2 Oklahoma
GCU/ASU Classic
Friday, Feb. 26-Sun. Feb. 28 / Tempe/Phoenix, Ariz.
NORMAN — The University of Oklahoma softball team begins the 2021 season Thursday and Friday in El Paso, Texas, with the Miner Invitational featuring games against UTEP and Abilene Christian.
OPENING WEEKEND
• The No. 2/2 Oklahoma Sooners meet four opponents for five games in the Phoenix area this weekend, facing off against New Mexico, Arizona State, Grand Canyon and Portland State.
• Oklahoma will begin the weekend with a matchup against UNM Friday at noon CT prior to OU's first top-25 matchup of the season with No. 11/13 Arizona State at 5 p.m. CT Friday evening. Both games will be played at ASU in Tempe, Ariz., before the Sooners relocate to Grand Canyon University for three games on Saturday and Sunday. The team will rematch with New Mexico Saturday at at noon before facing host Grand Canyon at 4:30 p.m. OU will cap the trip with a 10 a.m. contest with Portland State Sunday morning.
• OU's game with ASU will be available to watch on Pac-12 Network+ and the Sooners matchup with GCU can
be streamed on GCULopes.com/watch. OU's two games with UNM and matchup with Portland State will be available via livestream on SoonerSports.tv (subscription required). All five games can be heard on The Franchise 2 in Oklahoma, 1560 AM and 103.3 FM, with OU play-by-play announcer Chris Plank on the call. Fans outside of Oklahoma can listen live on the TuneIn app.
• No public attendance will be permitted this weekend at ASU or GCU.
• Two Sooners return to their home state this weekend in redshirt senior Giselle Juarez (Glendale, Ariz.) and junior Grace Lyons (Peoria, Ariz.)
LAST TIME THEY MET
• New Mexico: Oklahoma holds the all-time record over the Lobos, 13-5, with the last matchup coming on Feb. 9, 2013, a 11-1 (5 innings) run-rule victory for the Sooners in Phoenix.
• Arizona State: The series record between the Sooners and Sun Devils is all square at 14 wins a piece. The teams last met in the 2018 Women's College World Series in OKC with OU winning 2-0. The Sun Devils hold a 5-4 margin over the Sooners in Tempe.
• Grand Canyon: OU boasts an undefeated 5-0 record against the Lopes. The teams met twice in 2019, with OU taking both matchups, 7-1 (in Phoenix) and 1-0 (in Norman).
• Portland State: The Sooners and Vikings have met once in program history, a 12-0 OU win in Berkeley, Calif., on April 24, 1980.
BIG BATS
• The Sooners pace the country in home runs to start the 2021 season, blasting 31 round-trippers in seven games. OU's 4.43 home run average per game also leads the NCAA DI.
• 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.
• Lyons leads the Sooners and is tied for first in the country with seven blasts on the year. The Peoria, Ariz., native has already surpassed her five home runs from a season ago in the seven games of 2021 and is up to 20 in her career.
• Senior utility player Jocelyn Alo has cemented herself as one of the best long ball hitters in program history. Alo is second on the team and third in the NCAA with six home runs on the season.
• Alo continues to move up the program record book for career home runs. She currently holds fourth with 60 and is one blast away from tying for third and five from second place. The NCAA HR record holder Lauren Chamberlain ranks first in program and NCAA history with 95.
• Nine Sooners have hit a home run already this season, with seven players blasting at least two.
• Four Sooners (Lyons, Alo, Jennings, Hansen) rank in the top-10 in the NCAA for home runs on the 2021 season.
• Oklahoma is outscoring opponents 100-9 in seven games, having only played one full game, equating to 36.0 innings.
SEVEN DEEP IN THE CIRCLE
• Not to be outshined by OU's hitters, the seven-deep Oklahoma pitching staff has put together a solid start to the season.
• The staff holds a 1.65 ERA and has allowed just nine runs in seven games to start 2021 to go with 52 strikeouts and 21 hits allowed.
• Redshirt senior LHP Giselle Juarez paces OU with 17 strikeouts on the year in 11.0 IP, while freshman RHP Nicole May leads in innings pitched (12.0), registering 14 K's.
• Redshirt senior RHP Shannon Saile made her 2021 debut last weekend in Houston, making three appearances and tallying nine strikeouts in just 4.2 innings pitched, allowing no runs or walks and just one hit. Saile also collected one save on the weekend.
• Sophomores Macy McAdoo (4.0), Olivia Rains (4.0), Brooke Vestal (1.0) and Alanna Thiede (1.0) have all seen action for the Sooners.
MOVING UP
• OU has moved up two spots in two weeks to No. 2 in both the USA Today/NFCA Division I Preseason Coaches Poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Preseason Top 25 after entering the season No. 4 in the preseason polls.
• OU's No. 4 spot in the NFCA preseason poll marked the 11th straight year the Sooners have started in the NFCA's top 10, good for the nation's longest active streak. OU has been ranked in the top five eight of the past nine years, the most over that stretch.
