and outhit its Red River rival by a count of 149-87 to go with a home run comparison of 24 to 6.
• In the past 18 contests, the OU pitching staff has registered 126 K's to UT's 72 and has allowed UT more than seven hits in a game just four times (2016, 2018 2x, 2019).
• This year's installment of the Red River Rivalry marks the third time in the past nine years that both teams are ranked in the NFCA Coaches Poll (2013, 2019). It is also the third time that either team has been ranked No. 1 in the country, with the Sooners holding the top spot each of the 2013 and 2019 series along with this year's 2021 matchup.
• The Sooners have won seven consecutive Big 12 series' over the Horns with Texas' last series victory coming in 2009 when UT took two of three over OU.
• Last Time They Met: The teams last met in Austin in 2019 for a three-game Big 12 series, with OU sweeping the Horns by scores of 3-1, 4-3 (8) and 9-2.
• Game one of the series saw then-junior Giselle Juarez strike out 10 batters to go with one run allowed and five hits in a complete-game performance. Senior Sydney Romero batted in a pair of runs while freshman Grace Lyons made the play of the game to seal the victory, laying out for a game-ending catch at shortstop to leave a runner stranded at third.
• Game two was OU's first extra-inning game of the 2019 campaign, with the Sooners taking the narrow 4-3 win in Austin behind RBIs from senior Caleigh Clifton and then-freshman Grace Green. Senior Fale Aviu stole home in the top of the eighth to push OU's lead to two runs before UT plated one in the bottom frame before junior catcher Lynnsie Elam ended the game on a tag at home, putting out MK Tedder and sealing the OU win.
• Game three saw OU complete the sweep with a 9-2 win behind home runs from Grace Green and Jocelyn Alo. Green finished the game with four RBIs while Shannon Saile collected the win in the circle in a complete-game 5 K, 4 H, 2 R performance.
A LOOK AT THE LONGHORNS
• The Longhorns (31-3, 6-0) come to Norman on a 14 game win streak and fresh off a series sweep at Iowa State (8-5, 11-5, 10-0).
• Texas is led by head coach Mike White in his third year in Austin after spending nine seasons as the head man at Oregon and guiding the Ducks to five Women's College World Series appearances, most recently in 2018.
• UT is second in the country to the Sooners No. 1 spot in team batting average, with the Longhorns batting .379 as a team in 2021. The Horns are also fifth in team home runs with 58.
• Junior Janae Jefferson leads the Longhorns in BA with a .484 clip and .525 OB %. Senior Shannon Rhodes paces the Horns in home runs with 13 and 42 RBIs while junior Mary Iakopo narrowly follows with 11 blasts and 35 runs batted in.
• The duo of senior Molly Jacobsen and sophomore Shea O'Leary lead Texas in the circle. O'Leary holds a team-best ERA of 1.34 in 83.1 IP to go with 82 strikeouts and 19 walks, while Jacobsen has a team-best record of 11-2 in 57.1 IP and 55 strikeouts to just nine walks.
ALL THE NUMBERS
• Oklahoma's offense leads the country in...
• Home runs: 93 (21 better than second-place Arkansas' 72)
• Home runs per game: 3.10 avg.
• Batting average: .453
• On base percentage: .529
• Slugging percentage: .877
• Runs: 357 (11.9 per game avg.)
• OU is outscoring opponents 357-39 on the season, scoring an average of 11.9 runs per game to opponents 1.3 clip.
• OU has scored 10-plus runs in one inning five times in 2021.
• 13 Sooners have hit a home run this season, with 10 players blasting at least two.
• The Sooners hold the top four batting averages in the country among players who have played at least 20 games
• 1st - Alo - .537
• 2nd - Coleman - .524
• 3rd - Jennings - .510
• 4th - Hansen - .506
• Three of the top 10 home run hitters in the country reside in Norman.
• 1st - Alo: 22
• T3rd - Jennings: 17
• T7th - Hansen: 15
• As a team, OU has hit at least one home run in 29 of its 30 games this season and has hit at least two in 25 of the 28 contests.
• The Sooners 93 HR mark in 2021 is already good for fifth in program history for a single season (Record is 115: 2019)
• The Sooners top three HR hitters (Alo, Jennings, Hansen) have combined for more HRs (54) than all but four teams in the country.
• Oklahoma has hit two-plus home runs in one inning 21 times this season, including three or more seven times and four-plus in one inning four times.
• The Sooners have hit back-to-back home runs nine times in 2021 and back-to-back-to-back blasts three times.
• Oklahoma has won by run rule in 22 of its 30 games.
• The Oklahoma defense holds third in the country with a .986 fielding percentage and has committed just nine errors on the season.
• OU's pitching staff leads the country with 16 shutouts. The staff ranks seventh with a 1.45 ERA and eighth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.61 K/BB, 226 K's to 49 BBs)
• 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.
• Oklahoma 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.
