OKLAHOMA CITY — In one of college softball's biggest rivalry's, Oklahoma's Paige Parker (Independence, Mo.) shined in her first Red River Rivalry, helping lead the Sooners to a Big 12 series sweep over the Texas Longhorns. For her efforts, the freshman pitcher earned her first USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year honors the Amateur Softball Association Announced today. Dominating from the circle, Parker went 2-0 with a save to help the Sooners improve their record to 36-5 and remain perfect at 9-0 in conference play.
In the series opener, Parker shined in the circle in her first Red River Rivalry matchup, striking out nine batters and allowing just three hits while en route to her seventh shutout of the season. Parker retired eight straight batters from the first to third innings, and during the game only one batter reached second base. She struck out a batter in six of the seven innings, including two in the first, fourth and fifth frames. In game two of Friday's doubleheader, Parker came on in relief to get her third save of the year. With the Sooners ahead 2-1 in the fifth, Texas got the tying run to third but Parker got a strikeout to keep the lead intact. In total, she struck out five batters while giving up just one hit through two and one-third innings of work.
In the series finale, Parker was yet again lights out from the circle, going the full seven innings to help the Sooners to a series sweep. Throughout the frame, Parker struck out seven batters while allowing just two walks and two hits as OU recorded its 15th shutout of the year. Parker also performed at the plate for the Sooners during last week's play, compiling a .250 (3-for-12) batting average with one RBI and one run scored.
“Paige got thrown into the fire early in the season as a freshman, and to see her growth throughout these last couple of months has been tremendous," said Oklahoma Head Coach Patty Gasso. "Her passion for learning and becoming great has been infectious and a joy to watch. For her to have the kind of success she did this weekend against a strong, tough-hitting team like Texas is just a tribute to her hard work and her commitment to helping this team find ways to win. I’m very proud of her, especially being a freshman, to receive such a prestigious award.”
On the week, Parker gave up just four walks and six hits in 16.1 innings of work while striking out 21 batters to improve her season record to 18-3. This is the first USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Week honors for Parker and the first for an Oklahoma athlete since Week 13 of the 2014 season when Kelsey Stevens earned the honors.
The Sooners now sets their sights on another important Big 12 matchup as they face No. 14 Baylor at home.
2015 USA Softball National Collegiate Players of the WeekWeek 1 (Feb. 5-8): Taylor Schoblocher - North Texas - Junior - Utility – Forney, Texas
Week 2 (Feb. 9-15): Lauren Haeger - Florida - Senior - Pitcher/1B – Peoria, Ariz.
Week 3 (Feb. 16-22): Jenna Lilley - Oregon - Freshman - Infield - North Canton, Ohio
Week 4 (Feb. 23 - March 1): Sierra Lawrence - Michigan - Junior - Outfield - Snellville, Ga.
Week 5 (March 2-8): Emily Carosone - Auburn - Junior - Outfield - Orlando, Fla.
Week 6 (March 9-15): Bianka Bell - LSU - Junior - Infield - Tampa, Fla.
Week 7 (March 16-22): Megan Good - James Madison - Freshman - Pitcher/Infielder - Mount Sidney, Va.
Week 8 (March 23-29): Geri Ann Glasco - Oregon - Junior - DP/Pitcher - Watkinsville, Ga.
Week 9 (March 30 - April 5): Shelby Turnier - UCF - Junior - Pitcher - Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Week 10 (April 6-12): Paige Parker - OU - Freshman - Pitcher - Independence, Mo.
About ASA/USA Softball
Founded in 1933, the Amateur Softball Association (ASA)/USA Softball is the National Governing Body Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, ASA/USA Softball sanctions competition in every state through a network of 74 local associations and has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 165,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2.5 million. ASA/USA is responsible for training, equipping and promoting the six USA Softball National Teams that compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women’s National Team is one of only two women’s sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won nine World Championship titles as well as claimed eight World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about ASA/USA Softball, please visit http://www.asausasoftball.com/.
About the NCAA Women’s College World Series
The ASA Hall of Fame Stadium serves as the home to the NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS). For the 25th year, the top eight college teams in the nation will head to Oklahoma City and complete for a National Championship title. Last year, nearly 70,000 fans attended the WCWS. Experience It Live May 28 to June 3 in Oklahoma City. Tickets for the 2015 NCAA WCWS are on sale now, click here to purchase your tickets and make a date with champions!