29-05-2025
Keilani Ricketts tops list of greatest Oklahoma softball players of all time
Keilani Ricketts tops list of greatest Oklahoma softball players of all time
Picking the greatest Oklahoma softball player is a bit like picking the greatest New York Yankees player of all time.
If the remark sounds farfetched, consider the Sooners have won eight national championships in the last 25 years. No team, in any sport, college or pro, in North America has that kind of dominance. A bit like the Yankees of the 20th century.
So when The Oklahoman's Jenni Carlson counted down the top 50 players in OU softball history (Subscription Required), the whole of the list was just as interesting as who would sit atop. And just like Babe Ruth is practically a unanimous choice for No. 1 for the Yankees, Oklahoma's top spot isn't the most surprising, either.
And that's not where the Ruth comparisons end.
Carlson named former Sooners pitcher Keilani Ricketts as the greatest player in school history. Pitcher, if you forgot, hardly does her justice. Ricketts was nearly as good a hitter as she was in the circle.
"OU softball's Babe Ruth," Carlson wrote. "She was a two-time USA Softball Player of the Year and is the only Sooner to win the Honda Cup as the nation's top female college athlete."
Ricketts ranks fifth in Oklahoma history with a .503 on-base percentage and 10th with a .674 slugging mark. She also holds a 1.26 earned-run average over more than 1,000 innings, making her the only player in school history to hit that mark. Ricketts is the Sooners' all-time leader in games started, appearances, wins, and shutouts.
Just as impressive, Ricketts' 1,605 strikeouts are by far the most in Oklahoma history. Paige Parker, who sits second on the list, recorded 968 strikeouts over her four-year career.
Two current players cracked the top 50. Sophomores Ella Parker and Kasidi Pickering ranked 42nd and 43rd, respectively. That duo will lead the Sooners into the Women's College World Series on Thursday.
Oklahoma will play Tennessee in the first round at 1:30 p.m. CT. The Volunteers won the season series, two games to one in Knoxville.
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