Keilani Ricketts: Softball

Star pitcher for Oklahoma, known as Softball's "Babe Ruth"

Photo: Oklahoma Athletics

2013 Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year Keilani Ricketts has been called "Softball's Babe Ruth." Ricketts was a finalist for the Honda Cup in 2012, and is a two-time winner of the Honda Sports Award for softball.

From PrettyTough.com:

Ricketts led her No 1-ranked Oklahoma team both from the circle and at the plate, taking the Sooners to their second straight Women’s College World Series and the 2013 NCAA title. After pitching a career high 12 innings and bringing her team to a game one win in its best-of-three final series against Tennessee, Ricketts took the night off from the circle in game two, serving as the designated player and hitting a home run with 4 RBIs to help garner the title for the Sooners. Early in the WCWS, to help get her team to the final series, she threw a no-hitter and struck out 12 against Michigan.

A dominating presence at 6-foot-2, she was 35-1 on the season, starting all 56 games (36 at pitcher and 20 at DP), and earned 2013 Big 12 Pitcher of the Year honors. Ricketts ranked No. 8 in the nation in ERA (1.23) and No. 6 in strikeouts (350). She has played for the U.S. National team and came to Oklahoma as the youngest of four athletic children in San Jose, California. Her older sister, Samantha, played for Patty Gasso at Oklahoma before Keilani and it was Samantha who first noticed her 6-foot 13-year old sister could be a special talent. At sports powerhouse high school Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Ricketts played varsity basketball as a freshman and varsity softball not until her sophomore year, when she quickly garnered national attention. She ended her senior prep season 22-0, leading her school to the 2009 national softball championship.