SEASON PREVIEW
HUNGRY FOR MORE THE DEFENDING NATIONAL CHAMPIONS AIM FOR A REPEAT IN 2014
he Oklahoma softball team reached its ultimate goal Tprogram in 2013, claiming the second national championship in history. But that doesn’t mean that the Sooners are
content. Instead, they’re aiming to become the first back-toback title holders since Arizona did it in 2006-07. Oklahoma, one of two teams in the country to reach the Women’s College World Series in each of the last three seasons, returns many familiar faces but will need to rely on newcomers and underclassmen to fill the void from the four departed seniors.
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In addition, the Sooners boast an incoming freshman class with two players, both of whom hail from the state of Oklahoma, as well as two transfers. Pitcher Kelsey Stevens joins the Sooners after spending the 2013 campaign with Stanford, while fellow pitcher Maggie Ham joins OU from Butler Community College. The Schedule Never one to back down in the regular season, Head Coach Patty Gasso put together yet another loaded schedule in 2014 to test her Sooners prior to postseason play.
Lauren Chamberlain, a two-time first-team All-American, and Shelby Pendley, a second-team All-American and the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year, anchor a Sooners offense that should continue to batter opposing pitching.
Oklahoma is scheduled to face off against 11 different teams that qualified for postseason play a year ago, including four teams that joined the Sooners in the Women’s College World Series.
Oklahoma returns 14 letterwinners from the 2013 squad and a good percentage of its production. For the Sooners, 75 percent of their doubles, 74 percent of their home runs, 70 percent of their runs and RBI and 68 percent of their hits all return this season. Ten returning players started at least one contest a year ago, including four that played in all 61 games.
Thirty of OU’s 56 scheduled games are set to take place at Marita Hynes Field, home of Oklahoma Softball. The home portion of the schedule begins on March 1 when former Big 12 rival, and fellow WCWS participant, Nebraska visits. It’s part of the Spring Preview Tournament that also features Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
2014 OKLAHOMA SOFTBALL
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The season kicks off for Oklahoma Feb. 7-9 at the Easton Tournament in Fullerton, Calif., while arguably the toughest tournament field of the season awaits the following weekend in Phoenix at the Littlewood Classic. Two of OU’s five opponents in the tournament not only reached the postseason in 2013 but reached the WCWS in Arizona State and Washington. Palm Springs, Calif., is the site for OU’s final tournament road trip, Feb. 20-22. Big 12 play begins for Oklahoma March 28-30 when the team travels north to Ames, Iowa, to meet Iowa State. The Infielders With three-time All-American Jessica Shults graduating, the catching position for the Sooners likely falls on the shoulders of sophomore Whitney Ellis. The Yukon, Okla., native appeared in 22 games a year ago with a home run, two runs batted in and four runs scored. Behind the plate, she threw out three of the six stolen base attempts against her and finished with a perfect fielding percentage in 42 chances. Fellow sophomore Paris Townsend could also see time behind the plate, while also seeing action in the outfield.