• Overall, the Sooners rank third with 21 top-10 appearances in the NFCA preseason poll, trailing only Arizona (23) and UCLA (22).
• Oklahoma, Michigan, UCLA and Washington are the only programs to be ranked in every NFCA preseason poll, which dates back to 1995. OU also extended its streak of being ranked every week in the 27-year existence of the NFCA's poll.
• In the 2021 NFCA Preseason Poll, OU received 708 total points to rank No. 4 behind unanimous No. 1 UCLA (800), Washington (748) and Arizona (717). LSU (644) rounds out the top five, while Big 12 foe Texas (611) holds the No. 6 spot. Two other Big 12 schools make top 25 appearances with Oklahoma State (No. 11) and Baylor (No. 22).
• The Sooners received 420 points to also hold the No. 4 spot in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll, UCLA took first at 492 with 19 of the 20 possible first-place votes, while Washington was second at 466 with the other first-place nod. Arizona (440) holds third and LSU (412) rounds out the top five.
• This marks the 14th straight season and 17th in the 19-year history of the ESPN.com/USA Today poll that Oklahoma is ranked in the preseason top 10.
2021 SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS
• Oklahoma will play 21 contests at Marita Hynes Field in Norman and will match up against 10 programs that reached the 2019 NCAA Tournament, including two Super Regional participants.
• The schedule features six teams in the USA Today/NFCA Preseason Poll and ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25.
• The Sooners will open the season with consecutive weekends south of the Red River, playing in the Miner Invitational in El Paso before playing sets of games at Sam Houston State and preseason Houston.
• The team will travel west to Arizona for five games Feb. 26-28. The team will take part in the Arizona State Tournament in Tempe with games versus New Mexico and preseason No. 15/16 Arizona State on Friday before making a short trip to Grand Canyon University to cap the weekend.
• Oklahoma opens its home slate March 5-7 with the annual Courtyard Marriott Tournament and will welcome preseason No. 23/24 Missouri, Sam Houston State and Louisiana Monroe.
• The team will play six games in five days between March 10-14 starting with a midweek home matchup versus UT-Arlington. The Sooners will play a home doubleheader against BYU on March 11 before taking part in the inaugural Hall of Fame Tournament at the newly renovated USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, March 12-13.
OU will pause from NCAA competition for a March 19-21 three-game series with the Mexican national team in Norman. The matchup will feature current Sooner and Team Mexico member Nicole Mendes, along with the possibility of other current or former Sooners with Mexican heritage playing for the national squad.
• The quest for a ninth straight Big 12 title begins March 26-28 in Ames, Iowa, with a three-game series against Iowa State.
• The 2021 edition of the Red River Rivalry will take place in Norman with OU facing preseason No. 6/7 Texas in a battle of the top two projected Big 12 squads April 16-18.
• Oklahoma will journey to SEC country on April 20 for a doubleheader with preseason No. 14/14 Georgia. It marks the first time since 2015 that the teams have met and just the sixth matchup in program history. The Bulldogs boast four Women's College World Series appearances, all since 2009.
• The Bedlam Series presented by Phillips 66 versus No. 10/11 Oklahoma State will cap OU's 2021 regular season May 7-9. The in-state rivals will meet in Stillwater for the three-game series. It marks the first time three matchups have been played at one location since 1997, when the Sooners hosted the Cowgirls for one regular season contest and two games in an NCAA regional.
RETURNING TALENT
• The Sooners return 17 letterwinners from a season ago, including 11 players with starting experience.
• Looking to lead the charge in the circle for OU in 2021 will be a rejuvenated Giselle "G" Juarez. Juarez battled injury throughout the 2020 campaign, registering just 6.2 inning pitched. The 2018 and '19 NFCA First-Team All-American returns for her redshirt senior season in 2021 with the chance to topple numerous OU pitching records, already holding top-10 spots in OU career history in opponent batting average (.150), strikeouts per seven inning pitched (10.11) and ERA (1.45).
• 2018 NFCA First Team All-American and 2019 Second Team selection Jocelyn Alo will provide the power in the box for OU in 2021 just as she has the past three seasons. Alo ranks in the OU career top 10 in a number of batting categories including home runs (54), batting average (.404), slugging percentage (.846) and walks drawn (91). The senior finished 2020 with a team-leading 61 total bases and a slashline of .427/.813/.506 to go with eight home runs, 21 RBIs and 22 runs.
• Outfielder and two-time WCWS All-Tournament Team member Nicole Mendes returns for her fifth season with the Sooners in 2021 and looks to bounce back from a season that saw her play just six games following knee surgery in 2019. The only current Sooner that played on OU's last national title team in 2017, Mendes went 3-for-6 at the plate with two home runs and five RBIs in her limited appearances in 2020.
• Senior captain Lynnsie Elam started all 24 games of OU's 2020 campaign, with 22 of her 24 starts coming behind the plate. The Chickasha, Okla., native paced the Sooners last season with nine home runs to go with 22 RBIs and 19 runs and two stolen bases. Behind the plate, Elam registered a team-high 161 putouts with 17 assists and a .973 fielding percentage, and caught four runners stealing. In 2019, Elam became just the second player in program history to finish a single season with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage (min. 150 chances), committing no errors with 505 putouts and 34 assists.
