The Oklahoma Sooners are off to a sensational start to Big 12 play, sitting at 6-0 with the Baylor Bears coming to town for a three-game set this weekend.
As OU prepares to host the only team to beat them in 2023, they may have to play without one of their captains, catcher [autotag]Kinzien Hansen[/autotag]. Patty Gasso said on Tuesday that Hansen is dealing with a knee issue.
“She’s got a little bit of a tweak in the knee that we don’t want to mess around with right now,” Gasso said Tuesday. “We’re just kind of playing it very cautiously. Riley Ludlam’s done a great job in that spot. So it’s just kind of day-to-day. She’s not out for the season or anything like that, we’re just kind of taking it day to day.”
Hansen has been fantastic in her final year with the Sooners, hitting .367 with seven home runs and 16 RBIs. Her work behind the plate defensively and with the pitching staff have also been critical to Oklahoma’s success.
In her only at bat last week, Hansen launched a solo home run in Friday’s game against Texas Tech in her first plate appearance. She didn’t play the rest of the weekend.
Taking her place in the ambiguous nature of day-to-day is [autotag]Riley Ludlam[/autotag]. Ludlam, who transferred from Furman last offseason is having a really good year with the Sooners. She’s hitting .385 with two home runs, 16 RBIs and has recorded 13 walks this season. Her on-base percentage of .528 is third on the Sooners behind [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] and [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag].
Patty Gasso also revealed that in the even the Sooners need another catcher, [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] will work as the emergency backstop.
The Oklahoma Sooners will play UT Arlington on Wednesday before they begin their three-game series with Baylor on Friday night in Oklahoma City at Hall of Fame Stadium. The final two games of the series will take place at Love’s Field in Norman.
More: How to watch No. 1 Oklahoma vs. UT Arlington
More: 5 takeaways from Oklahoma’s sweep of Texas Tech
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