AMAZING ALO
• Senior utility player Jocelyn Alo leads the country with 22 home runs in OU's 30 games. The Hawaii native has hit a homer in 20 of OU's 30 games, including two grand slams and two multi-HR games.
• Alo has moved up the OU record book for career home runs to second in program history with 76. The NCAA HR record holder Lauren Chamberlain ranks first in program and NCAA history with 95. Alo's 76 blasts is already good for a share of 12th all-time in NCAA history.
• The slugger tied the NCAA record for consecutive games with a home run at seven from March 7 vs. Sam Houston through OU's first matchup with Iowa State on March 26.
• 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 22 home runs.
• Averaging 0.73 home runs per game and a home run ever 3.72 at-bats
• Has homered in eight of OU's last 14 games and 20 of OU's 30
• Ranks first out of players that have played at least 20 games with a .537 batting average
• NCAA-leading 1.415 slugging percentage, over .200 better than second place
• Program record 40-game hit streak dating back to Feb. 21, 2020 vs. Texas A&M came to a close April 3 vs. Kansas. The streak goes down as the third best consecutive game hitting streak in NCAA history, falling just three games shy of the record.
• Alo recently announced she will be returning for her extra year of eligibility in 2022 as a redshirt senior.
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 40 AB are hitting .500 or better:
• Jocelyn Alo - .537
• Jayda Coleman - .524
• Mackenzie Donihoo - .523
• Tiare Jennings - .510
• Kinzie Hansen - .506
• A look at freshman Tiare Jennings' offensive numbers:
• Tied for third in the country with 17 home runs, first out of all NCAA freshmen and one of just three freshmen with 10-plus home runs
• Tied for eighth in the country in hits with 50
• Third in the country in batting average (out of players that have played 20 or more games): .510
• A look at freshman Jayda Coleman's offensive numbers:
• Second in the country in batting average (out of players that have played 20 or more games): .524
• Fourth on the team in hits with 43
• Currently on a team and career best 16-game consecutive hit streak
• Leads the team with 15 stolen bases, 10 better than second place.
• A look at sophomore Kinzie Hansen's offensive numbers:
• Tied for seventh in the country with 15 home runs
• Tied for second on the team with 44 hits
• Fourth in the country in batting average among players that have played 20 games: .506
• Has homered in 12 of OU's 30 games
• A look at junior Grace Lyons' offensive numbers:
• Fourth on the team with 11 home runs
• Ranks fifth on the team in hits with 39
• A look at sophomore Mackenzie Donihoo's offensive numbers:
• Sixth on the team with five home runs
• All five of her career home runs have come in 2021
• Ranks third on the team in batting average out of players with at least 40 at-bats: .523
• Has had an unparalleled turnaround in the batter's box after hitting .145 as a freshman in 2020.
• Has stolen four bags in 2021, good for a share of third on the team
JUAREZ, SAILE LEAD SEVEN-DEEP CIRCLE
• The seven-deep Oklahoma pitching staff has put together a solid season, pitching shutouts in 16 of OU's 30 games.
• The staff has put together two combined perfect games this season plus a no-hitter. 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.
• Along with two perfect games and one no-hitter, the staff has allowed one hit in nine games this season and has not allowed more than seven hits in a single game.
• The staff holds a 1.37 ERA and has allowed 39 runs in 30 games to go with 226 strikeouts and 79 hits allowed to 49 walks.
• Redshirt senior Shannon Saile ranks fourth in the country with a 0.39 ERA, giving up her only two earned runs of 2021 March 27 at Iowa State. Saile boasts 63 strikeouts in 36.0 innings of work to go with eight wins and two saves. Opponents are batting just .080 against the Land O'Lakes, Fla., native.
• Saile ranks first in the country in hits allowed per seven innings: 9 HA/36.0 IP.
• Redshirt senior LHP Giselle Juarez paces OU with 75 strikeouts on the year in 58.0 IP to go with a team-best 11 wins.
• Freshman Nicole May has impressed in her first season of collegiate competition, striking out 56 in 38.2 innings pitched and collecting 10 wins. May holds a 1.45 ERA.
• Sophomores Olivia Rains (14.2), Macy McAdoo (7.2), Alanna Thiede (8.2) and Brooke Vestal (5.1) have all seen action for the Sooners.
UNANIMOUS NO. 1
• This week (4/13) marked the fifth consecutive week that Oklahoma has been the unanimous choice for No. 1 in the country in the the USA Today/NFCA Division I Coaches Poll and the seventh straight week the Sooners have been on top of both polls.
• The team received 19 of the 20 possible first place votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 for the third straight week after being unanimous in the poll for two straight weeks.
• OU overtook the top spot in the country in both polls after their Week Three performance in Tempe and Phoenix, Ariz., and have held the No. 1 ranking for seven consecutive 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.
April 16, 2021 at 04:38AM
https://soonersports.com/news/2021/4/15/softball-top-10-red-river-series-begins-friday.aspx
Top-10 Red River Series Begins Friday - University of Oklahoma - Soonersports.com
https://news.google.com/search?q=Red&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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