Oklahoma Softball Preview | South Dakota State

M. HofeldMarch 12, 2023 No Comments

Oklahoma’s time at the Bulldog Invitational was cut short due to weather that resulted in Sunday’s games being canceled. So, instead of playing Omaha in Starkville on Sunday the Sooners will be hosting South Dakota State on Monday. This provides them with the opportunity to have one last tune-up before hosting #5 Florida State on Tuesday.

Schedule

DateOpponentTimeTVResult
March 13South Dakota State6:00 PMSoonerVision on ESPN+—

Tuning In

Both games will stream via SoonerVision on ESPN+ and the games can be heard on the radio via 107.7 The Franchise in Oklahoma and nationwide on The Varsity app.

What We Learned Last Weekend

  • The pitching staff is still lethal without using Alex Storako. It was Jordy Bahl with the perfect game on Friday vs. SELA. She retired all 15 batters she faced in the five-inning run rule, striking out eight. It was the 20th perfect game in program history and OU’s third no-hitter of the season. Nicole May drew Friday’s start against Mississippi State on Friday evening and she blanked the Bulldogs. Bahl took the circle to start the final game against MSU on Saturday and although Storako did come in to pitch relief on Saturday, the Sooners went 3-0 over the weekend without her drawing a start.
  • You can’t pitch around this lineup. There aren’t any holes!!! Teams have tried to find a way to pitch around them but it’s to no avail. In three games over the weekend, OU blasted four home runs and they were all off the bat of Alyssa Brito who hit two home runs in back-to-back games against Mississippi State.

Notes & Storylines

  • OU is outscoring its opponents by a combined score of 191-17 on the season, surrendering an average of under one run per game.
  • The Sooner pitching staff has tossed shutouts in 14 of OU’s 21 games this season.
  • Nicole May leads the pitching staff with a perfect 0.00 ERA and 61 strikeouts, while all four pitchers hold ERAs under 3.00. May and Storako (0.24) with earned run averages below 1.00.
  • As a team, OU is batting a nation-best .392 with 35 home runs.
  • Freshman Jocelyn Erickson is leading the team with 26 RBIs and is tied with Jayda Coleman and Alyssa Brito for the team lead in home runs with five.
  • The Sooners have hit back-to-back home runs three times this season and three consecutive once. 

Against South Dakota State

Monday’s game will be the first meeting in the history of the two programs. 

Heavy Hitters

  • SDSU’s Mia Jarecki and Rozelyn Carillo are tied with a team-high five home runs each. Jarecki is batting .364 on the season, with 11 RBI, and Carillo is batting .231 with a team-high 19 RBI.
  • Jocelyn Erickson leads a trio of Sooners that are tied with 5 home runs each. She’s batting .535 and has knocked in a team best 26 RBIs.

From The Circle

  • Tori Kniesche has an 8-2 record for the Jacks and his sitting on a 1.94 ERA, with 74 strikeouts.
  • Oklahoma’s Nicole May continues her impressive shutout streak. She’s 6-0 on the season with 61 strikeouts and an ERA of O.00.

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