UF, FSU among teams trying to prevent Sooners three-peat

OKLAHOMA CITY — The twotime defending national softball Sooners than the The competition champion ever. Sooners might blew Oklahoma be to through better post a

55-3 the Women’s record and College return World to

Series. The offense, led by freshman power hitter Jocelyn Alo and junior infielder

Sydney Romero, led the nation in scoring.

Star pitchers Paige Parker a nd P aige Lowary were exceptional the Sooners again, rank helping second backs nationally up its in pitchers ERA. Oklahoma by lead- ing the nation in fielding per- centage.

Now, the fourth-seeded Sooners are trying to join UCLA (1988-90) as the only programs to win three straight. Oklahoma will open World Series play today against No. 5 Wash- ington (49-8).

The Sooners want to approach the tournament as first ing “I if like think title. they you’re are the key chasing marked,” is not their feel- Oklahoma said. “We coach don’t Patty think Gasso that way. We don’t play that way, because there’s a lot of teams out there that could say just with the tradition that they have that X on their back. ” Parker already has made her mark in World Series history as the ace during two championship runs. She has posted by far the best sea- son of her career with a 0.86 ERA. Lowary was the first overall pick in the National Pro Fastpitch League Draft, ahead of Parker. With a fastball that reaches the mid-70s on the radar gun, she has 72 strikeouts to just 13 walks in 93 innings.

The Paiges will need to be at their best if Oklahoma is to win again. The top eight seeds made it through to the World Series.

Alo has 28 home runs, two short of the freshman record of 30 set by Hawaii’s Kelly Majam in 2010 and matched by Oklahoma’s Lauren Chamberlain in 2012.

Alo is quite the home run hitter, but the nation’s active career leader is Florida State’s Jessie Warren. The senior has 81 blasts in her career and is tied for 10th in the nation this season with 19.

Warren recently was named ACC Player of the Year. She is the second player to be named All-ACC first team in four straight seasons.