Oklahoma Softball Weekend Preview | Hall Of Fame Classic

M. HofeldMarch 16, 2023 No Comments

The Sooners are staying in the state of Oklahoma this weekend but heading north from Norman to the Hall of Fame Classic in Oklahoma City. From Friday through Sunday OU will play a total of five games, including a pair against Weber State and two more against Auburn. Northwestern is the only team that Oklahoma will face just once this weekend.

Schedule

DateOpponentTimeTVResult
March 17Weber State4:00 PMSoonerVision on ESPN+
March 17#24 Northwestern6:30 PMSoonerVision on ESPN+
March 18Weber State 4:00 PMSoonerVision on ESPN+
March 18#19 Auburn6:30 PMSoonerVision on ESPN+
March 19#19 Auburn2:00 PMSoonerVision on ESPN+

Tuning In

The game will be aired by SoonerVision on ESPN+ and also can be heard on the radio via 107.7 The Franchise in Oklahoma and nationwide on The Varsity app.

What We Learned On Tuesday Night

Pitching depth pays off. Oklahoma was able to bring in Jordy Bahl from the bullpen in relief against #5 Florida State on Tuesday night. Bahl entered in the top of the fifth and earned the save by retiring six of the 10 batters she faced via strikeout, surrendering no runs or walks to FSU and just one hit.

This team can punch it’s way out of trouble. Katie Dack’s third inning three-run home run put FSU on top but the Sooners came charging back in the fourth with two runs on five hits. A leadoff single from Rylie Boone was followed by a base hit from Jayda Coleman. Then Haley Lee smacked an RBI double off the outfield wall to score Boone. Tiare Jennings followed up with an RBI single to score Coleman and give OU a lead it would not surrender. 

They have diversified power! A total of 12 different Oklahoma batters have hit a home run this season and Haley Lee’s home run on Tuesday night moves her into a 4-way tie (Jocelyn Erickson, Jayda Coleman, & Alyssa Brito) for the team lead in homers with five each.

Notes & Storylines

  • OU is 9-0 all-time in the previous two editions of the Hall of Fame Classic, played since 2021.
  • OU is outscoring its opponents by a combined score of 204-21 on the season, surrendering an average of under one run per game.
  • Oklahoma’s pitching staff has been exceptional, tossing shutouts in 15 of OU’s 23 games.
  • As a team, OU is batting a nation-best .391 with 38 home runs.
  • The Sooners have homered in 19 of 23 games this season

Against The Field

Weber State: The Sooners hold a 2-0 all-time record over WSU. The teams last met in 2018 in Phoenix, a 6-3 OU win. The other meeting came in Las Vegas in February of 2012, a 12-2 OU run-rule win in five innings.

Northwestern: The Wildcats have been a common postseason foe as of late for the Sooners, most recently meeting in the WCWS opener last season, a 13-2 OU win in five innings which saw the Sooners blast a pair of grand slams for a WCWS record. OU is 21-2 all-time vs. Northwestern, including a 14-2 mark on neutral fields and a 3-1 record in OKC.

Auburn: OU holds a 6-2 all-time advantage over Auburn, another common postseason opponent. The teams last met in the 2017 NCAA Super Regionals in Auburn, Ala., where the Sooners swept the Tigers in two games to advance to OKC. This weekend’s matchups will be the first time the teams have met in OKC since playing for the 2016 WCWS crown which saw OU beat Auburn in three games to win its then-third national title.

Heavy Hitters

  • Oklahoma’s Jocelyn Erickson is batting .489 on the season, with 26 RBI, and is in a 4-way tie for the team lead with five home runs.
  • Lauren Hoe leads Weber State with five home runs. She’s batting .278 on the season with 18 RBI.
  • Northwestern’s Jordyn Rudd is batting .333 on the season with three home runs and 15 RBIs.
  • Bri Ellis leads a potent Auburn lineup with 8 home runs. She’s batting .400 on the season and has knocked in 28 RBI.

From The Circle

  • Nicole May continues to be perfect for the Sooners from the pitching circle. She is 7-0 on the season, with 68 strikeouts, and has a 0.00 ERA.
  • Weber State’s Amanda Johnson has fanned 35 batters this season.
  • Cami Henry is 4-1 for Northwestern with an ERA of 1.53 and 24 strikeouts.
  • Auburn’s Maddie Penta is 11-1 on the season with a 0.56 ERA.

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