:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/55803395/Shelby_Pendley_Baserunning.0.0.jpg)
You don’t have to follow college sports to know the Oklahoma Sooners dominate in softball.
Alright, maybe you do, but the team is notoriously good (like really, really, really good) and besides crediting the legendary Patty Gasso you have to shine light on some standouts. Some of which have continued their career into the National Pro Fastpitch League, and to no surprise, they’re still dominating.
Lauren Chamberlain: LoLo was a force for Oklahoma and is still raking in the NPF for the USSSA Pride. After slugging 95 homers (an all-time record, btw) at OU, she carried her power stroke to the NPF hitting .247 with a .330 on-base percentage and .506 slugging percentage. She’s tied for the league lead with eight doubles, scored nine runs, has four home runs and is fifth in the league in RBI with 18. She still haunts Texas-based teams, hitting a career-high 6 RBI in one game against them on June 20th. While she isn’t the equivalent of softball’s Mike Trout anymore, she is still a feared player and is representing OU in the highest level she can.
Keilani Ricketts: The 25-year-old lefty was a dual-threat at OU (she could both hit and pitch), but has slowly turned away from the bat. Now, she proves as maybe one of the top arms on the USSSA Pride. Ricketts is second on the team with 44.2 innings pitched on the season and has a 1.57 earned run average. She also hold a 6-3 record over 10 appearances and six starts. She ranks second on the Pride in strikeouts with 41 and has walked just eight batters on the season. To sum all that up, she’s pretty good. Ricketts is also pretty efficient, ranking third in the league in strike percentage (70.7). Again, she’s pretty darn good.
Shelby Pendley: A former teammate to Chamberlain at OU and still a teammate with her on the USSSA Pride, Pendley has had a bit of a slide when it comes to season stats. She’s hitting .244 this season after hitting .355 last season and has only 3 doubles and 6 home runs through 30 games played. There’s still plenty of season left to turn it around, but it just hasn’t been Shelby’s year. It’s alright, we all have them. Expect her to rebound soon and start crushing it. I mean she was a career .384 hitter at Arizona and Oklahoma - so she’ll figure it out. It’s baseball softball, she’ll be due.
With more alumni to join the NPF soon, it’s awesome to see these three representing OU well. Despite NPF being nowhere close to the same level as the MLB when it comes to exposure, these three have made names for themselves in the league. Through all major leagues, the Crimson & Cream has made a lasting mark. Now it’s making its mark in Pro Fastpitch.