• Presumed to hold down the shortstop position for a third consecutive season will be junior Grace Lyons. Lyons, a 2019 All-Big 12 Freshman Team honoree, has started all 87 games the past two seasons at shortstop for the Sooners. Ranked second on team with 40 assists, 23 RBIs and three HBP a season ago, the Arizona native was also a threat in the box, recording seven games with multiple hits and five games with multiple RBIs last year. Lyons launched five home runs in the shortened season, good for third on the team.
• Sophomore Kinzie Hansen looks to pick up where she left off in the batter's box following an exceptional freshman campaign. The Norco, Calif., product led the Sooners with 26 RBIs, ranked second on the team with 31 H and 11 walks and fourth on the squad in batting average, finishing the year hitting .413 with four home runs. Hansen started 22 games at first base last season, registering a perfect fielding percentage and 152 putouts.
• Another talented arm that will contribute in 2021 is fellow redshirt senior Shannon Saile. Saile paced the Sooners in Juarez's absence in 2020, leading OU with 70.0 IP, 89 Ks, a 1.80 ERA and an 8-3 record. Additionally, Saile ranked first in the Big 12 conference and second nationally with five saves.
FRESH FACES
• Oklahoma brought in five true freshmen (Jayda Coleman, Tiare Jennings, Paige Knight, Nicole May and Zaida Puni) as part of the class of 2020, along with the addition of transfer infielder Jana Johns from South Carolina.
• Entering the infield mix for the Sooners in 2021 will be South Carolina transfer Jana Johns. Johns started every game of her USC career at third base, a total of 146 contests, and collected All-SEC Second Team honors in 2019 and All-SEC Freshman and Defensive Team honors as a freshman in 2018. The Calhoun, Ga., native had the most assists for a Gamecock third baseman (151) and set the fielding percentage record for her position (.978) in her first year of college. In 2019 Johns blasted 15 home runs, tying for a program best in a season, and departed South Carolina with 19 career homers. Additionally, Johns finished the 2020 season on a 17-game reached base streak.
• Looking to make an early contribution to the pitching staff will be highly touted freshman Nicole May out of Pleasanton, Calif., and the OC-Batbusters travel squad. May, the 2018-19 Gatorade California Softball Player of the Year and top-10 recruit by numerous media outlets, helped lead the Batbusters to the 2019 18U USA World Fast Pitch Championship. The Foothill High School product compiled an undefeated 24-0 record her junior season (senior season cancelled due to COVID-19), registering 246 strikeouts to just 13 walks for an ERA of 0.32.
• Two highly touted signees from the 2020 signing class that look to be in the mix for starting spots are Jayda Coleman and Tiare Jennings.
• Coleman, the 2019-20 Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year and consensus No. 1 recruit out of the 2020 class, helped lead the U.S. to the WBSC U-19 World Cup in 2019, hitting .435 with 10 hits, six runs, three RBIs and five stolen bases. A U.S. Junior Women's National Team member, Coleman also put together one of the most decorated high school careers in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The Colony, Texas, product scored the most runs all-time in the Dallas area and needed just five more runs for the state record and eight for the national mark before the 2020 season was cut short. The signee finished her HS career with 279 hits, 261 runs, an exceptional .702 batting average and 209 stolen bases.
• Jennings continues OU's California and OC-Batbusters pipeline as she joins the Sooners as the reigning Gatorade California Softball Player of the Year. Jennings was batting .710 with six home runs and 19 RBIs when her senior season was ended. As a senior at St. Anthony's High School in Long Beach, Calif., she did not strike out in the box and did not register an error at shortstop. She finished her high school career batting .581 to go with 111 hits, 61 RBIs and 16 home runs.
TICKETING/MASK POLICY AT MARITA HYNES FIELD
• OU officials are continuing to work closely with leading medical and public health authorities to ensure they are making decisions that are in the best interest of student-athletes, stakeholders and the university. At this moment, OU is anticipating the seating capacity of Marita Hynes Stadium to be at approximately 25% for the 2021 season. Seating capacities are subject to change.
• With limited capacity and overwhelming demand, tickets will be made available to 2020 OU Softball season ticket holders and Sooner Club members in priority order. The University of Oklahoma Athletics Department will be contacting these groups with ticket options for the 2021 season.
• Digital ticketing will be implemented for 2021 to allow fans to seamlessly access or transfer tickets to others via the SoonerSports2Go app.
• Appropriate cloth or surgical-style masks that cover the nose and mouth completely will be required at all times while on campus and inside the OU Softball Complex.
• Other face coverings including clear face shields, gaiters/buffs, bandanas or masks with valves are not permitted.
• Masks may be removed temporarily only if necessary for eating and drinking while in the stadium.
For updates and more information on Oklahoma softball, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Softball) and like Oklahoma Softball on Facebook.
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