Sooners Hosting Northwestern State In Home Opener

After playing the first 14 games away from home, No. 9/9 Oklahoma welcomes Northwestern State, Evansville and Western Kentucky to Norman for the Courtyard Marriott Tournament in Oklahoma’s home opener.

The game can be heard on KEBC 1560 in Norman or online via the link above. In addition, the games can be seen on various channels throughout the weekend. See the schedule above.

Promotions

National championship posters will be given away during the first OU game of the weekend. Season ticket holders can also pick up their gift -- each account will receive one replica championship ring.

The first 250 kids to Saturday’s game against Western Kentucky will receive a locker room nameplate.

Home Sweet Home

Oklahoma is 38-8 (.826) all-time in home openers, including a perfect 19-0 mark since Marita Hynes Field opened in 1998. The team has won 22 straight home openers dating back to 1995 and 27 of its past 28 such contests.

In its last six home openers, Oklahoma has outscored its opponents, 51-0 and won each of the last two in five innings.

Since April 3 of last season, the Sooners have won 15 straight home games. That’s tied for the sixth longest win streak in program history.

Last season Oklahoma set a facility record for attendance in a home opener with 1,208 vs. Dartmouth. The top five home-opening crowds have all come within the last five years.

Facing Northwestern State

Oklahoma leads the all-time series over Northwestern State, 6-0, including a 5-0 mark in Norman. OU has outscored NSU 51-8 in the six matchups, including a 27-0 advantage when the teams last met for a pair of games in 2007.

Oklahoma freshman Alissa Dalton and Northwestern State senior Jordan Rains both attended Cy-Fair High School in Cypress, Texas.

NSU assistant coach Amy Hooks played at Texas from 2008-11 and was 3-4 against the Sooners in her career.

Facing Evansville

Oklahoma is 2-0 all-time against Evansville with both games taking place in Norman during the 2007 season. OU won both games by a combined score of 12-2.

OU and Evansville have one opponent in common this year, both losing to Auburn.

Facing Western Kentucky

Oklahoma has never faced Western Kentucky, though OU is 55-11 all-time against teams from Conference USA.

The Sooners have won 37 straight games against C-USA teams, going 28-0 vs. North Texas, 7-4 vs. Louisiana Tech, 6-1 vs. UAB, 5-0 vs. Florida International, 3-1 vs. UTSA, 2-0 vs. UTEP, 2-2 vs. Florida Atlantic and 2-3 vs. Southern Miss.

Quick Hits

Through 2/28, Paige Parker is 5th among active pitchers in career shutouts (23), 8th in wins (69) and ERA (1.69), 14th in complete games (59), 15th in strikeouts/7 IP (7.34), 20th in strikeouts (533), 31st in innings pitched (508.0) and 38th in starts (73) ... Paige Lowary is 25th among active pitchers with 6 career saves

The team has doubled in 10 straight games and has 19 overall during that stretch ... the pitching staff has struck out at least seven batters in five of the last six games

OU Continues Remarkable Run in National Polls

After going 3-2 last week, OU slipped from No. 4 in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Coaches Poll to No. 9 and dropped from No. 5 to No. 9 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25.

Oklahoma is the only program to be ranked every week of the NFCA poll, 325 straight polls.