OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA) is pleased to announce that Oklahoma’s Keilani Ricketts (San Jose, Calif.) is the USA Softball Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 15-21. The freshman pitcher went 3-0 on the week in just as many starts against two ranked teams helping lead the Sooners to a 5-0 record at the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic in Las Vegas, Nev.

Ricketts posted a 0.37 ERA in 19 innings pitched with wins against then-No.21 Northwestern (3-0), then-No.11 California (12-1) and Long Beach State (10-0). She also picked up her first save of the year against Boise State. Ricketts allowed just one run on the weekend, holding opponents to a .111 batting average.

“Keilani has hit the ground running since entering this program. She has handled herself like a veteran yet still has much more to learn,” said Oklahoma Head Coach Patty Gasso. “I know she’s confident because of the run support she’s getting from her teammates, and it’s an honor for us to have one of our own recognized on the National scene.”

In the seven hits allowed, only one was for extra bases. She recorded 22 total strikeouts and against ranked Northwestern allowed only four runners to reach base and only two into scoring position.

“It’s a great honor to earn this award because it’s representative of our team’s performance this past weekend,” said Ricketts. “I hope we can continue the momentum.”

This is the first-time honor for Ricketts.

About ASA

The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation's largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 76 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 240,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than three million. For more information on the ASA, visit http://www.asasoftball.com/.

About USA Softball

USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men's, Women's, Junior Boys' and Junior Girls' National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women's National Team is one of the only two women's sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won eight World Championship titles including the last six consecutive as well as claimed two World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about USA Softball, please visit http://www.usasoftball.com/.