Is Oklahoma softball's Ella Parker related to Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts?
Is Oklahoma softball's Ella Parker related to Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts?
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Texas Tech's NiJaree Canady and Tennessee's Karlyn Pickens lead WCWS players to watch
The Oklahoman's Jenni Carlson highlights several Women's College World Series key players to watch.
Since she arrived to Oklahoma last year, all Ella Parker has done is hit.
As a freshman on college softball's most storied team, Parker led the veteran-heavy national championship team with a team-best .416 batting average while winning the Most Valuable Player award in the Big 12 softball tournament and a spot on the All-Women's College World Series team.
She has replicated that outstanding freshman by blossoming into an all-time OU player and OU's leading hitter this season, especially in the last month or so, as she has hit safely in 15 of the last 17 games for the Sooners.
REQUIRED READING: Who are top OU softball players in 50 years of program history? Meet 50 greatest Sooners
Another WCWS national championship ring would be Parker's second in two seasons with the Sooners, the same number her uncle, Dave Roberts, has won as the skipper of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Oklahoma begins its chase for that national championship ring on Thursday, May 29 against No. 7 Tennessee at 1:30 p.m. ET at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.
Here's what you need to know on what Parker's relation is to Roberts and more ahead of the WCWS:
Is Oklahoma softball's Ella Parker related to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts?
Yes, Oklahoma softball's Ella Parker is related to Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
Parker is the niece of the two-time World Series champion manager, who played collegiately at UCLA before going on to have a 10-year MLB career with the now-Cleveland Guardians, Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants.
REQUIRED READING: Who will win 2025 NCAA softball title? Get to know the eight teams at the WCWS in OKC
Who is Ella Parker?
Ella Parker is a sophomore utility player on the Oklahoma softball team.
The Los Angeles native was a highly touted recruit for the Sooners, as Extra Innings had her ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the 2023 recruiting class. Softball America, meanwhile, had Parker listed as the No. 15 recruit in their rankings.
As a freshman last season, Parker was an immediate impact player for OU, as she was named a top-three finalist for TUCCI/NFCA Division I Freshman of the Year after starting 58 games and hitting a scorching .415 at the plate as a freshman. She additionally led the Sooners in stolen bases last season with 17.
She earned a spot on the WCWS All-Tournament team after leading the Sooners with a .381 batting average in six WCWS games last season. She also had a home run and five RBIs in the WCWS last season, which extended OU's streak of consecutive national championships to four.
Parker has continued that same success this season for the Sooners, as she leads all OU hitters in batting average (.416) for the second consecutive year. At one point this season, Parker was as hot as a Division I hitter in the country with a .608 batting average.
REQUIRED READING: Does college softball have a run rule? How NCAA Tournament, WCWS games can end early
Ella Parker stats
Here's a year-by-year breakdown of Parker's stats at Oklahoma:
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That, on top of some frustration with the strike zone, can send things southward for a defense really quickly, but we'll see if Canady can calm things down here for her team. Things are getting spicy as Texas Tech coach Gerry Glasco appears to have just received a warning from the umpire crew after mouthing off about the iffy strike zone so far. T2 - Texas Tech 0, UCLA 0 And while Nijaree Canady is known for her signature 70-mph rise ball, she's already leaning on her changeup early against these Bruins batters. She's leaned on that pitch slightly more this year than she has in the past, and it's making its presence known at the WCWS. Joley Mitchell on her three home runs in the past two games. That was quite the easy inning for UCLA's Taylor Tinsley in the circle, tossing just nine pitches to sit the Red Raiders in order. 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