The University of Oklahoma softball team is just a week into their season and have already shown the nation that they are the team to beat. The Sooners, who started with a preseason #2 ranking, took no time at all to grab the top spot. 12 out of 20 ballots have O.U. as the number one ranked team, with last years champions, Alabama, just a few points behind.
A lot of the credit has to go to Keilani Ricketts, the 2011 and 2012 All-American. The Team USA pitcher has started the 2013 season with 2 wins and 2 perfect games. In just a short 14 innings Ricketts threw 28 strikeouts, all while maintaining a .500 on base average. A feat that earned her multiple player of the week awards, including Big 12 Player of the Week.
Backing her up on the opposite side of the plate, is Lauren Chamberlain. The O.U. sophomore who coach Patty Gasso says is the best batter she has ever seen. The 2012 Big 12 Freshman of the Year started her collegiate career with a bang, knocking the ball over the fence 25 times. A conference record. Hitting over all for the line up was spot on this weekend, with the Sooners outscoring their opponents 50 to 7. A point differential that doesn’t even reflect the team’s true offense dominance, due to the 12 run mercy rule.
The weekend saw O.U. victories over Standford (6-0), Oregon State (14-2), New Mexico (11-1), Northwestern (7-4) and a #6 ranked Oregon (12-0).