No. 1 Softball Plays First SEC Road Series at No. 15 Arkansas

NORMAN  — No. 1 Softball (23-0, 3-0 SEC) continues its four game road swing with its first road series of Southeastern Conference play as the Sooners play three games at No. 15/12 Arkansas (20-3, 1-2 SEC) Friday, March 14 through Sunday, March 16. For updates and more information on Oklahoma softball, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Softball) and like Oklahoma Softball on Facebook.
 HOW TO FOLLOW
The first two games of the series will be played on SECN+, while Sunday’s game will be broadcasted on SEC Network. A radio broadcast of all three games will be available on the Franchise 2 (1560 AM and 103.3FM).  Live stats will be available via Statbroadcast.com.GOING, GOING, GABBIE!
Freshman infielder Gabbie Garcia has been on a tear over her last nine games. Garcia was named DISoftball Freshman of the Week and SEC Co-Freshman of the Week March 11, becoming the first OU Softball player to earn the SEC Freshman of the Week laurel. WON-RUN GAMES
Oklahoma entered last weekend not having played a one-run game all season. The Sooners finished with three one-run wins after the series with South Carolina, making it the first time in program history that OU has won three straight one-run games against a ranked opponent. NEW BATS, SAME RESULTS
Of Oklahoma’s 48 home runs, 30 have been hit by an OU newcomer or a Sooner in their first season on the field. Isabela Emerling and Gabbie Garcia are tied for the lead in home runs among newcomers (7). Classmate Tia Milloy has homered five times in 36 at-bats. Additionally, five different Sooners have had a two-homer performance this season (Kasidi Pickering, Nelly McEnroe-Marinas, Sydney Barker and Isabela Emerling and Ella Parker).STARS OF THE WEEK
Kasidi Pickering was named one of Softball America’s Stars of the Week March 4.  The outfielder homered four times, driving in 12. Nelly McEnroe-Marinas joined her with the same honor March 11 after hitting a pair of three-run home runs in a 10-9 win against No. 10 South Carolina Sunday, March 9.FULLY STAFFED
The OU pitching staff has been balanced from the jump this season. All five Sooners that have logged innings have turned in a sub-2.50 ERA. Four pitchers have tallied at least 30 innings in the circle, while the staff has combined to strikeout 154 batters and only walk 28. Kierston Deal, Sam Landry, Audrey Lowry and Isabella Smith all have at least five wins, with Smith and Landry pacing the staff at 6-0.WOAH NELLY!
Redshirt-freshman and captain third baseman Nelly McEnroe-Marinas hit two three-run home runs in the same game to help defeat South Carolina, 10-9, March 9. She is the first Sooner to hit a pair of three-run homers in the same game since Lynnsie Elam did so against Iowa March 20, 2022.AGAINST THE SEC
Oklahoma is well acquainted with playing Southeastern Conference opposition. The Sooners have played 153 games against SEC foes entering this weekend. OU is 116-37 all-time in those games. The Sooners have a .500 or winning record against Arkansas (25-2), Auburn (8-2), Florida (8-2), Georgia (4-4), Kentucky (10-1), LSU (11-8), Mississippi State (8-0), Missouri (4-0), Ole Miss (6-0), South Carolina (7-5), Tennessee (7-5) and Texas A&M (10-0).RUNS IN THE FAMILY
There will be three Gasso’s on the field this weekend as OU head coach Patty Gasso and associate head coach JT Gasso will be in the opposite dugout of Arkansas assistant coach DJ Gasso. DJ was a graduate manager at OU from 2018-19. Additionally, Arkansas head coach Courtney Deifel spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at OU (2008-09).BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK                     
Oklahoma opened up with a five-run first inning in game one against South Carolina Sunday, March 9. Nelly McEnroe-Marinas, Gabbie Garcia and Cydney Sanders launched back-to-back-to-back homers in that inning, completing the feat for the first time since Grace Lyons, Alyssa Brito and Kinzie Hansen did so April of 2023 against Kansas.Garcia is riding a nine-game hitting streak during which she has four multi-hit games. Between March 1 and March 9 she homered in five consecutive games, becoming the first OU freshman to homer in five straight games since Jocelyn Alo did so in March of 2018. She helped OU go back-to-back-to-back Sunday vs. South Carolina. Tuesday at Tulsa she made it six homers in seven games with another long ball.LAST TIME VS. THE RAZORBACKS
Oklahoma and Arkansas are playing games 28-30 against one another. The Sooners lead the series, 25-2. OU is 8-1 against Arkansas in games played on the road, with the last time the Sooners taking on Arkansas in Fayetteville coming April 20, 2016. It was also the first time since 2017 that OU won three consecutive one-run games (last achieved in wins against Evansville, WKU and Tulsa that season). Additionally, the Sooners won back-to-back 10-9 decisions for the first time in program history.23-0
Oklahoma is 23-0 for the third time in the last nine seasons. The last time the Sooners won the first 23 games of their season was in 2022. OU also did so in 2021. Oklahoma has gone no worse than 19-4 through the first 23 games every season since at least 2017. OU’s 48 home runs is only second to its totals through 23 games from 2021 and 2022 during that stretch. PATIENT AT THE PLATE               
Of the Sooners’ 205 runs, Oklahoma has scored 65 runs via a walk or hit-by-pitch. Oklahoma has scored at least one run per game via a walk or hit by pitch in 22 of 23 games. The Sooners are coming off consecutive games scoring six runs off a walk or hit-by-pitch. The Sooners are second in DI in walks with 132.“AWE”DREY LOWRY
Freshman lefty pitcher Audrey Lowry posted a complete game win against No. 10 South Carolina Sunday, March 9. The Sooners won 2-1 in the series finale. She was extremely efficient, needing only 71 pitches in the complete game. ABOUT ARKANSAS
Arkansas is 20-3 and 1-2 in the SEC after opening conference play against Ole Miss …  Arkansas’ only other loss came to No. 4 UCLA (9-1) … the Razorbacks went 37-18 and hosted a regional last season, going 1-2 in that regional with losses to Arizona and Villanova … Courtney Day and Bri Ellis have carried the offense this year, combining for 76 RBI. Lowry is 5-0 with a 2.10 ERA and has fanned 31 batters in 30.0 innings of work. The freshman hasn’t walked more than a batter in any appearance and has only allowed two walks all season.