Jayhawks Host No. 5 Oklahoma in Big 12 Action

Kansas vs. No. 5 Oklahoma
Date April 24-26
Location Lawrence, Kansas
FIeld Arrocha Ballpark at Rock Chalk Park
Series Oklahoma leads 55-41
Radio Jayhawk Radio Network
Notes Kansas
Stats at a Glance KU OU
Record 34-8 40-6
Rankings RV/RV 6/5
Batting Average .337 .374
Slugging Percentage .517 .688
On-Base Percentage .431 .483
Home Runs 45 92
Earned Run Average 3.49 2.23
Strikeouts 240 294

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Jayhawks return to Big 12 action after taking a break from league play for two non-conference match ups with a three-game series against No. 5 Oklahoma, April 24-26, at Arrocha Ballpark at Rock Chalk Park. The first contest of the series is slated for Friday, April 24 at 5 p.m.
 
FOLLOWING THE JAYHAWKS
Listen to every pitch, home and away, all season long as part of the Jayhawk Radio Network, in partnership with KJHK, the University of Kansas’ student radio station. For the first time ever, all of KU’s contests will be carried live, for free, at KUAthletics.com/radio or by clicking the links on the online schedule. Fans can also get in-game updates via twitter by following @KUsoftball.
 
Around the Diamond
Friday night is Kansas’ annual ‘Jayhawks for a Cure’ game, where fans wearing pink or orange will receive $5 admission and orange pom-poms will be given away while supplies last. Saturday is Fan Appreciation Day at Arrocha Ballpark and anyone wearing blue will receive $5 admission. A team rolla banner will also be given away on Saturday. On Sunday, the Jayhawks will celebrate 80’s Day with two-for-one ticket prices and another set of trading cards will be available. Following the series finale, the Jayhawks will sign autographs and children can run the bases.
 
Why Do We Wear Orange?
For the past three seasons, Kansas softball has worn orange during its ‘Jayhawks for a Cure’ game. The Jayhawks don orange jerseys in honor of head coach Megan Smith’s late husband, Paul Buske, who passed away from kidney cancer in 2011. Orange is the color that supports and raises awareness for kidney cancer. On Friday night, the Jayhawks will honor Paul and all those whose lives have been affected by any form of cancer. All fans wearing orange or pink will receive $5 admission to the first game of the series against Oklahoma.
 
LEADING OFF FOR KANSAS
• Head coach Megan Smith recorded her 300th career win after the Jayhawks defeated Georgia State, 5-4, on March 22. During the Oklahoma State series, the Jayhawks recorded their 30th win of the year, marking the fifth-straight season that Smith has guided Kansas to the 30-win plateau.
• The Jayhawks have registered a combined 179 walks during the 2015 season, setting a new team single-season record. The previous mark was 173 walks collected by the 2011 squad. This season marks the seventh time in Kansas history that the Jayhawks have tallied more than 150 base on balls in a season.
• Kansas pitchers combined to hurl 22 and two-thirds innings of scoreless softball as they tossed three-consecutive shutouts from Feb. 8-14. The Jayhawks nearly threw a fourth-straight shutout, but Weber State scored a run in sixth inning, ending the KU pitchers’ streak an out shy of 23 scoreless innings.
• Seven members of the Jayhawk starting lineup are hitting above .300 in 2015 and contributing to KU’s .337 batting average, which is the second-best team average in the Big 12 Conference. Junior Chaley Brickey is hitting over .400, posting a .416 batting average.
• Kansas has recorded 45 home runs on the season from seven different Jayhawks. Of the 45 homers, nine have been grand slams. Junior infielder Chaley Brickey leads the team with 12 long balls. Freshman Daniella Chavez has hit a team-best three grand slams, which is three shy of tying the national record.
• Senior hurler Alicia Pille has been making her mark in the circle all season. Her latest feat was reaching 20 wins in a single season, making her the first Jayhawk to do so since 2001. Only 15 previous Jayhawks have reached the milestone.
• Senior utility Maddie Stein became the all-time RBI leader in Kansas softball history on March 22 after recording her 141st career RBI with a home run to left field. She currently has 148 RBIs in her career and 39 on the season.
 
