After tonight’s opening-round games at the Big 12 tournament in Oklahoma City are finished (both begin at 5 p.m.), the yearly conference awards will be announced.
Two OU players are up for Big 12 Player of the Year, it was announced Wednesday.
Senior third baseman Norrelle Dickson, who is the Sooners’ career leader in runs scored, hits and stolen bases, is likely the favorite to win the award.
Sophomore first baseman Samantha Ricketts was also named a finalist.
Dickson has capped a stellar career with her best all-around season. She’s hitting .479 with 33 stolen bases in 38 attempts and is tied for third in the nation in runs per game at 1.24. Dickson has crossed home plate 68 times this season.
A sophomore, Ricketts has become one of the top clean-up hitters in the country.
She is hitting .425 with 17 home runs and leads the nation with 77 runs batted in. She’s also tops in the Big 12 and 12th in the nation with an .819 slugging percentage.
“It’s been a great year,” Ricketts said. “I actually broke the (OU) RBI record, and Norrelle broke the runs scored record, so I was like ‘Thanks, Norrelle,’ and she was like ‘Thanks, Sam.”
Hot pitching
OU’s Lauren Eckermann may come into the tournament with a 31-3 record, but some of the other pitchers around the Big 12 have been more dominant in the circle.
Eckermann’s 1.66 ERA is good enough for sixth in the conference, but it’s not likely to win her Pitcher of the Year tonight.
Texas A&M;’s Amanda Scarborough leads a stellar group of conference hurlers into the tournament. Scarborough is the Aggies’ ace, and comes in with a 1.16 ERA and a 20-6 record.
Nebraska’s Molly Hill, who shares starting duties with Ashley DeBuhr, leads the conference with a 1.05 ERA.
Other star conference pitchers who will see the circle this weekend include Texas’ Erin Tresselt (11-2, 1.21 ERA), Megan Gibson from Texas A&M; (16-3, 1.40), Texas’ Meagan Denny (20-14, 1.63) and Baylor’s Kirsten Shortridge (16-3, 1.84) and Lisa Ferguson (21-7, 2.06).
Surprise, surprise
The biggest conference surprise this season has been Missouri. The Tigers were 24-17 against non-conference opponents, and struggled in the circle and at the plate before starting Big 12 play.
Then they breezed through conference play with a 13-4 record, tying OU for second-best.
Missouri’s bats have been the big reason for the team’s success. The Tigers were third to the Sooners and Baylor in Big 12 hitting with a .284 average. Amanda Renth is the best hitter on the team and has driven in 55 runs.
The top seed
Baylor comes into the conference tournament as one of the Big 12’s hotter teams.
Since being swept by OU at Marita Hynes Field in a mid-week doubleheader April 18, the Bears have gone 6-1 with victories over Missouri, Texas and Texas A&M.;
And they come in with the reigning Big 12 Player of the Week, Ashley Monceaux, a Player of the Year candidate.
Monceaux is hitting .405 with 16 home runs and 58 RBIs.
Jeff Johncox
366-3535
jjohncox@normantranscript.com
