Oklahoma softball will play its third SEC road series this season when the No. 2 Sooners head to Alabama this weekend to take on the No. 22 Crimson Tide.
The Sooners (35-3, 9-3) will enter the Alabama series hoping to build off the momentum from a huge Bedlam rivalry win over Oklahoma State on Wednesday. Oklahoma exploded for 11 runs over the final three innings to record the team's 18th run-rule win of the season.
Oklahoma travels to Crimson Tide for top-25 SEC softball series.
Oklahoma and Alabama have met 18 times previously on the softball diamond, with the Crimson Tide holding the advantage with a 10-8 record. The Sooners are 1-2 playing in Tuscaloosa after losing to Alabama in the 2015 Super Regionals.
The two teams last played each other in the 2019 Women's College World Series. They met three times in that WCWS, with OU winning two of the three games and eliminating Alabama.
OU and Alabama (28-15, 5-7) are both coming off losing series against their last SEC opponents. The Sooners lost two of three at home against then-No. 10 Tennessee two weekends ago. Meanwhile, Alabama was swept on the road by No. 7 LSU this past weekend.
The series at Alabama's Rhoads Stadium will open a day later than normal and run from Saturday through Monday. First pitch on Saturday will be at 3 p.m. CT and televised on ESPN2. Sunday's start time is 5 p.m. and Monday is 6 p.m. The games on Sunday and Monday will be on SEC Network.
What fans need to know
Oklahoma
- Oklahoma's 74 home runs leads the SEC and ranks fourth nationally. Forty of that total have been hit by newcomers to the roster this season. Senior Cydney Sanders has played 151 of her 201 career games in a Sooner uniform, and her 52 career home runs rank seventh among active Division-I softball players.
- Two Sooners are hitting above .400 and rank in the top 15 in hitting. Sophomore Kasidi Pickering (.440) ranks ninth in the conference and true freshman Gabbie Garcia (.420) is 14th.
- Sooner starter Sam Landry, in her first season at OU after transferring from Louisiana, is 12-2 with an earned-run average of 1.32, which is sixth-best in the SEC and is also tied for second in the conference with three saves, demonstrating her versatility and importance to the OU pitching staff.
- Ninety-two of Oklahoma's 320 runs scored this season have been the result of walks or being hit by a pitch. The Sooners are second in the NCAA with 203 walks.
Alabama
- Crimson Tide leadoff hitter Audrey Vandafgriff leads the team with a .432 batting average, which is 11th-best in the SEC. The Freshman outfielder also leads Division-I softball with 45 stolen bases.
- Kali Heivilin typically hits third in the lineup and is the biggest run-producer. The senior second baseman leads Alabama with 11 home runs and 84 total bases. Eighteen of her 41 hits have been for extra bases.
- Catelyn Riley's 9-1 record and 2.52 ERA leads the Alabama pitching staff. Over her last five appearances, totaling 19.1 innings, the senior right-hander has allowed just three earned runs.
- The home run ball has been a big factor in Oklahoma's continued success this season. Alabama pitching, however, is one of the best in the SEC in limiting the long ball. The Crimson Tide hase given up just 17 home runs in 33 games this season.