OU's Parker, Clifton, Knighten, OSU's Shippy Named NFCA All-Americans

OU

For the fifth time in the last six seasons, the Oklahoma softball team has at least three representatives on the NFCA All-American teams, released Wednesday by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

Junior Paige Parker and sophomores Caleigh Clifton and Shay Knighten were each selected to the All-America Second Team. OU was one of seven teams to have at least three All-Americans.

Parker is a three-time All-American now after being named to the second team as a freshman and the first team last year. She becomes the eighth Sooner to earn three All-America honors, but just the fourth to receive the recognition in her first three years. The only other Sooners to do that were Jessica Shults, Keilani Ricketts and Lauren Chamberlain.

The Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and a First Team All-Region Selection, Parker is 23-5 on the season with a 1.29 earned run average and 243 strikeouts to just 40 walks in 184.2 innings pitched this year. She leads the Big 12 in wins, strikeouts and strikeouts per seven innings (9.2).

Parker did not allow a run from April 15 to May 19 this year, a career-best 38.1 inning scoreless streak. Over her last 61.2 innings, she's given up just three earned runs for a 0.34 ERA.

Knighten is an All-American for the second straight season after also being placed on the second team a year ago. She becomes the 15th Sooner to earn multiple All-America honors, but just the fifth to receive the recognition as both a freshman and sophomore.

The Big 12 Player of the Year, Knighten has been OU's biggest run producer this year, leading the team with 62 runs batted in, a figure that also leads the Big 12 and is 14th nationally. She holds a .359 batting average with a .573 slugging percentage and .440 on-base rate. The team's starting first baseman for all but one game, Knighten also leads the Big 12 in RBI per game (0.95) and is third in sacrifice flies (3), fourth with a rate of 16.0 at-bats per strikeout, fifth in total bases (110) and seventh in hits (69).

Clifton is an All-American for the first time in her career after making the All-Region First Team for the second time in as many seasons. She leads the Big 12 and is 11th nationally with a .537 on-base percentage, a mark that would rank ninth in OU single-season history. The team's starting second baseman, Clifton also leads the conference in hit by pitch per game (0.35) and runs per game (1.03), marks that rank 11th and 16th, respectively, in the country. She also leads OU in runs (67), walks (44), hit by pitch (23) and stolen base attempts (27).

No. 10 Oklahoma begins play at its 11th Women's College World Series Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. CT against No. 15 Baylor on ESPN2.

OSU

Oklahoma State softball's Vanessa Shippy was named a third-team All-American selection, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced today.
 
With her selection, Shippy has been named a third-team selection in back-to-back years and brings OSU's total to 32 All-America honors in program history.
 
With the announcement last week, the Couer d'Alene, Idaho, native has been named an Academic All-American and All-American each of the past two seasons.
 
Shippy, a junior, led OSU with a .398 batting average with 48 runs and 46 RBIs. Shippy notably notched the game-winning RBI in the Cowgirls' 1-0 win over Florida in the Gainesville Regional to give OSU its third victory over a No. 1-ranked team in program history.
 
Along with her success on the field, Shippy also had success of it as she posted a 3.94 GPA on her way to being named to the Academic All-Big 12 first-team and an Academic All-American for the second-straight year.