NORMAN, Okla. — Fresh off the program’s ninth Big 12 Championship, No. 4 Oklahoma (50-8, 19-5 Big 12) opens play in its seventh Women’s College World Series Thursday at 12 p.m. as it takes on South Florida (50-12, 17-5 Big East) in its first round game. The Sooners enter the World Series having won eight straight games and 13 of their last 14. Thursday’s game will be televised on ESPN2 with Pam Ward and Michele Smith on the call.
The Sooners swept Arizona (6-0 & 7-1) at home in the NCAA Super Regional to advance to the WCWS. OU opened up postseason action at home with wins over Lehigh (19-3), Tulsa (7-1) and Oregon State (6-0) in its NCAA Regional. In postseason play, OU has outscored its opponents 45-5 while hitting at a clip of .371 and holding an ERA of 0.85.
On the season, Oklahoma leads the nation in pitching with an ERA of 1.15 and is eighth nationally with a batting average of .321. The Sooners are tied for the nation’s lead with 95 home runs and are sixth with a slugging percentage of .557. South Florida enters the game ranked second nationally with an ERA of 1.18 and 155th with a .262 batting average.
OU is led by USA Softball Player of the Year finalist Keilani Ricketts who is third nationally with an ERA of 0.99. USF’s Sara Nevins is fourth at 1.03. At the plate, OU freshman Lauren Chamberlain is second nationally with 27 home runs on the year and leads an Oklahoma lineup that boasts at least seven hitters with a batting average of .333 or better.
Oklahoma is 7-10 all-time at the WCWS after dropping its two games to Arizona State and Missouri in 2011. The Sooners have faced one WCWS team this year, LSU. OU defeated the Tigers twice in March by scores of 7-0 and 5-0.
OU Opens Women's College World Series Play!