UPDATE 4/18:OU has postponed Saturday's game and moved it to Sunday. The teams will now play at doubleheader on Sunday beginning at 2 p.m. The final game of the series will be played 40 minutes after the conclusion of first Sunday contest.
The Oklahoma Sooners (36-5, 10-5 SEC) softball team is coming off of an SEC series loss that extended to Monday.
Now, the Sooners potential rebound series against Mississippi State is facing a change ahead of the contest. Due to expected inclement weather, Friday's softball game between No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 15 Mississippi State at Devon Park in Oklahoma City has been moved up to a 4 p.m. CT start time. The game was originally set for a 6:30 p.m. start. As part of the original plan, the following two games will be played at Love's Field in Norman. However, they will take place on Sunday, where the Sooners and Bulldogs will play a doubleheader.
Former Sooner and softball great Samantha Ricketts coaches Mississippi State. She was named the Bulldogs' sixth head softball coach on July 22, 2019. Including her time as an assistant coach in Starkville, Ricketts' 11 years in Maroon and White make her the second-longest-tenured head coach currently at MSU.
"It's easy to talk with Sam Ricketts, because she's an alum here, and she knows," OU head coach Patty Gasso said on Wednesday. "To me, I would want to play at Hall of Fame, because I want my players to feel what it feels like to play on the field that you won a national championship on. It's to get a few more fans in. It's also to appease the people in Oklahoma City, so they don't have to drive down to Norman on a Friday. So a lot of reasons, but it just has a different feel for it, and Sam agreed to it."
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The week is one of the few times that the Sooners don't have a midweek game to prepare them for the SEC contest. Gasso said that has allowed them to practice a bit harder as they got to see some live pitching.
"Had live pitchers today," Gasso said on Wednesday. "So we get to see more live at practice, which is nice. I think we are a little more fresh. We did not have an easy trip. I don't know if anyone cares or knew about it. But we were supposed to be picked up at 9 with our charter, and it came in at 12:30 a.m. So we got to our homes on Tuesday morning at 4 a.m. that kind of screwed up our ability to get additional rest and so forth. So I felt that a little bit today… But we'll be ready. We'll be prepped."
With announcing the schedule update, Oklahoma Softball released that all original tickets purchased for the game will be valid for entry of the updated time.
"Fans who can no longer attend due to the time change must reach out to the original point of purchase for a refund or solution," the department said. "For fans with digital tickets, the time listed on those tickets will automatically update on your account.
"Fans who purchased their tickets through SeatGeek may contact customer support at 888-798-8826, while fans who purchased tickets directly through the USA Softball box office may call 844-4USATIX. Fans who purchased tickets directly from the Oklahoma Athletics Ticket Office for this event can contact outickets@ou.edu or by calling 405-325-2424 during regular business hours. All refund requests must be made by Friday, April 18 at 6:30 p.m. CT."