ABOUT THE JAYHAWKS
Kansas hosts its second-to-last Big 12 series of the season at Arrocha Ballpark when the Sooners come to town this weekend. The Jayhawks enter the series with a 34-8 overall record and snapped their two-game losing skid with a 6-4 victory over SIUE in a midweek match up.  
 
Infielder Chaley Brickey leads the team offense with a .416 batting average, the only Jayhawk batting over .400. Brickey also leads the squad with 12 home runs and has connected for 57 hits at the plate. During her junior campaign, Brickey has registered a .752 slugging percentage and has tagged 103 total bases over the course of the 2015 season.  Senior utility Maddie Stein has posted a team-best 14 doubles and claimed Kansas’ all-time RBI record after registering five RBIs during the Rock Chalk Challenge (March 20-22).
 
Collectively, Kansas has seven players batting over .300 and has registered a team batting average of .337. The squad has recorded 67 doubles and 45 home runs in 2015, earning a .517 slugging percentage. Kansas has an on-base percentage of .431, which is the 18th-best mark in the country. KU has drawn a total of 179 walks, which set a new team single-season record, surpassing the previous mark of 173 set during the 2011 season. As a pitching staff, Kansas has tossed a 3.49 ERA in 277.0 innings of work, throwing a combined 240 strikeouts. Senior hurler Alicia Pille leads the staff with a 2.81 ERA, throwing 156 strikeouts on the year. Pille has made an impressive presence in the circle, accounting for 20 victories so far this season.
 
SCOUTING OKLAHOMA
The Sooners head to Lawrence boasting a 40-6 overall record and have lost just one Big 12 contest this season. Oklahoma’s sole conference loss came to Baylor,  an 8-0 run-rule victory, on April 16. The Bears are the only team to defeat OU in the last 16 games.
The defending Big 12 champions and 2014 Women’s World Series participants have six players batting over .400 contributing to a combined .374 batting average this season. The Sooners’ high-powered offense has registered 92 home runs, 73 doubles and 12 triples.
 
Senior infielder Shelby Pendley has launched 23 of OU’s 92 long balls this season, leading the team with a .435 batting average and 1.073 slugging percentage. Pendley has recorded a team-best 58 RBIs and sits second on the squad with 10 doubles. The Rio Rancho, New Mexico native has also spent time in the circle, contributing a 2.25 ERA in 59.0 innings of work and striking out 58 batters. Senior infielder Lauren Chamberlain has made an impact in the batter’s box as well with a .414 batting average. Chamberlain has sent 18 bombs over the fence while tallying 54 RBIs in her senior campaign. She is one home run away from setting a NCAA career record.
 
The Sooners’ pitching staff is led by freshman Paige Parker, who has tossed 155.2 innings and struck out 166 batters. She has posted an ERA of 1.48. During her rookie season, Parker has registered a 21-4 mark in the circle and hurled 16 complete games in 31 appearances. Collectively, the staff has a 2.23 ERA through 279.1 innings, striking out 294 batters over the course of the 2015 season.
 
WALK IT OUT
In 42 games this season, Kansas has recorded a combined 179 base on balls, averaging 4.3 per game. The Jayhawks’ 179 walks set a new team single-season record. Previously, the most walks recorded in a season was 173, which was achieved during the 2011 campaign. Sophomore utility Lily Behrmann leads the team with 38 walks, moving her into second in the single-season records. Last season, junior infielder Chaley Brickey drew a team-high 42 walks, setting a new single-season record after surpassing the previous mark of 35 set by Tracy Bunge in 1985. The Jayhawks recorded a game-high seven walks against Oklahoma State on March 30, 2014.
 
UP NEXT
The Jayhawks host Wichita State in their final non-conference contest of the 2015 slate. Kansas welcomes the Shockers to Arrocha Ballpark at Rock Chalk Park on Tuesday, April 28 at 6 p.m. The final midweek match up will air on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3 and the Jayhawk Radio Network.
 
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