Looking Back at the NCAA Champions: 2013 Oklahoma Sooners

Photo courtesy Oklahoma Athletics

Fall practice has wrapped up around the country in Division I, which allows us to set our sights on the 2024 season that lies ahead.

Early focus will be centered on the University of Oklahoma as they begin the quest to become the first team in Division I history to win four consecutive national championships.

The Sooners tied UCLA (1988, 1989, 1990) as the only teams to ever win three consecutive titles when they defeated Florida State to claim the 2023 title.

Extra Inning Softball will be reviewing the 41 national champions that have previously hoisted the trophy.

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2013 Oklahoma Sooners

The Venue: ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, Oklahoma City, Okla.

The Head Coach: Patty Gasso

The Players (Women’s College World Series Roster): Destinee Martinez, Shelby Pendley, Brianna Turang, Javen Henson, Keilani Ricketts, Paris Townsend, Callie Parsons, Whitney Ellis, Kelley Reeves, Jessica Shults, Taylor Hodges, Kady Self, Brittany Williams, Jessica Vest, Michelle Gascoigne, Leslie Miller, Georgia Casey, Lauren Chamberlain, Erin Miller

The Regular Season: Oklahoma won its first national championship in 2000 and returned to Oklahoma City five times after winning it all, but each time the Sooners came up short. Especially painful was the 2012 championship series in which OU won game one and had a lead in game three before eventually losing. The core of that 2012 team returned in 2013 and a determined group of Sooners sought redemption. OU finished the regular season with a 47-4 record and finished first in the Big 12 standings with a 15-2 record.  The Sooners featured one of the premiere offensive players in the country in Lauren Chamberlain and one of the premiere pitchers in the country in Keilani Ricketts. Chamberlain batted .458 on the year and slugged 30 home runs and drove in 84 runs, while Ricketts was dominant in the circle with a 35-1 record and a 1.23 ERA. OU featured a dynamic offensive attack that averaged 7.8 runs per game and also included Ricketts, Brianna Turang, Shelby Pendley. Ricketts hit .379 for the season and contributed 15 home runs and 60 RBIs, while Turang batted .404 and scored 50 runs and Pendley belted 22 homers and drove in 73 runs. Michelle Gascoigne was an excellent compliment to Ricketts on the pitching staff as she posted a 19-3 record and a 0.88 earned run average. Chamberlain and Ricketts were each named First Team All-American, while Pendley and Turang were named second team. Ricketts was selected as the USA Softball Player of the Year and the Honda Softball Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. She also was the recipient of the Honda Cup.

The Regional: Oklahoma began the postseason by hosting the NCAA Norman Regional which featured Marist, Fordham, Arkansas and the Sooners. OU began regional play against Marist and the Sooners posted a 17-0 victory over the Red Foxes. Oklahoma scored eight runs in the bottom of the first inning, one in the second and then tallied eight more in the third inning. Lauren Chamberlain went 3-for-4 with five RBIs and Keilani Ricketts added four runs driven in. Ricketts and Michelle Gascoigne combined to limit Marist to one run over five innings. Oklahoma would meet Arkansas in its second game of the regional and the Sooners once again flexed their offensive muscle. OU took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on RBI singles from Ricketts and Brittany Williams. OU upped the lead to 3-0 in the third inning on a home run by Williams. Arkansas cut the lead to 3-1 in the fourth inning, but the Sooners responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning when Ricketts drew a bases-loaded walk to push the lead to 4-1. Chamberlain increased the lead to 6-1 with a two-run single to leftfield. The Razorbacks weren’t done fighting though as they scored four times in the top of the sixth inning to cut the lead to 6-5. But like all good teams, Oklahoma would respond as the Sooners plated five runs in the bottom of the inning to blow the game open. Callie Parsons delivered an RBI double and Chamberlain tacked on a three-run double that made the final margin 10-5. Oklahoma dominated Arkansas in the rematch as the Sooners rolled to a 14-1 win. Chamberlain, Shelby Pendley and Javen Henson all homered for the Sooners and Chamberlain and Pendley each finished with three RBIs. Gascoigne picked up the win in relief of Ricketts in the circle. Oklahoma outscored its opponents 41-6 in securing its spot in the Super Regional.

The Super Regional: Oklahoma stayed at home for the Super Regional as it hosted Texas A&M and the Sooners would make quick work of the Aggies. Despite a 10-2 win in game one, the game was tight until the Sooner offense erupted. OU took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on an RBI single from Keilani Ricketts. The Sooners increased the lead to 3-0 in the second inning when Brianna Turang and Lauren Chamberlain each hit RBI doubles, but the Aggies would claw back into the game. Texas A&M scored a run in the top of the third inning and added another fourth inning to cut the Sooners lead to 3-2. The margin stayed that way until the bottom of the sixth inning when the Sooners ended the game with a seven-run inning. Chamberlain, Georgia Casey, and Shelby Pendley each drew a bases-loaded walk during the inning and Ricketts walked it off with a three-run home run. The Sooners closed out the Super Regional in game two with an 8-0 win behind the bat of Pendley and the pitching of Ricketts. Pendley finished the game 2-for-2 with two home runs, three runs scored and five RBIs to lead the offense and Ricketts went all five innings and permitted three hits and struck out seven batters. With the win, Oklahoma earned a return trip to OKC.

The Field at the Women’s College World Series: Arizona State, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Washington

The Sooners at the Women’s College World Series: Oklahoma opened the WCWS against Michigan and Keilani Ricketts and the Sooners dominated the Wolverines. Ricketts threw a no-hitter and struck out 12 batters leading Oklahoma to a 7-1 victory over Michigan. Lauren Chamberlain went 2-for-2 with a home run and two RBIs and Jessica Shults also went 2-for-2 and drove in a pair of runs. Michigan took advantage of a Sooner error to plate a run in the third inning, but OU responded with four runs in the bottom of the third to take the lead for good. Oklahoma met longtime rival Texas in its second game of the WCWS and the Sooners posted a 10-2 run-rule victory over the Longhorns. Texas took a 2-0 lead in the third inning, but the Sooners answered with six runs in the bottom of the inning. Ricketts hit a run-scoring single and Callie Parsons had a two-run double during the inning. OU tacked on three more runs in the fourth inning and then walked it off when Chamberlain tripled to lead off the fifth inning and scored on a Georgia Casey single. With a potential spot in the championship finals on the line, Oklahoma met Washington and the Sooners rode the pitching of Ricketts to a 6-2 victory. Ricketts went 7.0 innings, allowed three hits, one earned run and struck out 12 batters. OU took a 3-0 lead in the third when Chamberlain and Ricketts highlighted the inning with home runs. The Sooners extended the lead to 4-0 in the fourth on a bases-loaded walk by Casey, but the Huskies plated two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Casey added her third RBI of the game in the sixth inning with an RBI single to increase the lead to 5-2 and the Sooners added a run in the seventh inning on an RBI groundout from Destinee Martinez. With the victory, Oklahoma clinched its second consecutive berth in the championship finals.

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